Foundation's Mistress

45. Desecration Upon Desecration

'We know so little about the history of the Incept, an institution that is entirely essential to Asperian life and culture. The line of the Eldest has sought access to that sacred place for centuries, predominantly because it has ever been said that the Mother herself founded and Formed it. From where we stand, one cannot discount this as the truth, though a proper inspection of the facility, its buildings and its archives is sure to reveal information that cannot be obtained from extramural investigation...'

- Excerpt: Lectures on the History of Saburra, Charon the Archivist, Priestess of the Line of the Eldest, 177 SSA

The face of Lady Shahla, the First of Her Name, had altered to a shade of ash. Her sad and confused eyes had focused on Adya. She mumbled a question. 'The Mother... the Mother herself... had a mother? Born from the union of a man and a woman, she said.'

Adya resisted the urge to smile, which would have been an inappropriate response. There were reasons for her mirth, but the Eldest would never have appreciated them. The old priestess, after discovering that the Mother was a human being that she travelled to Asperia from a distant world, that she was abandoned in a wasteland... of all of the thoughts that could have occurred to the Lady Shahla in that moment, it appeared that the foremost concern on her mind was the sacrilegious idea that the Mother was born. Not born of the Incept, as the Gods had intended, but born from a male and a female.

Like an animal.

'Yes, Eldest,' Adya said. 'It seems, perhaps, that there is a uniqueness in the way that you and I were born. For some reason we do not have the capacity to give birth from our bodies. Sterile, the Mother said - that was the word she used. It seems that this was intentional - a design of the Gods. It was to meet the obligations that this... Halcyon she refers to, this group had. Halcyon had to obey... a type of contract - a treaty - binding their word to create us... sterile.'

The older woman shook her head in disbelief. 'Then am I to understand,' the Eldest said, 'that the Gods themselves were human?'

Conrad had frozen the image of Renate Steenkamp, the woman which Adya now knew as the Mother. She stood right there in front of them, suspended in time.

'Yes,' Adya replied, her eyes passing over Renate's features. 'They are... or were... very much like we are. Human in form. Possessed of power, certainly, but it was a power of their own invention - their own creation.'

'And we too, were their own creation, you say?'

'The Gods created us, certainly,' Adya said. 'But not in the manner which we traditionally thought they did. We were designed and engineered for their entertainment.'

'I cannot understand this! Why would they do such a thing?'

'It seems that on the world where they lived, the world known as Earth, many of the inhabitants enjoyed watching the lives of others. From what the Mother just said in our hearing, this would create wealth for the group of people known as Halcyon Entertainment.'

Shahla wrung her hands. 'But why would they not tell us this?'

'Authenticity,' Adya shrugged. 'They wanted us to live authentic lives that would be worth watching. If you tell a woman you are watching her, she acts very differently from how she acts when she is truly alone. Renate Steenkamp said they wanted us to have no idea about Earth and its origins. They wanted us to grow and develop extensively, and in a real and authentic way. Looking at it now, I can see how some would have been diverted by the idea.'

'Does that mean they are watching us now?'

'Yes,' Adya said. 'Undoubtedly.'

Shuddering, the Eldest turned to look over her shoulder. 'But how?'