Doon swung over and treaded water, looking at her in alarm. "You don't believe that, do you?" he, asked. "I'd never do that, Mother, never. I've admired you too much. I've modeled my life on yours. The way you controlled the empire from the start, and everyone thought it was your husband, Selvock, the poor stud."
"He wasn't much of a stud," Mother mused. "He never fathered a child on anyone."
"No, Mother. You're the only person in the world, though, who could stop me. And I knew that sooner or later you'd realize who I was and what I was doing. I've looked forward to this meeting."
"Really? I haven't."
"No?" Doon broke into a crawl stroke and made his way to shore. Not long afterward, Mother followed, to find him lying on the grass.
"You're right," she said. "I have looked forward to meeting you. The thief who would take it all away from me."
"Not at all," Doon said. "Not a thief. Just your heir."
"I plan to live forever," she said.
"And if I have my way, you shall."
"But you don't want just to own my empire, Doon. You don't want to just inherit."
"Consider this a springboard. If you hadn't built this empire, I should have had to. But since it's built, I shall tear it up and use the building blocks to make something better."
"Better than this?" she asked.
"Can't you smell the decay? Nothing is alive on this planet. Not the people. Not the atmosphere, not the rock, nothing, it's all dead, all going nowhere. The whole empire's like that. I'm going to kick it into gear again."
"Kick it into gear!" she giggled. "That was archaic when I was a girl!"
"I study old things," Doon answered. "Old things are the only things that are new anymore. You were great. You built a beautiful thing."
She was happy. The sun was beating down on her for the first time in decades (centuries, actually, but since she hadn't lived the years, she didn't feel them); she had swum in fresh water; and she had met a man who just might be, just might perhaps be her equal.
"What do you want me to do? Make you chancellor? Marry you?"
Doon said no, none of those things. "Just let me go on. Don't challenge me. Don't force my hand. I need a few more centuries. And then it'll all break loose."
"I could still stop you," she said.
"I know it," he answered. "But I'm asking you not to. Nobody was in a position to stop you. I'm asking for my chance."
"You'll have your chance. In return for one favor."
"And that is?"
"When you make your move and everything, as you put it, breaks loose-- take me with you."
"Do you mean it?"
"There'll be no use for Mother in the universe you're making, Abner."
"But there'll be room for Rachel Crove?"
The name struck her like a hammer. No one had called her by her given name since-- since-- And she was a girl again, and a man who was her equal, or nearly so, lay naked beside her, and she reached over and put her arms around him, whispering, "Take me with you. Take me."
He did.
They lay in the grass as the sun set, and she felt more fulfilled than she had since a day on a cliff in Crove when she had begun her career of conquests. Only this time she had been conquered, and she knew it, and she was willing.
"On every waking," she said, "you must tell me your plans. You must show me what you're building, and let me watch."
"I will," he said. "But you can't make any suggestions."
"I wouldn't dream of it. That would be cheating, wouldn't it?"
"You aren't very good at sex," Doon said.
"Neither are you," she answered, laughing. "Who gives a damn?"
Mother did not come back until half an hour before her grand entrance at tke Mother's Waking Party, the highest high society event in Capitol. Nab was distraught.
"Mother, Mother, what a worry you've caused us!"
She only looked at him slantwise, and frowned. "I was in good company. Were you?"
Nab glanced at Dent. "Only second rate, I'm afraid.
Dent laughed nervously.
Mother growled at him. "Can't you even get a little angry, boy? It's so damned boring when everybody tries to be nice. Well, the party's already underway, right? So what am I wearing this time?"
They brought her the dress, and seven women wrapped her in it. She was startled that her nipples showed. "This is really the fashion?"
Nab shook his head. "It's a bit more modest than most. But I thought that perhaps the image you need to present--"
"Modest? Me?" She laughed and laughed. "Oh, this is the best waking in years. Best in years, Nab. You can stay on, but fire the boy. Find an assistant with more gumption. The boy's an ass. And send the chancellor to me."
The chancellor came in, bowing and uttering apologies about the poor status of the reports this waking.
"Everybody's trying to lie to me," she said. "Fire them all. Except, of course, for the minister of colonization. And his assistant. The two of them impressed me. Leave them in. And as for you, I don't want to have another lie in a report again. Understand? Or if you must lie, at least contrive to do it well. None of these could have fooled a five-year-old child."
"I'll never lie to you, Mother."
"I know perfectly well that I'm empress in name only, boy, so don't patronize me. You'd just better make sure that I don't get reminded of it by the sloppy work the cabinet does. Understand?"
"I understand."
"And that assistant minister of colonization. He was refreshing. I want him awake and ready to meet with me again next waking. And leave him in his job. Doubtless a sinecure, but he's sweet."
The chancellor nodded.
"Now give me your arm. To hell with the schedule. We're going down to the party."
Nab watched her go.
"Am I really fired?" Dent asked.
"Yes, boy. I warned you. Act natural. Too bad. You showed some promise."
"But what'll I do?"
Alb shrugged. "They always have good jobs for the people Mother fires. You don't have to worry."
"I want to kill her."
"Why? She did you a favor. Now you won't have to watch her act important every waking. The bitch. Wish she'd sleep for ten years."
Dent was surprised. "You really hate her, don't you?"
"Hate her? I suppose so." And Nab turned away. "Get on out, Dent. If she sees you here again, she'll fire me, too."
Dent left, and Nab went to the files and cursed the next poor fool who would make a stab at satisfying Mother. He had to have an assistant. An assistant's stupidity always made Nab look better.
Do I hate her, Nab wondered.
He couldn't decide. He only remembered watching her in the morning, as she lay nude on the bed. It wasn't hate he felt then.
The party was long and boring, as all the others had been, but Mother knew the importance of being visible. She had to be seen at every waking, on a set day, or someone could make her disappear and no one would notice. So she circulated, and graciously met the young girls who were just getting to somec, and the fops and fags who hung about the court, and the old men and women who had first met her a few centuries ago when they were young.
She was a reproach to them all. No matter how high a somec level they achieved, she was higher. No matter how many centuries passed before they got old, they would never live to see her get older. I will live forever, she reminded herself.
But as she watched the people who actually believed this party was important, the thought of living forever made her very tired. "I'm tired," she said to the chancellor, and he immediately waved a signal to someone and the orchestra struck up some stirring music from aeons ago (this was old when I was a child, she thought) and the guests lined up and for an hour she bade good-bye to all of them and finally they were gone.