Vain Glory Read online

  Chapter 2

  “The Convent of Bosky”

  Dr. Clarity asked, “Miss Glory, what do you know of the Penumbran race?”

  “They are merchants and bankers who do business across the galaxy. It is said they worship a Living Darkness.”

  Dr. Clarity nodded, adding, “Their Living Darkness is the Great Seen Unseen of Golgoth and the Great Shadow of the Phantoms. The Unheard Whisper is the voice of this mysterious entity. To hear it is to be swayed by darkness.”

  “Hear it?”

  “Miss Glory, hear all that I say. Heed all I tell you. The Concubines of the Great Seen Unseen and the People of the Third Eye worship the Living Darkness. They revere the Penumbran race as the chosen people of its Unheard Whisper. To hear the Whisper is to be swayed by the Penumbrans; to be ruled by them… within Shadow.”

  “Dr. Clarity, are you saying the Penumbrans rule two of the six Galactic Powers?”

  “Yes, but I am saying they do so within the secrecy of Shadow.”

  “Dr. Clarity, Penumbran merchants reside in our cities. Their bankers loan us money.”

  “It is as it is all across the galaxy.”

  Vain Glory blurted, “Let us be rid of them!”

  “Be rid of them? You would deprive us of their wealth and influence? Miss Glory, they are useful agents of our prosperity.”

  “Woe unto us that we should dally with our enemies.”

  “Miss Glory, it has always been the way of nations to strive for wealth and power. The Penumbrans are no worse than we are. Our Confederacy is no more righteous than their empire of Shadow. The Confederacy is ours, however. It is in our best interest to thwart the designs of those who would subvert us.”

  “Dr. Clarity, do you care nothing for good and evil?”

  “I do care. All that I do is good, even if ruthless. My people are a good people. Our people are worth all that we do.”

  Penumbra was a strange, gray, barren world beneath a sky that was black and starry night and day. Other moons could be seen among the stars. The gas giant Penumbra orbited was oft beyond the horizon: swirling “smoke” that flickered with unheard, unending storms.

  Lonely Mountain was the capitol city of the Theocratic Meritocracy of Penumbra. It was vaulted halls and chambers of marble and granite built into a towering hill. Dr. Clarity and his entourage had come. “Fret not,” the professor noticed Miss Glory’s unease. “We are Mystics. For all their conniving, the Penumbrans are fond of us. You shall find them to be courteous and gracious hosts.”

  Penumbrans were as tall as Mystics but heavier and stronger. Their skin was gray and their hair long and white and their slanted eyes solid black. The cranium of a Penumbran was long and its brain the largest of all races. Robes were the native attire. The Penumbran demeanor seemed haughty yet they smiled whenever acknowledging the Mystics.

  Mercenaries were the guards and soldiers of Penumbra, most of them human and armed with firearms. Others were squat, robust Delvers clad in full armor and wielding plasma shotguns. There were other races armed and uniformed but Vain Glory did not recognize them. Dr. Clarity explained, “The Penumbrans are few but they are rich. Their wealth hires the numbers they otherwise lack.”

  Dr. Clarity brought his entourage to a hotel suite. “Your room, Miss Glory,” he pointed. “Make yourself comfortable for we shall be here all day and yet another.”

  Vain Glory was allowed to tour this alien city of Lonely Mountain. She visited its indoor fountains and gardens. The Penumbrans were reserved but always friendly when she addressed them. She liked lounging out on her balcony and watching the silent storms of Penumbra’s planet. Miss Glory was surprised to be enjoying her stay on “ominous” Penumbra.

  Big-Big carried the luggage as he and Miss Glory accompanied Dr. Clarity to the Lonely Mountain Interstellar Relay Port. They joined a group of alien dignitaries and their entourages. “The other guests,” Ambiguous Clarity said of the gathered aliens. “We are mingling with scholars from across the galaxy.”

  A Concubine of the Great Seen Unseen greeted the small crowd. She was human. Typical of her species, her stature was below the shoulder of a Mystic and she was undoubtedly much slower and weaker. This woman wore the singular garment of a Virgin Soldier. The suit was elastic and covered her torso, neck and head but left the rest of her form entirely bare. Her face was exposed except that black goggles fixed to the elastic hood covered her eyes. Her uniform was purple, denoting that she was a Concubine Priestess. The woman assumed an erect stance and folded her hands behind her back. She shouted, “Welcome!” gaining everyone’s attention. “I am Doris Purple the Helpful. I serve Lady Dolorous the Enticing of the Early Light. I shall guide you to her abode. Please stay with me and follow my instructions.”

  A white light flashed and expanded into a ring behind Doris. The bottom of the ring disappeared into the floor, thus, the glow became an arch. Rows of stacked pallets were on the other side of the portal, now as near as if in the very chamber. “This way, please,” Doris guided the crowd through the portal.

  The small crowd left the marble and granite walls of Lonely Mountain only to find themselves among rows of stacked pallets. Warehouses and prefabricated buildings were beyond the countless freight. The sky above this new locale was blue and bright and its air hot and humid. Green jungle could be glimpsed beyond the structures.

  The Concubines of the Great Seen Unseen were an order of nuns cloned from one woman and endowed with her formative memories. Other than differences in age or attire, the clones were of entirely identical aspect. Though their attitudes may differ, the voices of the women were all alike.

  Concubine Sentinels were the Girls in Red, the plentiful guards and infantry of the Virgin Army. Many of them were standing about, both hands gripping the vertical grips of their small, compact plasma weapons.

  Concubine Laborers were the Girls in Pink, the plentiful and diligent workers of the Many of One. Unlike Virgin Soldiers, who wore an elastic body shirt and black goggles, these civilians were uniformed in a hooded, sleeveless pink dress with a miniskirt and cowl. Concubine Laborers were all about, too busy to pay the arriving group much heed.

  Doris Purple the Helpful brought the dignitaries and their entourages to an awaiting dragonfly-type aircraft. The Concubine Priestess explained, “Lady Dolorous is the mother superior of my convent: the Convent of Bosky. The location of my convent is the epicenter of this planet’s region zero. Unfortunately, an unseen storm is brewing and shall not allow us to open a portal within the region. We must fly to the Convent of Bosky. Please make yourselves comfortable in the seats fashioned for your particular races.”

  When all were aboard, the large, bug-like aircraft rapidly flapped its four wings and darted aloft. It hummed as it sped over the jungle on its way to the “region zero” of planet Bosky. “Fascinating, is it not?” Dr. Clarity asked Miss Glory. He had insisted she take the seat closest to the window.

  “We are flying… and very fast,” Miss Glory was amazed.

  “Yes. You have never been aboard an aircraft.”

  “I have not.”

  Dr. Clarity stated, “Human technology can be crude, mindless and destructive but it is just as often amazing.”

  “Indeed.”

  The aircraft was soon speeding over an ocean. Hours later it was again flying over jungle. The voice of a Concubine announced, “We shall be arriving at the Convent of Bosky within the hour.”

  A middle-aged woman asked the middle-aged man she sat with, “Should I remove my star?” She wore a necklace with metal polygon dangling from its thin chain.

  “Why would you do that?” the man asked.

  “We’re going to a convent. Isn’t that religious? I wouldn’t want to offend our hostesses.”

  The man chuckled, assuring, “Your star won’t offend them.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Barbara, they won’t care.”

  Dr. Clarity noticed Miss Glory watching the human couple. Dr. Clarity whisp
ered, “The male is Dr. Harvey Goodman, the most venerated astrobiologist of the Greater Humanity Empire. The female is his wife, Mrs. Barbara Goodman. I have met them both and I enjoyed our intercourse. Mingle with them at your leisure.”

  The dragonfly-type airliner eventually slowed as it approached a huge building of marble and glass. The edifice was a truncated, octagonal pyramid open at the top and hollow in the middle. As the aircraft hovered above the opening, Vain Glory remarked, “This one building is a city unto itself.” The aircraft descended into the gaping middle of the immense structure.

  Dr. Clarity leaned over Vain and peered out the window. He deduced, “This ‘convent’ may have more nuns than cities have citizens. It may even have more guards.” Miss Glory arched an eyebrow, hearing a warning in the professor’s voice.

  The aircraft landed and the humming stopped.

  Doris Purple the Helpful led everyone onto a platform within a large cage. Heavy metal doors closed and the cage lifted, for it was an elevator. Vain Glory enjoyed the view as the lift ascended. It stopped upon reaching the thirty-sixth floor.

  Doris Purple led the guests into a broad, vaulted corridor lined with doors and Concubine Laborers standing at attention. “Each of you shall be staying in a suite furnished according to the particulars of your race. Food and drink native to your own culture is available. Ask and it shall be granted, for we are here to serve you.”

  Dr. Clarity and his entourage were quartered in a suite more accommodating than most homes on Mystique. The one wall was windows with a lovely view of the lush canopy below and the sunny blue sky above. “Your room,” Dr. Clarity brought Miss Glory into a bedchamber. The professor produced his wand from a sleeve of his robe. He closed his eyes and slowly swept the wand back and forth.

  “Are they eavesdropping?” Miss Glory wondered.

  “They are not,” Dr. Clarity answered. He produced a small, wooden stand and set it on a dresser. He placed a small, crystal orb upon the stand. He waved his wand over the orb then tapped it: the crystal flashed from within then swirled with polychromatic light. “Do not ask,” he advised. “You cannot tell what you do not know.”

  Everyone was allowed to rest for the next twenty-four hours. That following evening: the elect, not their entourages, were called to a dining hall for supper with Lady Dolorous. A table that curved inward was laden with food and drink. The wall behind the table was windows with a view of the planet. Girls in Pink stood about and at attention. The hostess herself was not yet present. “Do we sit down?” the human Dr. Goodman wondered. No one answered… so he remained standing with everyone else.

  A resonant, maternal voice suddenly echoed from everywhere, “Welcome, sages of the galaxy! I have called… and you have come. I shall come to you.” A female Penumbran wearing black robes was suddenly sitting behind the middle of the table! No one noticed her appear yet all noticed her presence. She smiled, “I am Dolorous of the Early Light.” Lady Dolorous gestured at the bountiful food and drink, inviting, “Join me for supper. Indulge. I shall serve you well.”

  All were uneasy as they came around to Lady Dolorous’ side of the table. Each took a seat upon a chair fashioned appropriately for their race. None ate or drank. They looked to their hostess… and waited. The Lady Dolorous raised a glass and addressed her guests by name, “Dr. Harvey Lester Goodman of the Greater Humanity Empire, welcome! Lord Bright of the Democratic Plutocracy of Lith, welcome! Father Harsh-Insight of Tetra, welcome! Lady Sees-Big-In-Small of the Hive, welcome! Dr. Ambiguous Clarity of the Mystic Confederacy, welcome!” Lady Dolorous then sipped from the glass and began eating. Everyone else began eating and drinking.

  Dr. Ambiguous Clarity sat on the left hand of Lady Dolorous. He greeted, “I am honored to be your guest, Lady Dolorous.”

  She smiled, “Thank you for coming.”

  “You, Lady Dolorous, are venerated across the galaxy. When you called, all came, though we know not why we were called.”

  The Penumbran assured, “This convent was built upon ground fertile for those with insight. I invited those with eyes to see and ears to hear that I may enlighten you.”

  “Enlighten us?”

  “Ambiguous, I shall not tell you for I have called you here to show you.”

  The Mystic arched an eyebrow, surprised to hear the Penumbran address him informally. He was not offended, however, for he sensed no vibes of rudeness. “Dolorous,” he responded in kind, “I am not a scout. I do not adventure ahead of myself.”

  Dolorous grinned.

  Dr. Clarity watched and listened as his hostess socialized with her other guests. The Mystic noted that the Penumbran was not informal with the others as she was with him.

  Vain Glory and Big-Big were alone together having dinner in the kitchen of the suite. The Mystic watched in disgust as the megasaurian’s fangs tore bloody meat off a leg. She offered him vegetables and he shook his head. She asked him, “Is your race carnivorous?”

  “Big-Big likes meat. Big-Big eats plants.”

  “You are omnivorous.” The megasaurian shrugged. “Mr. Big-Big, during your war with us, did you ever eat… Mystics?”

  The burly alien roared a laugh! He shook his head. He resumed eating as nonchalantly as if never asked such an inflammatory question. Vain was glad the brute was not easily offended. She watched him eat, wondering why Dr. Clarity trusted him so. She asked, “Mr. Big-Big, what is Dr. Clarity to you?”

  “Dr. Clarity is good. Dr. Clarity is wise.”

  “Yes, he is. Why do you follow him?”

  “Dr. Clarity is good! Dr. Clarity is wise!”

  “Yes, but he is an alien to you. He is of the people who invaded your world.”

  “We fight! You fight! All is good.”

  “You like to fight?”

  “Big-Big hunts. Big-Big kills.”

  “Killing is your nature, I suppose.”

  The megasaurian cocked his head to the side. He rumbled a chuckle, accusing, “Miss Glory is silly. Miss Glory does not know.”

  “What do I not know?”

  “Miss Glory does not know Big-Big.”

  “I would like to know you.”

  The brute smiled, unassumingly showing his fangs. He reintroduced himself, “Big-Big is friendly. Big-Big fights. Big-Big kills. Big-Big feels his way. Big-Big is never lost.” Vain glimpsed a surprising keenness in the slanted, yellow-within-orange eyes of the brute. He was simple, yes, but not a fool. His was an intuitive wisdom yet he was sharp with deliberate purpose.

  Dr. Clarity was actually enjoying his conversation with Lady Dolorous. The Penumbran was knowledgeable and witty. She laughed at his jests. Remembering his purpose he interrogated, “This convent is larger than most cities. How many nuns reside here?”

  She smirked, not at all caught unawares by the probing of the question. She answered regardless, “One hundred twenty thousand of the Many of One reside within my building.”

  “So many.”

  “Yes, the Many of One are indeed many.”

  “But why so many?”

  Lady Dolorous teased, “Because they are cheap and easy to mass-produce.”

  Father Harsh-Insight, the Tetran guest, a towering alien with silvery eyes, bluish-gray skin and four arms, chuckled. He remarked, “The females are many. They came and came. We slaughtered them but more always came.” Tetra was repeatedly invaded by the Many of One but to no avail.

  The human Dr. Goodman mentioned to Lady Dolorous, “I would love to know the science behind such efficient cloning of human beings.”

  The Penumbran assured, “Dr. Goodman, you shall know the secret. It shall be one of many things you learn.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. The yearning of your mind shall find the answer to its every question. I have invited you all here for such a purpose.” Everyone perked up. Dr. Clarity cringed.

  Concubine Laborers, the Girls in Pink, stood on the other side of the table, diligently serving their mistress and her guests. As one of the little clon
e women served Dr. Clarity, Lady Dolorous leaned over and whispered in the Mystic’s ear, “As many of them as I want.” Dr. Clarity arched an eyebrow. Lady Dolorous stated loudly and clearly, “My workers grow as many of them as I want. The women are selfless, loyal and obedient. I pay them nothing. All that they do is for my pleasure.”

  “Slaves.”

  The Penumbran shrugged. She claimed, “They are women made from the blood and memories of a living dead woman. They are nothing of themselves.”

  “Lady Dolorous, you never speak lest to say something. What are you saying?”

  “Ambiguous Clarity, you are a citizen of the Mystic Confederacy. Its interests are your own. Your people conquer and enslave lesser races. Your slaves are lazy simpletons. My slaves are diligent and efficient. What need would your people have of your pathetic chattel if you could replace them with Concubines?”

  Dr. Clarity arched an eyebrow, wondering, “Are you offering to sell Concubines of the Great Seen Unseen to my Confederacy? Are the Many of One not a sovereign nation and a Galactic Power? What right do you hold to trade their women at your leisure?”

  “Dr. Clarity, your people captured many of the Many of One during the Galactic War. You kept these prisoners and use them as slaves. Are your people not pleased with them?”

  “The women are affectionate and eager to please. Their masters and mistresses are quite fond of them, yes.”

  “The women are human,” the Penumbran warned. “They shall soon weaken, wither and die. Would your people appreciate an endless supply of them? A fresh Harvest every year would keep your stock of them young and vigorous.”

  “Lady Dolorous, you offend me by disparaging your underlings. The Concubines of the Great Seen Unseen are a sovereign nation and a Galactic Power. Their science is unrivaled and their efficiency renown.”

  “Yes.”

  “Lady Dolorous, do the Many of One know your contempt for them? Why have they given you women to command?”

  The Penumbran laughed. “Ambiguous Clarity, you play a game with me. I play a game with you. I am enjoying our frolic.”

  Vain Glory was teaching Big-Big how to play Golgothite checkers. “Green is the opposite of red,” she told him. “Purple is the opposite of yellow. Orange is the opposite of blue. Match your piece with its opposite.”

  The megasaurian scratched his head. He asked, “Colors fight other colors?”

  “They do not fight. They are opposites.”

  “Like male and female?”

  “Yes. Red is a male and green its female. Yellow is a male and purple its female. Blue is a male and orange its female.”

  Big-Big nodded. He wondered, “What do they make together?”

  “Points: the mating that produces the most offspring wins.” Big-Big grinned.

  Dr. Clarity returned to the suite. “Bad,” Big-Big sensed.

  “Perhaps,” Dr. Clarity admitted.

  Miss Glory asked, “Is it a trouble you are at liberty to share with us?”

  “Yes. You must know that you shall not be caught unawares.” The professor sat with Miss Glory and Big-Big. He confessed, “Lady Dolorous outwitted me. I asked her leading questions but she led me with her answers. All was in her favor no matter my utterance. She smiled, telling me she saw through my affected countenance. She is indeed my match… if not my better.” Dr. Clarity muttered, as if merely thinking aloud, “She is indeed Penumbran.” He told his companions, “I shall dwell on this matter.” He got up and went to his room.

  Big-Big remarked, “Dr. Clarity sits and closes his eyes. Dr. Clarity finds answers in silence.”

  “He meditates,” Vain summarized. Dr. Clarity was worried. She was too.

  Lady Dolorous was alone in her posh quarters when visited by a Concubine wearing purple robes. The visitor was Clarissa Purple the Gentle, the superior of the convent, second only to Lady Dolorous. “Milady,” the robed Concubine bowed. “Lord Earnestly-Seeking and its entourage have come to the planet. They should be arriving within seven hours.”

  “Good. Be mindful that they are not to be seen by the other guests.”

  “Yes, milady. We have prepared quarters for the Phantoms on the other side of the edifice.”

  The Penumbran smiled, appreciating the Concubine trait of taking efficient initiative. The clone women were weaklings but they were diligent and intelligent. Feeling the unease of Clarissa, Lady Dolorous assured, “Lord Earnestly-Seeking is wise. It knows its people are loathed and feared. It shall not be offended by our caution.”

  “Milady, I am offended for Earnestly-Seeking. A lord of the Third Eye deserves better than to be secreted to a convent of the Unheard Whisper. Has it not come to make peace with the races that fear its people?”

  “Discretion, my dear, always. The infidels shall be introduced to our friend Earnestly-Seeking soon enough.”

  Clarissa bowed, apologizing, “Forgive me, milady. I ask but do not question. I was merely voicing my feelings.”

  “You obey my commands. You may feel at your leisure.”

  “Milady.”

  The Concubines of the Great Seen Unseen were selfless, loyal and obedient. Their numbers were vast and easily replenished. The Phantoms were devoted and fierce. Their swords were swift and their sensory magic wondrously terrible. The Mystics were wise and clever. Their soldiers and sailors were heroic and their prowess uncanny. Their magicians rivalled those of Penumbra. Lady Dolorous imagined the Mystic Confederacy as a power of the Living Darkness. She envisioned Ambiguous Clarity as a lord of the Unheard Whisper. She smiled, relishing the thought.