1,000-Year Voyage (8 page)

“And has she responded to your attentions or has she some particular desire for one of the other young men?”

“It doesn't concern me what particular desires she has,” Exodus replied. “
I
have decided which one it is to be and I shall take her whether she likes it or not.”

Merva nodded slowly and then gave a rather grim smile.

“There is little doubt as to whose child you are,” she said gravely. “Very well, Exodus, I'll leave that particular matter entirely in your hands. I would point out to you that the need for more children is becoming somewhat urgent. Take a look at the gauge on the life energy machine there.”

Exodus crossed to it and studied its complicated meter system then he turned with a look of surprise.

“How does it happen that such a lot of energy has been used up?” he questioned. “I understood you to say when you explained about this machine that there was enough energy to last a thousand years—that you would have all you need, including myself, of course.”

“I miscalculated somewhat,” Merva sighed. “Not that it signifies for there will be other children from whom energy can be taken. Up to now you have not had any of the energy, because had you done so it would have necessitated you staying apparently at the particular age at which you received the energy. That would have been absurd had you remained somewhere round a constant twelve years of age; there would have been no point in it, but now that you are in your nineteenth year the first absorption of energy can begin. Hence the necessity for children because once you and I are both using the energy there is bound to be a very big drain upon the supply we have here.”

“Suppose,” Exodus said, again with that thoughtful look upon his powerfully cut face, “we ever arrive at the point where there is only enough energy for either you or I. What would be done in a case like that?”

Merva sighed. “What a boy you are for anticipating trouble.” There is no conceivable reason why there shouldn't always be enough energy for both of us providing we can maintain a constant supply of children which just makes it that the energy seems to last just from generation to generation. If however we did get into the desperate position of having to choose between one and the other I would of course choose to perpetuate myself because I know more than all of you put together.”

A slight gleam seemed to come into Exodus' greenish grey eyes, but he did not make any further comment. Instead he said:

“When you are ready to show me the details of the atomic annihilator mother, I am ready to listen. Then when I have had the first lesson I shall go in search of Vilnia and tell her that in accordance with your wishes I have decided to marry her.”

“So you intend to thrust the responsibility of your marriage to Vilnia upon me? That it?”

“Certainly, just in case she should register some kind of protest. It is always comforting to have someone in authority to fall back upon if there should be any kind of argument.”

Merva nodded, but there was a frown upon her brow. She was not altogether sure that she liked the situation. She knew perfectly well that Exodus was quite capable of looking after himself and had never needed anybody upon which to fall back. What he was actually doing was exhibiting a great deal of his mother's subtlety insofar that when it came to a matter of extreme delicacy he did not intend to take the responsibility if he could thrust it elsewhere.

“Take up your position before the annihilator,” Merva ordered. “I'll show you what has to be done.”

Exodus obeyed and for the next two hours he was absorbed in the most profound concentration as his mother gave him every detail that she herself had conceived concerning the diabolically effective instrument.

Merva could not be sure whether his profound interest in the invention was out of respect for her erudition or if it was that he wanted to get every detail at his finger ends for his personal use. She endeavoured to convince herself that this desire on his part was purely to further the great scheme of vengeance that she had so constantly expounded.

She would not and could not believe that he was perhaps learning everything possible so that should the time come, he could if necessary take her place….

In a word, Merva was faced by something that made her profoundly uncomfortable—a son whom she felt she could not trust.

CHAPTER FIVE

TREACHERY

ONCE this first lesson was over Exodus did not linger in the laboratory; instead he took a cool but respectful leave of his mother then hurried through the depths of the ship until he came into the lounge. Here he looked around him quickly on the young teenagers, his eyes searching for Vilnia. Failing to find her he went further and finally tracked her down in the enormous conning tower in the summit of the vessel where she was seated on the padded ledge under the great dome, her eyes turned to the frigid glitter of the stars.

“I have been looking for you, Vilnia,” Exodus said, coming forward.

At the sound of his voice Vilnia turned quickly towards him. She was a slim, blonde, elfin girl only just on the edge of maturity. She had wide blue eyes that looked as though she were incessantly wondering what had brought about the incredible state of affairs in that she and her contemporaries were forever condemned to remain in this speeding space machine.

“Looking for me?” she repeated as Exodus came up and settled beside her on the padded seat. “Why, does somebody want me?”

“Yes.” Exodus gave a calm nod. “I do. I have just returned from a long conversation with my mother,” he explained. “She has decreed that the time has come for marriage between each of us aboard this vessel—a matter far more important than it would be in the normal society of a planet—so I decided to seek you out and tell you that I have decided to marry you.”

“From the way you speak it does not appear that I am allowed much choice,” Vilnia said, rather coldly. “For your information, Exodus—or do you know already—my affection is entirely for Drando, and I do think—”

“We are not interested in Drando,” Exodus interrupted. “I said that
I
have decided to marry you and that precludes the possibility of anybody else even attempting it. Where your personal inclinations lie does not matter. As I said before we are not on a planet where there is a matter of choice and for the same reason affection does not enter it either.

“I realise that we are both only young as yet even though my mother tells me that I am mature far beyond my years, but there is a certain reason why the matter of marriage cannot be delayed by any of us much longer. Needless to say the reason is entirely scientific “

Vilnia turned away from his direct, dominating gaze and instead once more surveyed the heavens. There was a certain droop about her slim, still somewhat undeveloped shoulders.

“Even though we are not on a planet, Exodus,” she said, after a moment or two, “there are still certain basic human emotions that need to be satisfied. At least I think so. Nothing but desperate unhappiness can come from a marriage which has no more feeling or warmth than those stars out there.”

“Which means,” Exodus commented, “that you are reducing marriage to the old formula of sentimentality and love under which disguise the demands of lust are satisfied.”

The girl looked at him sharply, astonished. He seemed quite unmoved by her glance and continued:

“My mother has taught me—and I believe implicitly in everything she has to say—that to the true scientist love and sentiment are outworn emotions. One marries for only one definite reason—the production of progeny Those progeny are not just produced for the sake of it but again for another definite reason and in this case a scientific one, so you see the whole thing is really little more than a straightforward business deal and human feelings does not even come into it.

“I have singled you out in particular as opposed to the other two girls because you seem the most intelligent. The matter of your physical attraction does not enter into it. Since it is essential that the children of our union should be as intelligent and if possible more intelligent than we are it becomes imperative that I seek the girl who is best suited for that purpose. That is what I have decided, Vilnia, and you have no alternative but to fall in with that decision.”

The girl rose from the padded seat and looked down on Exodus steadily.

“You have assumed a great deal, Exodus, and of course I respect you insofar as you are endeavouring to fulfil the wishes of your mother, but it so happens that I have an individuality of my own and not for one moment would I consider union with you. I have already told you that Drando is my choice and indeed we have almost made up our minds to complete the bargain. Anything that you can say, even though you are the son of our ruler, cannot make the slightest difference.”

Exodus shrugged. “In that case you had better advise my mother of your decision but I do not think she will take very kindly to it either.”

“Your mother,” Vilnia said. deliberately, “has no right to control our lives.”

“That is a matter of opinion. If somebody does not control our lives what kind of a chaos are we going to get into? I wouldn't advise you to inform my mother of your rejection of my proposal, Vilnia, because if you do she is quite liable to seek another of the men as a husband for you and I can assure you it would not be Drando.”

Vilnia was silent, recalling the other young men of the party and inwardly shuddering to herself. She could not tolerate any of them and if it came to it union with them would be worse than marriage to Exodus.

Exodus rose, his big hand resting on her shoulder.

“I am sorry, Vilnia, if I seem callous in the way I treat this most delicate of matters but I cannot help the way I am made. My mother is the ruler and my father was the ruler before her so it is not unnatural that I have that same dominating strain. All I ask is that you have the sense to realise that a great honour is being conferred upon you.”

“That I do realise,” Vilnia responded, “but it still does not make me anxious to have you. I shall tell your mother exactly how the situation stands and see what she has to say.”

Exodus did not respond. He watched Vilnia leave the conning tower with graceful movements and finally dis. appear through the doorway that led to the main corridor. Musing to himself he sat down again and contemplated the interminable wastes of space, his eyes settling at length on the still incredibly distant spot of light which marked the position of Alpha Centauri. At this enormous distance he could not tell that Proxima Centauri lay close beside the parent star, Alpha being of course a dual sun.

Thus engaged he completely lost himself in speculations that were of remarkable depth considering that as yet he was only a young man in his nineteenth year. But then the education he had received and the circumstances in which he had lived from the very moment of his birth had done much to bring maturity to him many years ahead of time….

It was the return of Vilnia that finally aroused him. She advanced slowly from the doorway, her elfin face white and pinched as though she had gazed upon some kind of phantom. Exodus recognised the signs and gave a rather taut smile as he rose to his feet.

“I gather,” he said, quietly, “that you have seen my mother?”

“Yes.” Vilnia's voice was low. “She told me that if I do not agree to your proposal I shall be compelled to marry Hazalet. That I will not do under any circumstances. He is unintelligent, boorish and hasn't the least idea how to treat a woman. You, Exodus, at least have intelligence....”

“Thank you,” Exodus responded gravely. “I hope also that I know how to treat a woman. Do not imagine that because I have been so matter-of-fact about this proposal I shall treat you as though you are less than the dust, Vilnia—but on the other hand, you can't expect me to be romantic because I am simply not made that way.”

Exodus could not be expected to know that his father had used almost those self same words so long before when he had fallen under the spell of Merva. In this case the situation was reversed and Vilnia inclined her fair head as Exodus laid a large and possessive hand up her shoulder….

And the ship sped on.

A week later, not only the marriage of Vilnia and Exodus took place but also the marriages of all the young men and women aboard the vessel. Merva was insistent upon it and herself as commander of the vessel performed the necessary ceremony. She wondered even as she performed it why such a technicality was necessary since all normal conventions and regulations had long since gone by the board. She could only assume that she did it because ingrained deep within her and indeed in the participants of the marriages were the instincts that demanded the observance of age-old customs.

Surveying the young couples, the great windows behind them carrying their eternal picture of the stars, Merva gave her slow, cynical smile.

“It is not my place to tell you what you shall do or what you shall not do,” she said, deliberately, “but this much I feel you should know. All of us here are dedicated to the cause of ultimate vengeance and it is essential to the perfection of that plan that I as your leader should survive the thousand years necessary to bring that plan to fruition. That can only be accomplished through the presence of children and that obviously is where you come in.

“It is now no longer a secret from you that your children are used for life energy even as you were when children and by that means I am permitted to continue living through the endless years, never growing older and able to be your guide, mentor and friend.”

Nobody said anything but Exodus gave a faintly cynical smile that his mother immediately noted. She glanced in his direction.

“Did I say something particularly amusing, Exodus?” she questioned, coldly.

“Not that I am aware of,” he answered with complete calm. “One can surely be permitted a passing thought which brings a smile to the face? I feel, mother, that it is that particular virtue in which you have failed. You see no humour in any situation, but I fortunately do. Without it I should consider our existence a very grave business indeed.”

“Your father often smiled,” Merva snapped, “and always in the wrong places. However, to resume my observations—the continuity of the little society that we have built up here in space depends entirely upon me and ultimately upon you. I shall expect you to do your duty as husbands and wives….”

With that she turned away and walked majestically from the lounge where the ceremony had been conducted. The various couples broke up and Exodus finally found himself looking at Vilnia steadily. Her eyes dropped under the intensity of his gaze.

“Which of us is it that you fear most, Vilnia, my mother or me?”

“Your mother, naturally,” Vilnia responded, promptly. “Even when she is not present one can feel that she is watching from somewhere, probably by scientific instruments following our every move, dictating everything that we must do and always hinting what must be the penalty if we do not do what she has proposed.

“I can understand you tolerating it, Exodus, because after all she is your mother, but to me she means nothing; she simply exists as a complete tyrant who will never die. She will always be present even after I and all these others have gone. You I do not fear even though I do not love you. For one thing you are almost my own age and to a certain extent we have views in common even if there is no romantic interchange.”

“You do not suppose, do you, that I will be forever dominated by my mother?” Exodus asked.

“I fail to see how you can avoid it.”

“In time, Vilnia, you will learn. Mother has taught me the art of domination and revenge to the exclusion of all else and for that reason I feel there must come a time when….”

Exodus paused, shaking his head, and Vilnia looked at him quickly.

“You don't mean to say that you are planning something against your mother?”

“It is too early yet to say
what
I am planning and in any case the nebulous scheme which I have in mind may take many years to evolve—but come, we have no more time to waste. We have to get dressed in readiness for the celebration dinner which mother has insisted must be given.”

* * * * * * *

The following ‘day' Merva was somewhat surprised to behold Vilnia entering the comfortably furnished apartment, which represented the headquarters. The girl was looking half frightened yet resolute as she advanced quickly towards the broad table where Merva was at work. As usual, plans for scientific instruments and weapons of destruction were absorbing her but she ceased her concentrations as the girl stood before her, waiting.

“Well,” Merva asked, with a rather forced smile, “and what has my new daughter to say to me?”

“It is because I am your new daughter that I feel in a rather vague way that I am responsible for your safety.”

“My
safety
?” Merva's eyebrows rose in surprise. “Well, much as I appreciate your solicitude, Vilnia, I can assure you that I am perfectly capable of looking after myself.”

“In the normal way, yes, but this is something different. I don't know whether it really signifies but I think it just as well to warn you that in a conversation I had with Exodus yesterday he hinted at the fact that he would not always be under your domination.”

“I see.” Merva gave a rather grim smile. “I can assure you, Vilnia, that Exodus has
never
been under my domination. Right from the day he was born he has proved to be a problem child, and now he is rapidly growing to manhood I have even more difficulty in keeping him under control.”

Vilnia quickly and then rather nervously added, “I don't exactly mean it in that sense. I felt from the way he talked that he had some dim idea in the back of his mind about getting rid of you. Naturally he didn't tell me anything and he hinted that it would be a long time yet before he acted, but I did think that you ought to have the facts.”

“You do not mean,” Merva asked deliberately, “that he spoke of taking my life?”

“No, not exactly that, but….” Vilnia hesitated obviously unsure how to continue; for she could not say that she was giving this warning through any love for Merva, but because she felt that it might place her in a better light as far as her mother-in-law was concerned.