Kinder des Schicksals 4 (Xeelee 9): Resplendent

this mission to succeed, where even
Michael Poole failed.’
    Diluc pulled a face. ’What do you want from us - to worship you as
a god?’
    There were gasps; you didn’t speak to a pharaoh like that. But
Andres seemed unfazed. ’A god? No - though a little awe from you
wouldn’t come amiss, Diluc. And anyhow, it probably won’t be me.
Remember, it wasn’t a human agency that gave me my anti-ageing
treatments, but the Qax…’
    The Qax’s own body architecture had nothing in common with
humanity’s. They were technically advanced, but their medicinal
manipulation of their human subjects was always crude.
    ’The success rate was only ever some forty per cent,’ Andres said.
She inspected her hand, pulling at slack skin. ’Oh, I would dearly
love to live through this mission, all fifty millennia of it, and see
it through to its conclusion. But I fear that’s unlikely to happen.’
She gazed around at them. ’I can’t do this alone; that’s the bottom
line. I will need help.’
    Diluc suddenly saw it, and his mouth dropped open. ’You aren’t
serious.’
    ’I’m afraid so. It is necessary for the good of the mission that
some of the people in this room do not die.’
    Ruul the geneticist unfolded his tall frame from his chair. ’We
believe it’s possible. We have the Qax technology.’ Without drama, he
held up a yellow pill.
    There was a long silence.
    Andres smiled coldly. ’This is no privilege. We can’t afford to
die. We must remember, while everybody else forgets.
    ’And we must manage. We must achieve total social control -
control over every significant aspect of our crew’s lives - and we
must govern their children’s lives just as tightly, as far as we can
see ahead. Society has to be as rigid as the bulkheads which contain
it. Oh, we can give the crew freedom within limits! But we need to
enforce social arrangements in which conflict is reduced to
negligible, appropriate skill levels kept up - and, most importantly,
a duty of maintenance of the Ship is hammered home into every
individual at birth. That is why a long-lived elite must ensure
perfect continuity and complete control.’
    Rusel said, ’Elite? And what about the rights of those you call
the transients? We pharaohs would be taking away all meaningful
choice from them - and their children, and their children’s
children.’
    ’Rights? Rights?’ She loomed over him. ’Rusel, a transient’s only
purpose is to live, reproduce and die in an orderly fashion, thus
preserving her genes to the far future. There is no room on this Ship
for democracy, no space for love! A transient is just a conduit for
her genes. She has no rights, any more than a bit of pipe that
carries water from source to sink. Surely you thought this through.
When we get to Canis Major, when we find a world to live on, when
again we have an environment of surplus - then we can talk about
rights. But in the meantime we will control.’ Her expression was
complex. ’But you must see that we will control through love.’
    Diluc gaped. ’Love?’
    ’The Qax technology was based on genetic manipulation. We pharaohs
were promised that our gift would be passed on to our children. And
we had those children! But we pharaohs rarely bred true. I once had a
child myself. She did not survive.’ She hesitated, just for a second.
Then she went on, ’But by now there are genes for immortality, or at
least longevity, scattered through the human population - even among
you. Do you see now why we had to build these arks - why we couldn’t
flee and abandon you, or just take frozen zygotes or eggs?’ She
spread her hands wide. ’Because you are my children, and I love
you.’
    Nobody moved. Rusel thought he could see tears in her stony eyes.
She is grotesque, he thought.
    Diluc said carefully, ’Pharaoh, would I be able to bring Tila with
me? And our children, if we have them?’
    ’I’m sorry,’ she said gently. ’Tila doesn’t qualify. Besides, the
social structure simply wouldn’t be sustainable if - ’
    ’Then count me out.’ Diluc stood up.
    She nodded. ’I’m sure you won’t be the only one. Believe me, this
is no gift I’m offering you. Longevity is a heavy burden.’
    Diluc turned to Rusel. ’Brother, are you coming with me?’
    Rusel closed his eyes. The thought of his eventual death had
actually been a comfort to him - a healing of his inner wounds, a
lifting of the guilt he knew he would carry throughout his life. Now
even the prospect of