Worlds Apart by J. T. McIntosh Read Free Book Online Page A

last. "Better not."
    The door closed quietly.
    "I grant the point about the three quarters majority," said Toni. "What else?"
    "The mating prohibitions. They were for the early days, or if for some reason breeding was slow or insecure. But the original two hundred are eight hundred plus now. Groups don't matter a damn. Anyone should be able to marry anyone, barring blood relations."
    Toni nodded. "Fred and Alice," she said.
    "And you and Pertwee."
    "Oh, but that's fantastic. I mean -- "
    "List the things that are fantastic about it, one at a time."
    "He's fifty-four and I'm twenty-one."
    "How long have any of your marriages so far lasted? A year or so. Pertwee won't be noticeably decayed a year from now."
    Toni grinned. "I don't agree you've answered that, but we'll pass it meantime. Because I'm inclined to pass it, I suppose. Point two -- it's illegal. It can't be marriage."
    "I hope to arrange that, by having you bring up the matter. Like the three quarters majority and the other class of prohibition."
    "Item three -- suppose Pertwee has a point of view on this?"
    "I'd trust you to change it, if it needs to be changed."
    "Point four -- would we have to leave Lemon?"
    "For a month. Give me a month at least and I'll guarantee that when you come back there will be no action taken against you."
    "Point five -- do you think I'd make up my mind on this just on the spur of the moment?"
    "You might. But anyway, you can think about it, now I've told you."
    "Oh, I'll think about it -- you cunning devil. You know I've always been half in love with John, and this is the sort of thing I'm just crazy enough to do. Not because you want it -- I don't give a damn about your plans, really, Rog. But just because . . . "
    "Because," said Rog agreeably.
    When Toni had gone he pondered for a while and then remembered June. He went in to her at once.
    "I hope you don't mind, honey," he said. "It was just something it's better for you not to know."
    "Oh, no," said June expressionlessly, "I didn't mind at all."
    Rog was balancing the points. He couldn't topple the Constitution on the atomic-energy negation -- for one thing, no one in his party knew whether atomic energy would be desirable or not, given all the data. But he could use the flat, unreasonable "no" to loosen up the founder colonists for a defeat on the majority-vote question and a rout on the marriage prohibitions. Then . . .
    Briefly he considered doing something about June. He decided, however, to continue the interesting balancing of possibilities instead. June was always around; destiny wasn't always as malleable as it was now.
    3
    John Pertwee sat in the garden as the shadows grew deeper, waiting and reviewing his responsibilities. Kate and Frank were married; there was no need to consider them. Ruby was sixteen and competent. She could, if necessary, look after Jack and Norman. They were in the house at his back, presumably asleep.
    No, he need consider no one but himself.
    For all the early years, the hard years, Pertwee had been the President of the Council. He had presided at the very meeting at which it had been agreed that thirty-three years was too great a Gap to be crossed by man and woman -- that for strongest breeding, to ensure that no healthy young person should be tied to a man or woman becoming sterile, and for various other reasons, no marriage be allowed between founder colonist and native Mundan.
    Then, Marjory had been alive. Marjory was cool and clever and beautiful, and he loved her. Besides, when that was agreed, he was surrounded by scores of attractive young women, and it was hard to visualize the possibility of mating eventually with what was then a female child just out of the womb.
    It wasn't a thing that mattered. The men and women who agreed to that provision didn't really consider it as applying to themselves. It would apply only to people of over fifty, and they couldn't see themselves being over fifty. It was a good thing to have in the Constitution,