 
VAIN GLORY

by

Shawn O'Toole

SMASHWORDS EDITION

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PUBLISHED BY:

Shawn O'Toole on Smashwords

Cover Art Illustrated by:

Shawn O'Toole

Vain Glory

Copyright © Shawn O'Toole 2014

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this story, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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This story is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author's imagination and used fictitiously.

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Vain Glory

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Chapter 1

"Call of Duty"

The Mystic Confederacy was the civilization of a united Great Race and the oldest of the six Galactic Powers. Its technology was medieval but its magic highly advanced. Its people were tall and slender with bluish beige skin and long, lustrous black hair. Their faces were long and their eyes either blue or gray.

Vain Glory was a female of the Mystic race. As was typical of her kind, her large irises were deep blue and she was left-handed. Her long, narrow hands and feet had only four digits each. Miss Glory slipped on black, elastic trousers and black boots. She donned and fastened a snug, black blouse. She brushed her long, black hair and fastened it into a ponytail.

"Have you ever encountered Phantoms?" asked the rich, melodious voice of a male of her kind.

"I have not," answered the mellifluous voice of Vain Glory.

The male was the renowned swordsman Nefarious Good. As was typical of the males of the Mystic race, a long goatee hung from his chin. He advised Vain Glory, "The Phantoms are only partially material, giving them an uncanny elasticity. Their swordsmen stretch ahead of themselves, so as to flank you and to harden their strike. Do not parry. Lung forward and cut the thin, stretched part of them."

"Mr. Good, though I have yet to encounter Phantom swordsmen, I am trained in how to deal with them."

"Good. Allow me to mention, or remind if you have been told, that Phantom swordsmen use illusions to distract you. Phantom warlocks may accompany the swordsmen and are themselves masters of sensory manipulation. A warlock is wary to draw near but should you assail one, it may lash out with tendrils to sting your nervous system."

Vain Glory smirked, "I myself have mastered the technique of inflicting neural shock by touch."

Nefarious Good arched an eyebrow.

The Galactic War was raging. Vain Glory and her new companions were on a quest to thwart the Phantoms, People of the Third Eye. The Phantom army was swift and terrible, massacring every village, town and city it passed through. Civilians fled, only to be chased and cut down. Soldiers and partisans were plagued by incessant illusions and harried by constant raids.

"The 27th Legion is beleaguered by thrice its number and soon to be overrun," Captain Reckless Wisdom told the three of his party. "We must shatter the crystals of the enemy artifice. We must even if we are never to return."

Nefarious Good, Vain Glory and the priestess Moody Serenity all nodded their acceptance of the danger.

Numinous was a planet between its yellow sun of the day and its smaller and cooler red sun of the night. It was a desert world and the eleventh state of the Mystic Confederacy. The Phantoms hoped to take Numinous, to use it as a base to invade three other states and a colony world. The 27th Legion fought to stop them but was outnumbered, outflanked and now surrounded. A powerful, crystalline array broke spells and denied the Mystics the use of portals. The famed Heroic Tetrad of Reckless Wisdom had come to destroy the artifice.

Each of the four heroes rode upon a bipedal steed. They kept to the hills and valleys, so as to conceal their movement. "What became of my predecessor?" Vain Glory asked Nefarious Good. Though she was the scout he was the lead rider.

Mr. Good answered, "He perished."

"He perished in battle?"

"No. He did not see the Phantom. It beheaded him without a fight."

The priestess Moody Serenity rode immediately behind Miss Glory. The cleric told the scout, "Our beloved companion was avenged. Nefarious chased down and slew the offender."

Mr. Good stated, as if dismissing the praise, "The Phantom was a scout. I could not allow it to report to its fellows."

Captain Reckless Wisdom was a bold soldier and a powerful wizard. He led his tetrad from the rear but not in cowardice. Though a swordsman and an archer he was better with magic than with weapons. His wit always found the better way. His magic proved of wondrous utility. As he rode at the rear of the procession, he muttered and waved his hands, concealing the tracks of them all. "Miss Glory," he addressed his newest companion. "We have come into the territory occupied by the enemy. You are our scout. Please venture ahead of us and happen upon whatever awaits."

"Yes, sir." Vain Glory spurred her mount past that of Nefarious Good and disappeared into the rocky hills.

Moody Serenity asked, "Nefarious, my friend, what do you think of our new scout?"

"I shall think of her whatever she proves to me." Moody Serenity laughed.

Vain Glory proved an excellent scout. She found the many hidden Phantom lookouts and led her companions away from their sight. "Well done," Nefarious Good commended her, "but be ready. Sneaking through pickets shall not be so easy."

"Mr. Good, I have oft done so before."

The swordsman snickered. He remarked, "Your little clone women were weak, slow and their senses dull. These shall be Phantom warriors. They can see in the dark as easily in day and they can hear unuttered thoughts. They strike swiftly and oft unnoticed."

"Mr. Good, the 'little clone women' wear devices which allow them to see in the dark. They plant artifices which sense the warmth of life."

"Miss Glory, we lost a scout because he was fearless. Be afraid and wiser for it."

"Mr. Good, I am afraid. I joined our army to fight what I fear. I shall not allow this enemy to kill us all." The swordsman glared at her. Vain Glory assured, "I shall be bold for I must be bold. I shall be mindful, however, and selfless."

Nefarious Good smiled. He commented, "You speak as if a mother of our people. Miss Glory, perhaps you care nothing for glory."

"I care nothing for glory!"

"I believe you. My companion, I now trust you."

Moody Serenity and Reckless Wisdom looked at each other... and smiled.

The form of a Phantom was vaguely humanoid, mildly luminous and somewhat amorphous. Its color was yellowish white but changed with its mood or at will. A Phantom's three glowing, yellow eyes were the only distinct trait of its spectral aspect.

A Phantom soldier wielded a sword with a long, outward-curving grip and a short, broad, curved blade. The entity stood at its post, believing itself hidden in plain sight. Alas, it was spotted by the senses of a mind not so easily deceived.

Vain Glory crept towards the Phantom sentry. She drew her sword... and sprang, plunging her blade through the alien's back and out its bosom! The Phantom's eyes flashed and its shape expanded. Its eyes went dim and its form melted.

The barely material flesh, bone and blood of a Phantom lost its cohesion when slain. The flesh and bone liquefied and mixed with the yellowish blood. None of it stuck or stained. The blade of Miss Glory's sword was as clean as if it had not been used. She sheathed the weapon and crawled towards another guard.

Nefarious Good, Moody Serenity and Captain Reckless Wisdom remained hidden as they awaited the return of their scout. She returned, reporting, "I have cleared the way of guards but three alarm spells remain. I left the spells unbroken for we may go around them. Follow me and stay close."

The four Mystics crawled and tiptoed their way past boulders inscribed with glyphs. They passed the goo that was once Phantom sentries. They scaled a sheer cliff and hid among rocks.

A crystalline obelisk within a circle of smaller such obelisks sat atop a hill. The obelisks glowed and three bright lights orbited the top of the tallest one. "Our objective," Captain Wisdom told his soldiers.

Phantom swordsmen surrounded the crystalline array and a coven of Phantom warlocks were at the foot of its middle obelisk. The Reverend Moody Serenity fretted, "We shall be unable to sneak upon it."

"Yes," Captain Wisdom agreed. "Mr. Good," he addressed the swordsman. "You must cut your way to the middle obelisk that Miss Glory may follow you. Guard her with your life as she does her part." Mr. Good nodded.

"There are too many," Moody Serenity worried. "Sir, even Nefarious Good cannot fend off so many."

"Reverend Serenity," Captain Wisdom addressed her most formally, "Our 27th Legion is soon to be overwhelmed and its every soldier slain. We must be bold if we are to save our people."

"We must be wise if we are to do so."

"Do you have a better plan?"

Moody Serenity suggested, "Allow me to attack whilst the rest of you remain hidden. I shall lure guards away."

Captain Wisdom chuckled, dismissing, "You believe our enemies are so foolish to be lured by such an obvious ruse? I do not. Mr. Good shall cut his way to the middle obelisk and Miss Glory shall follow. You and I shall draw as close as we may but keep our distance. We shall do are part by casting spells."

A coven of thirteen warlocks operated the crystalline array. A hundred fifty-six swordsmen guarded them. Nefarious Good told Vain Glory, "I shall be hard pressed to survive much less protect you. Are you ready to die for the lives of our people?"

"I am."

"Shall you flinch as the terrible throngs converge upon us?"

"I shall not."

Mr. Good gazed into the eyes of Miss Glory. She peered back, her countenance unflinching. The male grinned, telling the female, "Follow me."

Nefarious Good cut and stabbed his way through the circle of Phantom swordsman. Shrieks and wailing of surprise and anger sounded! Vain Glory followed behind Mr. Good, stabbing and slashing what foes converged and gave chase. Phantoms stretched ahead of themselves, their swords brandished. The Mystic swordsman lunged and cut the stretch-leaping aliens asunder.

The priestess Moody Serenity held her staff in her left hand as she outstretched her arms and sang. Her mighty voice _roared_ as unseen flames that burned away the curses the enemy muttered.

Nefarious Good slashed and skewered the converging droves. Vain Glory darted past him and slapped putty onto the middle obelisk. She wore the signet-ring of Captain Wisdom. She pressed its seal into the putty and whispered, "It is done."

Even from afar, the wizard Reckless Wisdom heard the awaited whisper. He raised his sword and wand aloft. He voiced an eldritch _scream_ and the glowing, towering, crystalline obelisk shattered! Whether to live or to die the mission was accomplished.

The Galactic War, like all wars, ended. Though ravaged, the Mystic Confederacy endured. Its people were quick to rebuild and again flourish. They mourned their many dead. They celebrated their valiant heroes.

Vain Glory returned to the village of her family and old friends. Her home, as was typical of the houses of the countryside, was a dome with many windows. A friend was visiting: the maiden Gabby Shyness. The guest ogled the sword hanging on the wall. Gabby wondered, "Do you miss the thrill of adventuring?"

Vain answered, "Fighting for my life and the lives of others was not amusing. Please do not trouble me with memories of the war."

"Was it exciting to visit alien worlds?"

"I have never been to an alien world. I served defending our own states and colonies."

"You encountered aliens."

"Aliens trying to kill me. Gabby, please do not pester me concerning the war."

Gabby shrugged. She mentioned, "I remained here during your adventures. I was told I was fortunate."

"You were," Vain insisted. "War is horrible. It would do nothing for you to see such death and destruction. I am glad you were away from it all."

"My friend, you are a Heroine of the Confederacy. You are worthy of praise."

Vain countered, "I was but one of many soldiers doing her duty."

"Nefarious Good was your companion."

"He was."

"I hear tell he has become a troublemaker and a murderer."

Vain Glory sneered, "I do not know of what you speak but I do know Nefarious Good. If he made trouble it was to right a wrong. If he killed it was to defend or avenge. Do not slander a good name with rumors."

"I am sorry." Vain nodded her acceptance of the apology. "Beloved Vain, I never mean to trouble you."

Vain giggled. She assured, "My darling Gabby, I am fond of you for you are never boring."

Gabby confided, "I am proud of you, Vain Glory, for all you have done. I am ashamed of myself for doing nothing."

"Nothing? Gabby, your singing is the loveliest I have ever heard."

"Few hear it."

"Move to the city. Sing for all to hear."

"I would be lonely in the city."

"I shall visit you." Gabby said nothing, which always meant something was wrong. Vain pressed, "Your lovely voice is lost in the obscurity of this lonely village. Sing where all may hear you. We shall enjoy your voice all the more."

"Come with me."

Vain Glory loathed the hustle and bustle of cities. For Gabby's sake she considered, "Perhaps."

"Perhaps not," Gabby dismissed the idea. "In this village I am a lovely singer. In the city, however, I would be but one of many. I would be alone in a crowd."

Vain Glory stated, "I was but one of many soldiers. I became among the best of them. Alas, I rose above the many."

"Many strive and to no avail."

"Soldiers and singers alike," Vain Glory concurred. "Do nothing and you shall do so to no avail. Strive and you may prosper. Let us only hope for what we strive for."

A month later, Gabby Shyness was on her way to the city. Before leaving, she told Vain Glory, "I know you wish to stay. Stay. I shall be living with family. Shall you visit?"

"I shall."

Day later: Vain Glory was surprised at how boring and lonely life was without the prattle of Gabby Shyness.

Miss Glory was out in her yard tending to her garden... when a carriage stopped in front of her house. A burly, scaly alien wearing only a loincloth was the driver. The big alien dropped to the ground with surprising nimbleness. It opened the door of the carriage. A male of the Mystic race wearing dark blue robes stepped out. "Miss Glory?" the Mystic asked.

"Yes."

"I am Ambiguous Clarity, a professor of divination at the Academy of Magic. May we talk, in private?" The stranger pointed at Miss Glory's house.

"Yes," she agreed. The big alien stayed with the carriage.

"How quaint," Dr. Clarity said of the interior of Miss Glory's home.

"Tea?"

"Yes, please."

As Miss Glory prepared tea for herself and her guest, she noted, "The Academy of Magic is on the other side of the world."

"Indeed it is."

"You have travelled far, Dr. Clarity."

"Oh, I have travelled much further, as have you. We shall be travelling beyond should you oblige me."

"Where would we be going?"

"To an obscure world."

"Does it have a name?"

"The planet Bosky."

"I have never heard of it."

"As I have said: it is obscure. Though a promising world in of itself it is painstaking to reach. Anomalies disrupt magic and technology alike. Though troublesome, our Confederacy lays claim to it... as do the Greater Humanity Empire, the Delver Plutocracy and the Concubines of the Great Seen Unseen. The Penumbrans brokered a treaty between us all and assumed the role of administrators."

Miss Glory brought the tea to her guest. "Thank you," he accepted it.

The hostess sat. She sipped her own tea before blurting, "Dr. Clarity, I do not know you. I have never heard of you. Why have you come?"

"Vain Glory, Heroine of the Confederacy, I have come calling for the sake of us all." Miss Glory arched an eyebrow. She waited for her guest to explain. He confided, "I am an agent of the Ministry of Vigilance. I am soon to embark on a perilous quest. Please come with me. I have need of your prowess."

There was a long, tense silence as Miss Glory pondered Dr. Clarity's words. She realized, "You are reticent to elaborate on the particulars lest I accept."

Dr. Clarity nodded, explaining, "It is best you know nothing lest you are involved."

"Why me?"

Dr. Clarity grinned. He told, "Others were considered but you are the best for what shall be required of you. I have studied your dossier and interviewed Captain Wisdom. The signs favor you on this matter."

"What shall be required of me?"

"I shall have you do what you do best. Miss Glory, please understand that the hard won peace we now enjoy is imperiled. My quest is to thwart an insidious plot. Join me and I shall tell you more. Decline and I ask that you tell no one what I have told you."

"Dr. Clarity, I shall join you."

The agent of the Ministry of Vigilance grinned. He mentioned, "My divination assured me that you would. You are too adventurous to refuse me." He stood, telling Miss Glory, "A carriage shall come for you in four days. We shall meet again a day after that. Miss Glory, your Confederacy thanks you."

Mystique was the eighth moon of a blue and purple gas giant. Mystique itself was white with clouds, blue with seas and green with forests. Farms and cities dotted the eight continents. Vain Glory admired her world as she travelled its roads. Her carriage and many steeds and wagons came to a halt as they waited their turn through a white, glowing arch that was a portal from this side of the world to the other.

The Confederate Middle was the capitol city of the Mystic Confederacy. It was domes and towers of stone among fountains, groves and flower gardens. Many buildings were as much glass as stone for Mystics were fond of sunlight. There were no engraved images of any kind for such eccentricity was exclusively human. Gates were few and there were no slums for even the lowly were smart and trustworthy.

Vain Glory was brought to one of the few guarded buildings: the Fortress of Vigilance. She was given quarters and allowed to visit the common rooms and gardens. Dr. Clarity visited her the next day. "Was your travel pleasant?" the professor asked Miss Glory.

"Yes."

"Good. Miss Glory, I shall confide our quest with you after supper. You shall then be granted your choice of garb, weapons and equipment."

"Dr. Clarity, I have yet to be sworn in as an agent of this ministry."

"My dear, your oath as a soldier shall suffice."

Vain Glory ate alone in the cafeteria, as she always did. She was still surprised by the lack of chatter among the many diners. She wondered, "Is all secret in the Ministry of Vigilance?"

After supper, Miss Glory was met by Dr. Clarity whilst on her way back to her quarters. "Let us walk," he urged. She nodded and obliged. The professor told her, "We shall be venturing where all may smile but none are friendly. Confide nothing. Trust no one. Test all you hear and doubt all you witness."

"I understand, sir."

"I shall be the guest of Lady Dolorous the Enticing of the Early Light. You shall accompany me as my bodyguard and my bodyguard shall be my valet. We shall spy. Big-Big shall fight should the need arise."

"Big-Big is the alien who drove your carriage?"

"Yes. He is fully trained in the use of swords, knives, bows and arrows, firearms and plasma weapons. Despite his simplicity, his instincts are infallible and he is wily. He has a surprising knack for tinkering with devices."

"He is a megasaurian," Vain Glory recognized Big-Big's race. "They are monstrous savages we should have killed to the last."

"You doubt his loyalty? You wonder why we never slew them to the last. Miss Glory, we drove his people into the hills but we never _conquered_ them. They were still raiding and pillaging us when I made peace with them. They have since served us honorably as scouts and raiders. They helped drive the Phantoms from Numinous."

"They did? I did not hear tell of it."

Dr. Clarity shrugged, explaining, "We prefer them to be an unpleasant surprise for our enemies."

Dr. Clarity decided Miss Glory should meet Big-Big. He introduced, "Big-Big, this is Miss Glory. She is our friend. She shall join us on this most perilous quest."

The megasaurian was scaly, greenish gray and wore only a loincloth. His face was broad and his features hard. His yellow-within-orange eyes were close-set and his pupils elliptical. His physique was heavy with powerful muscles but his mannerisms were graceful. He smacked his chest, greeting, "Big-Big!"

"Mr. Big-Big, Dr. Clarity speaks highly of you."

The savage cocked his head to the side, as if confused. He blurted, "Miss Glory says nice. Miss Glory feels bad. Miss Glory loathes Big-Big."

"Forgive me, Mr. Big-Big. I do not loathe you personally. I am prejudiced for I have heard tell of savagery."

The megasaurian guffawed, "We fight! You fight! What is bad?"

Vain Glory arched an eyebrow. She looked at Dr. Clarity, who explained, "He is amused, not offended. Miss Glory, please be mindful that we invaded his world. His people merely fought back."

Miss Glory studied the scaly brute. He smiled, thoughtlessly showing his fangs. He swore, "Big-Big lives for Miss Glory. Big-Big dies for Miss Glory."

Vain Glory was deeply moved by the crude oath. She trusted the savage, perhaps because of his blunt simplicity. She responded, "Mr. Big-Big I am honored to be your companion."

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 whispered, "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 clone 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.

Chapter 3

"Beware the Answers"

Early the next morning, Doris Purple knocked on the door to the suite. Vain Glory answered. The Concubine Priestess told Miss Glory, "Lady Dolorous wishes to enjoy breakfast with Dr. Clarity. Shall he join her?"

"One moment." Vain was about to knock on the door to Dr. Clarity's room... but he opened it before she did so.

"Yes, I shall be eating breakfast with Lady Dolorous," he told Miss Glory.

"You knew before you were invited."

"Miss Glory, I am clairvoyant."

"Indeed."

Before leaving, Dr. Clarity told Vain Glory, "We are guests, not prisoners. Enjoy a stroll within this great edifice. Be mindful of where you are not permitted to go." Miss Glory smirked, understanding the hint completely. She nodded.

Lady Dolorous sat at a table laden with food native to Mystique. The table was out on a balcony with a lovely view of the jungle and a lake far below. The Penumbran smiled, gesturing for the Mystic to join her. Dr. Clarity obliged. "Ambiguous, I hope you have been enjoying my hospitality."

"I have. Dolorous, why do you address me informally? You are entirely formal with the other guests."

"Forgive me, Dr. Clarity, if I offend you."

"I am unoffended. I am merely curious."

"Ambiguous Clarity, I yearn for your affection."

"You desire my affection? Dolorous the Enticing, you are indeed a comely female. You are alien to me, however, and I am alien to you. It would be unnatural for us to be 'affectionate' with each other."

The Penumbran female giggled. She assured, "I am sworn to chastity. You shall be as well, should you accept what I offer."

"What do you offer?"

"I offer your people cheap labor and terrible ferocity."

The Mystic arched an eyebrow. He asked, "The Concubines shall be our labor and the Phantoms our mercenaries?"

"You, Ambiguous Clarity, shall be a lord of the Living Darkness. The minions of the Unheard Whisper shall obey you by its authority."

"Lady Dolorous, I am a citizen of the Mystic Confederacy. Conversion to the cult of the Living Darkness is punishable by death."

The Penumbran shrugged. She dismissed, "Laws are whatever those in power want them to be."

"Indeed. Is the race of Penumbra yet in power?"

Lady Dolorous snickered. "Our home is nigh desolate and our wealth is elsewhere. Our influence is the favor of others. We of Penumbra are the power that never was."

"You are an empire of Shadow."

"We grovel for what we have. We live in fear of extinction. We are pathetic."

"You disparage your own people," Dr. Clarity noted. "Last night, you disparaged the Concubines of the Great Seen Unseen."

"We envy the Concubines of the Great Seen Unseen."

"You envy them?"

The Penumbran explained, "The Concubines of the Great Seen Unseen are many. Their world is a garden. Their wealth is their own."

The Mystic accused, "You converted the humanity of Golgoth to your cult of the Living Darkness. You deceived them into mass-producing slaves who hear the Unheard Whisper. You incited the slaves to overthrow and supplant their masters. The Concubines of the Great Seen Unseen are a power of your insidious making."

"As are the People of the Third Eye," the Penumbran confessed. "Yes, the scourge of the galaxy is of our insidious making. The Phantoms were a race of feuding tribes and nations. We came to them offering wealth and secrets. We lured their wise and mighty to hear the Unheard Whisper. We chose one among them to be the voice of the Whisper. This voice became the Great Speaker that brought the tribes and nations together. United as the People of the Third Eye they ventured beyond their own world and became an empire."

The Mystic accused, "Their atrocities are of your doing."

"What of it? Are we to resign our fate to the whims of your Confederacy? None dare offend us for fear of losing our lucrative favor. None dare assail us for fear of the powers within our power. We are few. We must be shrewd and ruthless."

Dr. Clarity nodded. Though offended by the atrocities committed against his people, he could not deny he would do the same.

Clarissa Purple the Gentle visited the quarters of Lord Earnestly-Seeking. A spectral, yellowish entity with glowing yellow eyes answered the door. The thing stepped aside and bowed.

A chilling, resonant whisper called from nowhere, "Welcome, Clarissa, my friend." The robed Concubine entered the suite. The Phantom servant closed the door behind her. An entity like the servant but towering drifted into the room. Its face was vague yet its three glowing eyes seemed to be "smiling" upon Clarissa. A shapeless tendril somewhat like an arm gestured at the couch. Clarissa and Earnestly-Seeking sat together.

The woman told the Phantom, "I hope your voyage was pleasant."

"Yes. We came here from Golgoth. Your sisters saw to our needs, comfort and simple pleasures. We basked in their lovely singing and were thrilled by their nimble dancing. We flew to this convent in an entomopter: We are amazed by your things that fly."

Clarissa giggled. She smiled, "It's good to see you again."

"Yes. The warmth of Clarissa comforts me."

"What were you doing on Golgoth?"

"I was visiting your sisters."

Clarissa rolled her eyes. She remarked, "I knew you were visiting. Why were you visiting?"

"I visited for my pleasure. The Many of One are many friends."

The Concubine Priestess apologized, "I'm sorry you're being kept hidden from the other guests. We're not ashamed of you."

"We are not shamed. The infidels are not our friends. I come answering the call of Lady Dolorous. She calls us all in the Unheard Whisper."

Vain Glory made a wandering tour of the immense Convent of Bosky. For all the vastness Concubine Sentinels guarded every hall and corridor. Crowds of Concubine Laborers were too busy to pay the Mystic any heed beyond a passing glance. "The Many of One are indeed many," Miss Glory was amazed.

Concubines wearing a light _blue_ version of the hooded, sleeveless dress with a miniskirt crossed the scouting Mystic's path. Virgin Soldiers who wore _blue_ were the scientists and technicians of the Virgin Army. Were these civilian Concubines scientists and technicians? If so, they were more important than the trifling Girls in Pink. Vain Glory followed them.

The dozen women in blue entered a corridor guarded by two Sentinels. As Vain approached, the Sentinels stepped in her way and brandished their weapons. "Halt!" one of the little Girls in Red blurted.

Vain stopped. She reminded, "I am a guest of your mother superior."

The Sentinel ignored her, instead commanding, "You are not to proceed. Return to your designated area."

"Yes, of course." Vain Glory departed; confident she found the way to something interesting.

"You are a palmist," Dolorous offered her hand. "See me for who I am."

The hand of a Penumbran was as long as a Mystic's but broader by two fingers. Though alien, the hand of Dolorous was as beautiful and feminine as any Ambiguous Clarity had ever seen. As a courtesy, he warned, "I may see more than you wish to share." The Penumbran female smiled, unconcerned.

Ambiguous traced the lines of Dolorous' palm. He heard her coo. She wanted him to see... and he beheld what she showed him. The soothing voice of Dolorous the Enticing uttered, "We of Penumbra are shrewd and wealthy but we are few and vulnerable. The Phantoms are strange and terrible but restless and warmongering. The Concubines are many but many weaklings. The Mystics are wise and mighty. Your wisdom shall command our armies. Your might joining ours shall make us invincible."

"To what end?"

"Everything."

Vain Glory continued her stroll about the edifice when she happened upon a Piddling: one of a slave race. A Piddling was even smaller and weaker than a human. It was spindly and its large eyes red. It had only three digits per extremity. This Piddling was brown and its black hair was fastened in a topknot. It wore a green loincloth and its flat face and chest were painted in streaks, swirls and spots of yellow, red and blue. The Piddling stared at Miss Glory. When she stared back, he smiled, "I am Mojo."

The Mystics were a Great Race and the people of a Galactic Power. It was unbecoming for one of a slave race to address a Mystic as if an equal. Vain Glory quelled her indignation, however, for the demeanor of the little fool seemed genuinely friendly. She politely dismissed him, "I shall not keep you from your duties."

"You shall not," the Piddling grinned.

Vain arched an eyebrow. She questioned, "Is your duty to loiter?"

"Miss Glory meanders. She shall not find what is hidden for it is a Seen Unseen."

"What?"

"Lady Dolorous knows your secrets. She entices you with mysteries. Beware the answers. Do not hear the Whisper for it is the voice of Shadow."

The Piddling turned to leave. As he departed, Vain called after him, "Wait," but he kept walking. "Mr. Mojo," she addressed him by name. He stopped. "What do you mean by all you said?"

Without turning back around, the Piddling answered, "Beware the answers."

"I hear your riddle but not its answer. Am I not to know what it means?"

"Come, Miss Glory." The Piddling led Vain into corridors lined with the doors to storage chambers and a laundry room. There were busy Concubine Laborers but no Sentinels here. The Piddling rambled, "The Phantoms conquered us. They sell us to the Penumbrans. Concubines are cheap to make but must be made. We are cheaper."

Vain Glory mentioned, "You are the only Piddling I have seen here."

"No others here," Mojo confirmed. "I toil but do not labor. I am a shaman. I am a great shaman. I am worth ten thousand of my people. I am worth a thousand Concubines."

"But you are a slave."

"Yes."

Lady Dolorous called "Clarissa Purple the Gentle" into the room. A hooded, robed Concubine entered... followed by a spectral entity with yellow glowing eyes. Dr. Clarity shot up and drew his wand! "Peace!" boomed the voice of Lady Dolorous. Her voice became soothing as she assured, "A lord of the People of the Third Eye comes in peace."

Dr. Clarity snarled, "Peace shall be the extinction of their foul kind."

The echoing voice of a whisper countered, "We are the deaths of our enemies. We are a blessing unto our friends."

The robed and hooded Concubine vouched, "Earnestly-Seeking is not a savage! It wants to do right by your people!"

"It?" the Mystic snickered. "Yes, _its_ people are not people at all. They are monsters."

Earnestly-Seeking's eyes and form turned blue. Its whisper felt warm and soft as it uttered, "Male and female are the nature of flesh. We are a spiritual people. I come in the spirit of fellowship."

Dr. Clarity slipped his wand back into the sleeve of his robe. "I shall hear you," he warily assured.

Mojo brought Vain Glory into maintenance tunnels and onto a network of catwalks among humming machinery. "We are in the eye of a silent storm," the Piddling told the Mystic. He pointed up at a terminal manned by a Concubine wearing the light blue hooded dress with a miniskirt. "She is one of eight who channel the winds of the storm to swirl around this edifice."

"For what purpose?"

"To summon the Unheard Whisper. It shall come as the Hand of the Mouth to devour those whom Lady Dolorous has called."

"Mr. Mojo, I believe you, but why should I trust you?"

"Miss Glory does not want her people to be slaves. My people are slaves! My people are weak. Miss Glory's people are strong. I need your strength to fight. I do what I do for my people."

"We cannot liberate you."

"Yes! You fight the Phantoms who conquered us!"

"The war is over."

"No! The war is unseen but I see it. What if you win? Remember me. Remember my people."

"Mr. Mojo, I tell you only to tell you the truth: My Confederacy does not endorse the rebellions of lesser races. Your masters hold legitimate dominion over you."

The Piddling sobbed and whimpered. He whined, "My masters shall enslave you too!"

"Unlikely. My people have thwarted their invasions."

"The Whisper shall take you! It is the Hand of the Mouth and shall snatch and devour your wise! All races shall be enslaved! The Great Shadow shall fall upon all people! Its Living Darkness shall live in the darkness of all living worlds!"

Vain Glory arched an eyebrow.

"Halt!" two Sentinels happened upon them. A Mystic was faster and stranger than human beings. Vain Glory's aura swirled around her and hid her in plain sight. She lunged at the women and gave them simultaneous chops to their necks. The Sentinels dropped.

Vain Glory closed her eyes and calmed her racing mind, feeling for even the slightest chill of danger. She opened her eyes and stared at the bodies sprawled at her feet. She asked the Piddling, "How long until they look for these two?"

Mojo shrugged, "I do not know their shift."

"We must hide them."

"Yes. Miss Glory should pick them up." The human clones were smaller than the Mystic. Vain Glory draped the one body over a shoulder. She tucked the other under her other arm. "This way," the Piddling led her. Mojo brought Miss Glory to a secluded corner furnished with a cot and a large trunk. Knick knacks and shamanist trinkets were cluttered about. "Lay them gently upon the floor."

"We must hide them."

"Yes. Miss Glory should lay the bodies gently upon the floor."

The Mystic did what was asked of her, though she chafed heeding the instructions of a lesser being. The Piddling picked up a wand topped with tassels and a rattle. He warned, "You must be silent or the spell shall be broken."

"What spell?"

The Piddling grinned, "I shall breathe for a body not my own. I shall hear the thoughts of a lifeless mind. I shall speak with the voice of the dead."

"Shaman, you are a necromancer?"

The Piddling chuckled, "I am many things." He rattled his wand and mumbled a chant. The one body gasped for breath. It sat up and panted. When its breathing became regular, it touched the side of its goggles-communicator, hailing, "This is Rebecca Red, over."

Mojo heard what the ears of the living dead Sentinel heard, "Report, Rebecca Red."

"Jolene Red and I have been called away from our post. It's unlikely we'll be returning to our shift."

"Acknowledged, Rebecca Red."

Mojo stopped chanting. The sitting body of Rebecca Red went limp, slouching over its lap. Mojo told Miss Glory, "Concubine Sentinels guard secrets. They are mindful not to know what they are not to know. These two are missing yet their sisters shall not ask why."

The Piddling emptied his trunk. He urged, "Miss Glory should put the two in here." The Mystic tucked the bodies into the trunk. Mojo dropped the weapons in after them then closed the lid. "Miss Glory, return to your companions."

"Mr. Mojo, my Confederacy thanks you."

"No," he disbelieved. "Miss Glory is good. Miss Glory is thankful."

The Mystic Confederacy was the oldest of the six Galactic Powers. Ambiguous Clarity remembered when there were only three. The Hive was still feuding nations, the humanity of Jingo was still primitive and the humanity of Golgoth was friendly. The Phantoms were yet to be discovered. Unfortunately, the Penumbrans found them first. "We are the deaths of our enemies. We are a blessing unto our friends," Dr. Clarity remembered Earnestly-Seeking telling him. The Phantom lord offered to commit the army of its people to the defense of the Mystic Confederacy. Lady Dolorous mentioned, "All shall fear to offend your people." The Mystic arched an eyebrow, very much interested in turning what his people feared into the fear of their enemies.

Once one of three invincible Galactic Powers, the Confederacy was now beleaguered and imperiled. The cult of the Living Darkness was shunned by the Mystics. Conversion to the cult was treason punishable by death. "My people, must I betray you for love of you?" Ambiguous Clarity had much to contemplate. He wept.

Vain Glory returned to the suite. Big-Big was in the living room playing checkers by himself. She asked the megasaurian, "Has Dr. Clarity returned?"

Big-Big nodded. He mentioned, "Dr. Clarity is sad."

"Why"

Big-Big shrugged.

Miss Glory knocked on the door to Dr. Clarity's room. He answered it, wiping his eyes. "Come in," he invited. Miss Glory entered and Dr. Clarity closed the door. He asked, "You found something?"

"Yes. This edifice is a conduit for harnessing negative energy."

"Of course: the external particulars imply such a thing."

"Lady Dolorous intends to channel the energy for a ritual of summoning. She intends to summon the Unheard Whisper."

"This shall be for the ritual tomorrow," Dr. Clarity deduced. "I am to join Lady Dolorous and her other guests for a rite of divination."

"A rite of indoctrination," Miss Glory corrected.

The professor scowled, "Are you now a sage? What do you know of such things?"

Miss Glory arched an eyebrow. She warned, "Dolorous the Enticing means to entice you. Should you hear the Unheard Whisper it shall overwhelm you and enslave you from within. You are then to return to our Confederacy that you may act as a double agent."

"Miss Glory, our hostess must know I am a spy if she designs to use me as a double agent."

"Perhaps she knew when she invited you. Dr. Clarity, regardless, you were led into a trap."

"You discerned all this by wandering the halls and corridors?"

"Perhaps."

"Miss Glory, what are you not telling me?"

"Dr. Clarity, with all due respect, your demeanor is unsettling."

"You distrust me now? Am I not the one who asked you to come? I brought you at my own discretion."

Miss Glory reminded, "You were alone with Lady Dolorous the Enticing."

"Yes." The professor sighed. He confessed, "I was alone with Dolorous the Enticing. I was soon joined by a lord of the Phantoms. They are my enemies yet they told me all I wanted to hear."

"Beware the answers," Miss Glory quoted the Piddling shaman.

"Indeed. Miss Glory, you have earned my respect for distrusting me when I was untrustworthy. For the sake of our people I confess that I was enticed by Dolorous the Enticing. The spell is broken. My mind is again sound."

Vain Glory smiled. She asked, "What are we to do?"

"I shall not partake in the ritual! Should it be performed, however, sages of other races shall be converted to the cult of the Living Darkness. They shall return to their people as agents of Shadow. Miss Glory, should we provoke our enemies to violence we are without escape."

"Dr. Clarity, you are an agent of our Ministry of Vigilance. I am a Heroine of the Confederacy. We do our duty."

"We have Big-Big." Vain Glory rolled her eyes. "Miss Glory, our friend Big-Big is indeed a brute but I assure you, he is not mindless. He proves wondrously clever when incited to cause trouble."

Vain hesitated before mentioning, "I was where I was forbidden to go and forced to kill two Sentinels."

"What? We can do nothing when the alarm is sounded."

"The alarm shall not be sounded."

"Miss Glory, Concubine Sentinels are expendable but they are indeed noticed when missing."

"These two shall not be missed."

"Why not?"

"It was a Piddling shaman who led me to where I went. He breathed life into one of the bodies and made it report in its own voice. We hid the bodies where they shall not be found."

"We are to trust a slave of our hostess?"

"The Piddling is a shaman who fancies himself someone important. He resents the indignity of slavery. I trust him to act on his resentment in our favor."

Mojo fell prostrate before Lady Dolorous. The towering Penumbran asked the little Piddling, "Where were you?"

"Milady, Mojo met a lady of the Mystics. She let Mojo walk with her and talk with her."

"What did she ask you?"

"She asked if it was Mojo's duty to loiter. Mojo told her he was worth ten thousand of his people for he is your shaman. Forgive Mojo, but he said he is worth a thousand Concubines."

Sentinels reported seeing Mojo fraternizing with a female Mystic. Lady Dolorous fretted that the little Piddling may have unwittingly divulged information. She questioned, "Did she ask you anything else? Did you tell her anything else?"

"Yes. She asked if Mojo was a necromancer. Mojo said he was many things."

"Why did she ask if you are a necromancer?" The Piddling pointed at the red swirl painted on his forehead. Lady Dolorous laughed. She waved her hand, dismissing her slave, "Mojo, return to your work. Be ready for tomorrow."

"Milady, Mojo shall be ready." As she turned her back to him, he sneered, "I shall be ready."

Chapter 4

"Silencing the Whisper"

Dr. Clarity waved his wand, producing a hologram of the Convent of Bosky. He explained, "Eight women monitor and direct the swirling flow of negative energy. They are seated at eight terminals; one at each corner of this edifice. The momentum of the energy is already established, hence, subduing one or even two or three terminals would have negligible effect. What little we disrupted would be swiftly and easily reestablished. The ninth terminal is yet to be established and it shall be what produces the needed void."

"Of what use is a void?" Miss Glory was curious.

"The rite shall be Penumbran." Dr. Clarity explained, "Unlike our philosophy of 'flow and balance' theirs is 'something into nothing.' The momentum of energy filling a void is what powers their spells."

"Their philosophy is deathly."

"Their philosophy is the very cult of the Living Darkness." Dr. Clarity resumed, "A Penumbran lady is not without her own crystal ball. I believe the crystal of Lady Dolorous shall serve as the ninth terminal." He touched a section of the hologram and it expanded, "The crystal ball shall most likely be here: on the top floor of the west corner."

Miss Glory fretted, "On the opposite side of the building."

"Yes. Lady Dolorous undoubtedly quartered her guests away from anywhere sensitive. Miss Glory, you shall scout the path and clear the way that I may reach the crystal."

"Why would her crystal ball be on the far side of the building?"

"It shall be within her quarters."

"Dr. Clarity, you visited her quarters. They are at the end of the corridor just outside our door."

"What I visited were not her quarters. I was watchful for a spell of warding as I crossed the threshold: there was none. No lady of Penumbra dwells where her life and secrets are not guarded by such a spell."

"Are you certain the crystal ball is where you suppose?"

"No. My guess is sound, however. Lady Dolorous of the Early Light would position her crystal at the point of the Dying Light, her opposing sign."

"Dr. Clarity, we are risking our lives on many guesses."

"Indeed. We must assume for we shall not know otherwise."

Big-Big was watching and listening all the while. Miss Glory asked Dr. Clarity, "Does he understand what you are saying?"

"I shall tell him what he must know, so what does it matter?" Miss Glory arched an eyebrow. The professor assured her, "Big-Big is not a lumbering brute. He bested our best often and lived to tell of it."

"What shall be his part to play?"

"Big-Big is fast, strong and he can hide in plain sight. He shall acquire weapons from the enemy themselves should the need arise. Should we raise an alarm he shall create a violent distraction. He shall join us as we escape."

The megasaurian blurted, "Big-Big shoots guns! Big-Big likes guns."

Vain asked Dr. Clarity, "Shall I bring my sword?"

"Miss Glory, bring all we need for we shall not be returning to these quarters."

Civilian or soldier, Concubine Keepers were the Girls in Blue: the scientists, engineers and technicians of the Many of One. They manned operations. Concubine Sentinels, the Girls in Red, guarded the halls and corridors. Civilian Keepers monitored security from the command-and-control room. The Girls in Blue watched as Dr. Clarity and his female bodyguard toured a promenade in the lower levels of the east southeast wing. Unbeknownst to the monitoring women, what they beheld was an illusion. Dr. Clarity and Miss Glory were _actually_ making their way to the far west corner. "Their technology is harder to deceive than most magic," Ambiguous Clarity told Vain Glory, "but I have oft deceived their cameras and sensors before. The presence of Sentinels is our only imminent worry."

"Dr. Clarity, I shall clear the way for you."

"Yes, of course." The professor chuckled, admitting, "I was once captured by one of the little things. Fortunately, she was ordered to release me."

"When and where was that, Dr. Clarity?"

"Pardon me, Miss Glory, but the particulars are not for your knowing." Vain was amused by Ambiguous Clarity's way of telling much yet telling nothing.

The Mystics boarded a small monorail car and sped on their way to the west southwest wing.

Big-Big scurried through a heat vent, mindful that a searing gust would soon blow. He reached and climbed a ladder just before the deadly wind _howled_ through the duct. He opened the hatch above and climbed out into a corridor between _humming_ machinery. "Big-Big," an unfamiliar voice called to him. Big-Big turned and beheld a spindly little alien he recognized to be a shaman. The tiny creature smiled a smile the megasaurian knew to be friendly. Big-Big smiled back. "I am Mojo. I am your friend."

"Big-Big must hurry."

"Big-Big must hear me." The megasaurians were not particularly intelligent but their intuition was uncanny. Big-Big could hear the truth in the little alien's claim. Big-Big waited, as calm as if there was no hurry at all. The shaman told him, "Big-Big thinks to snatch minicarbines from Sentinels should he need weapons. Big-Big is too strong for such little weapons. Big-Big should have something bigger." The megasaurian tilted his head. The shaman urged him, "Follow me. The armory shall have something more to Big-Big's liking."

A human being was weak, slow and its senses dull. Its thoughts were narrow and feelings tumultuous. Its youth was fleeting and its life pathetically short. Humanity was prolific and industrious, however, and productive when many and disciplined. The simplicity of human flesh and blood made it cheap and easy to clone. The eagerness of the human psyche to share thoughts made its memories easy to transcribe.

The Concubines of the Great Seen Unseen were the Many of One: a society of women cloned from one woman and endowed with her formative memories. They were chaste, industrious and efficient. Their women were selfless, loyal and obedient. Their Virgin Army was an army of the Living Darkness. Concubine Sentinels were the foot soldiers of this malevolent force. Though small and weak they were vigilant and relentless. They were many.

A Concubine Sentinel stood at her post; silent, erect and both hands on the vertical grips of her minicarbine... when blue hands grabbed her by the head and _snapped_ her face past a shoulder! The victim convulsed and dropped to the floor.

A pair of Sentinels guarded a corridor... until struck by simultaneous chops to their necks! The two winced and collapsed. Vain Glory chuckled, enjoying the sensual ease with which she prowled and killed these weaklings.

A Sentinel heard a noise. Turning a corner to investigate, she was snatched by the throat and her weapon plucked from her grasp! There was a _clatter_ then a _thump_ , grunt and groaning... and then silence.

Sentinels kept disappearing from their posts, none the wiser until themselves snatched or struck. Vain Glory _snapped_ the neck of yet another. She draped the little body over a shoulder and carried it into an alcove. She dumped the limp form onto the growing pile of them. "So many," Dr. Clarity was amused.

"Yes," Miss Glory agreed. "One more and the way shall be clear."

"Good. We must hurry."

When the last guard joined the pile, Vain Glory led Ambiguous Clarity to an archway without a door. Miss Glory mentioned, "I feel the flowing chill of negative energy."

"Yes. There is no door for such would obstruct the flow of energies being channeled into the room. The absence of a door implies my first suspicion."

"What of the enchantment?"

"Break it."

"I am unfamiliar with Penumbran magic."

Dr. Clarity assured, "Though their philosophy differs from ours, their magic is the use of the same natural energies. They are bound to the same reality. Your manipulation of flow and balance can dispel their something into nothing."

Vain outstretched her left hand and closed her eyes. She giggled, realizing aloud, "Magic to break the spell is the very thing that triggers it. We need only to cross the threshold."

Dr. Clarity doubted, "So simple?"

"Yes. Lady Dolorous was clever. I nearly made the mistake of trying to dispel her enchantment." Miss Glory crossed the threshold.

Dr. Clarity pointed his wand along the edges of the arch and across the floor immediately under it. He arched an eyebrow, concluding, "The enchantment has indeed remained unstirred." He crossed the threshold and led Miss Glory up a short flight of winding steps.

The Mystics found themselves in a round chamber with a crystal ball atop a round table in the middle. A round skylight was directly above the crystal, its ray illuminating the magical device. "Miss Glory, I advise you step back and plug your ears." Dr. Clarity waved his wand over the crystal ball. The brightly glowing core flashed even brighter and the light within became a swirl. Dr. Clarity waved his wand faster and faster. A _hum_ sounded and the swirl quickened. The _hum_ sharpened into a _shriek_ and the crystal cracked... then shattered!

Civilian Concubine Keepers manned the consoles of the command-and-control room. One of them reported, "Ma'am, the ninth terminal for the Rite of Silence went offline."

Maxeen Purple the Vigilant wore the military elastic body shirt with fixed goggles. She commanded convent security. The Priestess came over to the Keeper.

"Ma'am," another Keeper called to her. "Unauthorized access to the south armory detected. Sentinels guarding the armory are unresponsive."

"Intruder alert!" Maxeen Purple declared. Every Keeper immediately responded. The Priestess told the one Girl in Blue, "Secure the ninth terminal in full force."

"Yes, ma'am."

Maxeen told another Keeper, "Secure the armory in full force."

"Yes, ma'am."

The military Priestess touched the side of her goggles-communicator, reporting, "Milady, we have an intruder."

Droves of Concubine Sentinels filled the corridors. A throng hurried up steps... when Big-Big stepped into view from above. The burly alien raised a stormgun. The women cringed. Their throng withered as a stream of plasma bolts tore into them!

"I hear shooting," Miss Glory mentioned.

"High-powered rapid fire," Dr. Clarity heard it. He arched an eyebrow, realizing, "Big-Big found himself a stormgun."

The throngs of Sentinels were drawn to the report of shooting. They winced and dropped in waves as they converged on the stormgun-toting megasaurian.

A crowd of Sentinels hurried down a corridor... when _screams_ suddenly sounded from behind! The other women turned, cringing, bleeding and dropping as a Mystic swordswoman slashed and stabbed her way through them! Dr. Clarity followed after Miss Glory as she left the corridor carpeted with bodies in her wake.

The Mystics happened upon more bodies, these women having been shot. Big-Big stepped out into view. The burly alien grinned.

Dr. Clarity told him, "Take the lead and clear our way onward." Big-Big nodded and complied.

Lady Dolorous, Lord Earnestly-Seeking and the robed Concubine Clarissa Purple the Gentle joined Maxeen Purple the Vigilant in the command-and-control room. Everyone watched on monitors as an alien with a stormgun and a Mystic swordswoman slaughtered assailing waves of Concubine Sentinels. Maxeen reported, "Milady, we have them trapped. They shall soon be overwhelmed."

"So it would seem."

The voice of Earnestly-Seeking uttered in a resonant whisper, "Ambiguous Clarity betrays us."

Lady Dolorous corrected, "Ambiguous Clarity came to thwart us. He succeeded. I would forgive him if I dared."

Clarissa wondered, "Milady, why would you forgive him? He betrayed our trust and slaughters my sisters."

The Penumbran laughed, "You trusted him?"

"Milady, you invited him."

"I invited a spy that we may make use of him. He has bested me. Let us now be rid of him and done with him."

Big-Big strafed the Sentinels shooting from above. Struck women dropped backwards, merely collapsed or fell bent over the balustrade. Sentinels _screamed_ as Vain Glory stabbed and slashed them. The last of them winced and groaned as her bowels gushed out of her. The shooting and wailing stopped. Bodies littered the area.

"Onward!" Dr. Clarity implored. "More are coming!" He led his companions up a spiral staircase. Throngs of Sentinels poured into the hall below. They shot up at the Mystics but the plasma bolts wisped into smoke passing through the unseen layers of talismans.

Vain Glory worried, "We cannot escape going up."

Dr. Clarity nodded at the armed crowds below, countering, "We cannot escape going down. We must go where there are fewer Sentinels."

Earnestly-Seeking's glowing eyes flashed brighter as he laughed, "The fools ascend to their downfall!"

Lady Dolorous cautioned, "Ambiguous Clarity is no fool." She commanded Maxeen the Vigilant, "Our Sentinels below are not to ascend. They are to secure the lower floors."

"Yes, milady."

"Those above the third floor may converge upon the enemy."

Earnestly-Seeking implored, "Milady, allow me and my bodyguards to meet these infidel defilers. We shall drag their corpses to you."

Dolorous grinned, "Not yet."

Dr. Clarity led his companions to an alcove within a monorail tunnel. "Rest," he advised the warriors. "If we are to escape it shall be a fight to do so." Dr. Clarity closed his eyes and waved his wand, uttering, "Where none may go and none shall glimpse or hear us." He opened his eyes and slipped his wand back into the sleeve of his robe. He sat with his warriors, assuring them, "You may eat, drink and snooze within the concealment of a spell that has never failed me." The professor sat and folded his legs. He warned, "I must maintain it, however. Do not speak to me or touch me, for to awaken me shall break the spell."

"Doctor," Miss Glory addressed. "Even hidden we are trapped."

"I know." Ambiguous Clarity closed his eyes and bowed his head.

Big-Big laid down his stormgun and unslung its connected power-pack. The weapon was a Stormgun Type 89: a high-powered, fully automatic plasma weapon meant to be fired from a fixed mounting. The thing was too heavy and powerful to be wielded by a human soldier. A megasaurian, however, could brandish it as easily as a human could a small arm. Vain asked Big-Big, "How did you happen upon such a weapon?"

"The shaman showed Big-Big."

"A shaman? A Piddling shaman?"

"Mojo."

Vain arched an eyebrow. Though the beneficiary of the Piddling's aid, it unsettled the Mystic that a slave should be so malevolent towards its masters. Miss Glory wondered if she should kill the little helper as a matter of principal.

Maxeen the Vigilant was head of security but Clarissa the Gentle was the superior of the convent. The many Sentinels killed were little sisters under Clarissa's care. "Two hundred sixty-three," she read the preliminary tally aloud. Two of this total were "missing" yet presumed dead. "So many."

A whisper like a cool, refreshing breeze washed over the Concubine of the Great Seen Unseen, assuring her, "Your sisters shall be avenged." The amorphous Earnestly-Seeking snuggled the human female, declaring, "By the minicarbines of your Sentinels or by the swords of my warriors the infidel defilers shall be slain."

The hood of Clarissa's robe was pulled back, exposing her bald head and white-within-white eyes. The Many of One were sensitive about their baldness and faded eyes: they bared their heads only when alone with sisters... or Phantoms. Clarissa was at ease in the company of Earnestly-Seeking. She kept her hood down in her friend's presence. She gently rebuked the Phantom, "Revenge is not our duty. Let us be dutiful."

Earnestly-Seeking chuckled, admiring the Concubine for the purity of her devotion. The Phantom tempered its statement, "May the soldiers of the Great Shadow never perish in vain." Clarissa nodded.

Droves of Concubine Sentinels flooded the halls and corridors. They scoured the monorail tunnels. Vain Glory watched as a procession of them passed by. "So many," the Mystic fretted. She remembered legions of her people being overwhelmed by such throngs.

Big-Big was asleep. Though he snored, the spell would not allow any beyond the spell to hear it. Dr. Clarity remained sitting: his eyes closed and hands pressed together. Vain noticed movement under his lids as the Sentinels neared and passed them. "Ever watchful," Vain smiled.

Miss Glory was a Heroine of the Confederacy. She was the veteran of desperate battles and perilous quests. Courage made her bold. Wisdom made her timid. Courage was flow and wisdom balance. Causing flow required imbalance and achieving equilibrium required tempering flow. Courage was foolish and wisdom cowardly. How to reconcile the two? Vain Glory's mind raced as she pondered a means of escape.

Mojo was in the engineering section of the west wing. The destruction of the ninth terminal broke the connection of the first terminal. Though the Rite of Silence could not be performed, the convent was still channeling negative energy from the Silent Storm. He was sent to help reconnect the first terminal.

The Piddling shaman stood behind a seated Concubine Keeper. The Girl in Blue's fingers nimbly tapped the keyboard of a console as she followed the shaman's instructions. The Piddling advised, "More is better, just a little more."

The human clone worried, "That would imbalance the stream."

Mojo assured, "It shall swirl the flow faster."

The Keeper huffed and rolled her eyes. She followed the instructions... and was surprised the Piddling's counsel worked. She reported, "This is Ashley Blue, over."

A voice like her own responded, "Report, Ashley Blue."

"We have reinvigorated the stream."

"Acknowledged."

Ashley Blue told Mojo, "You are dismissed."

The shaman scowled, offended to be treated as if an underling by a mere underling. He stormed off.

Mojo could feel things from afar and see what he felt. He sought somewhere hidden so he could find Big-Big and Miss Glory. When he tried to enter a corridor, a Sentinel stepped in his way and enquired, "Piddling, where are you going?"

"Mojo was dismissed."

"Where are you going?" The Piddling shrugged and turned to walk away. "Halt!" the Sentinel startled him. He obeyed. "Get on your knees! Put your hands behind your head!" Mojo complied. The Sentinel came in front of him, frightening him with her weapon. She again asked, "Where were you going?"

"Mojo wanted to be alone."

"Why?"

"Mojo wants to be alone."

The Sentinel touched the side of her goggles-communicator, hailing, "This is Phillis Red, over." She listened to a response Mojo could not hear. Phillis Red reported, "The Piddling tried to enter a restricted area. He said he wanted to be alone." There was a long, tense pause until the Sentinel uttered, "Acknowledged," and lowered her weapon. She told the Piddling, "Return to your quarters and remain there unless called."

"Mojo shall do so." The Sentinel waved her weapon, gesturing for the quivering Piddling to move along.

The corridor Mojo was barred from entering was not to a "restricted area" before. Were Big-Big and Miss Glory just beyond the corridor? Mojo hurried to his "quarters" to open his inner eyes and find his friends.

The body of Dolorous of the Early Light was in her quarters, naked, arms outstretched and eyes open but unseeing. Her hair floated in air as if flowing underwater. Her form was upright but not standing, for her toes did not touch the floor. Her spirit walked the halls and corridors. The whispering voice of her spirit called out, "Ambiguous Clarity, hear me."

Ambiguous Clarity heard the sweet, soothing whisper... and yearned to answer it... but knew the eyes behind it would find him. He could feel the chill of her ghost haunting the tunnel in which he hid. "Lord Ambiguous the Wavering of the Dying Light, hear me."

Ambiguous Clarity quieted his mind, knowing Dolorous would hear him if he thought too loudly. He slowed his heart, knowing she would hear its beat and feel the warmth of it. The ghost of her drifted past. He watched it, fearing it would face him. The chill of her passing lingered... then was gone.

Ambiguous Clarity gasped for breath! His heart pounded. "Dr. Clarity," Miss Glory leaned over him. "Are you all right?"

"The spell is broken."

"Were we discovered?"

"No. Though the spell is broken we remain hidden."

Miss Glory mentioned, "I felt the chill of negative energy flow past us."

"It was Dolorous."

"Dolorous? I did not see her. She can hide in plain sight?"

Dr. Clarity chuckled. He explained, "She was not in her flesh to be seen. Miss Glory, please rouse Big-Big from slumber. We must flee."

"Did you divine a way out?"

"No. The numbers of our enemy tighten around us, however. We must skulk if we are to find a way out. We must hurry if we are to escape."

The white hair of Lady Dolorous went limp. Her naked form settled back to the floor. She grinned, admiring Ambiguous Clarity more than ever before. "I felt you," she told him. "I could not find you but I felt you." She knew he heard her unspoken voice. She knew his mind would remain silent.

Lady Dolorous put on her black robe. She spoke, her mind telling that of Earnestly-Seeking, "Lord of the Third Eye, ready your warriors for the hunt." She smirked, feeling the burning cold of the Phantom's enthusiasm.

Chapter 5

"Thoughts, Memories and Phantasms"

The humans Dr. and Mrs. Goodman sat together on the couch of their suite as a Concubine Priestess explained to them, "The Mystic Ambiguous Clarity was invited in the hope of fostering peace and understanding between the races. He accepted the invitation but as an opportunity to commit sabotage and possibly assassination. He and his armed accomplices remain at large within the convent. Do you have any other questions?"

Barbara Goodman raised her hand. The Priestess Doris the Helpful nodded. Mrs. Goodman asked, "Are you even trying to take Dr. Clarity alive?"

"Yes, ma'am. Lady Dolorous herself already implored him for his surrender."

"What will you do if you capture him?"

"He shall be held and questioned."

"If you capture him, may I meet with him and speak with him?"

The Concubine answered, "That would be for Lady Dolorous herself to decide."

"Would you ask her for me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Barbara Goodman looked at her husband. He told the Concubine Priestess, "Thanks for answering all our questions. We're satisfied." Doris Purple the Helpful bowed then departed.

Barbara told her husband, "Something about this whole thing doesn't feel right."

Harvey cautioned, "Let's not worry our thoughts about our feelings. We don't have the facts to have an opinion."

"We've met Ambiguous Clarity."

"That doesn't mean we really know the guy."

Barbara wondered, "Was that girl with him his daughter?"

"Sweetie, Mystics can live to be a thousand years old. That 'girl' could be his great grandmother for all we know."

"Is she one of his accomplices?"

"Probably."

Mrs. Goodman commented, "She is beautiful."

"Yeah: in a weird sort of way. She's too tall and blue for my tastes."

"Harvey, that's racist!"

"Sweetie, the girl isn't even human."

The couple snuggled. Barbara reminded, "She may be an assassin."

"Maybe," the man affectionately pecked the woman. "She's not after us, though, so we're safe."

"How do you know?"

The man shrugged, claiming, "I'm an astrobiologist and you're my wife. We're just not important enough for an alien assassin to bother with. Seriously: why would she kill us?"

The monorail tunnels were not continuous enclosures but rather intermittent passes within load-bearing masonry. A ride in one of the open cars provided a scenic view of the interior of the Convent of Bosky.

Vain Glory ducked low as she led her companions from one tunnel to another. Hearing nothing but sensing the chill of danger, the three hid. A _swooshing_ train of cars filled with Sentinels passed them.

Miss Glory fretted, "It is worrisome that the walkways within these tunnels remain unguarded. I feel as if we are being allowed to go where the enemy wishes us to go."

"Yes," Dr. Clarity agreed, "but many await us in the halls and corridors. Alas, all ways prove unfriendly."

Big-Big's power-pack was a titanium alloy box rigged with a makeshift harness. The box was normally fitted into a slot on a vehicle, aircraft or prefabricated sentry barrier. A Stormgun Type 89 held a thousand charges but the box awarded it an additional ten thousand charges. The weapon itself was too heavy for a human to wield. The box itself was too heavy for a human to easily carry. Fortunately, even the weakest megasaurian was stronger than the strongest human. The Stormgun Type 89 proved a decisive boon in the hands of Big-Big. Many of the weapon's charges had been spent, however.

Dr. Clarity placed his right hand on the power-pack of Big-Big's weapon. Dr. Clarity pointed his wand at the hand. He muttered, "From little a bounty more."

Big-Big rumbled a chuckle, "Magic tickles." He felt the power-pack tingling, warming and getting heavier.

"Not the magic," Dr. Clarity corrected. "It is the stimulation, not the stimuli, you feel. I am pouring energy into this supplementary device. I am invigorating the substance within and fashioning it to multiply until replenished." The professor rambled, "Energy is the substance of all things real. Matter is merely the flow of energy arranged by frequency into a delicate state of balance." Big-Big nodded, as if understanding. Vain Glory doubted the brute grasped the particulars but she did believe he understood the gist.

Erythro was a world of _red_ jungle under a stormy, _yellow_ sky. There were seas, lakes and rivers but no oceans. The jungle was wet and the sky rainy. Farmlands growing purple or pink crops surrounded cities of marble spires and glowing structures of ornate crystal. The People of the Third Eye were the inhabitants of this world. Their commoners labored in the fields and cities. Their warlocks ruled from the towers. Their warriors guarded the cities and hunted in the jungle.

Fiercely-Devoted was a warrior and a hunter of this world and its people. The caste of warriors and hunters enforced the will of the warlocks and kept the peace. When mustered into armies it fought the battles. Fiercely-Devoted was the veteran of many battles. It had matched wits and prowess with the warriors of the Mystic Confederacy. Yes, friends and kin fell but Fiercely-Devoted never failed to avenge them. It proved too swift and nimble for the archery of the enemy. Its swordplay bested their swords and glaives. It returned from the Galactic War a hero.

To the Phantoms, the sword was the weapon of hunting and warring alike. The blade was short, broad and curved. The grip was long and curved outward. The pommel was a nasty bludgeon.

Commoners were simpleminded, weak and cowardly. Warlocks were wise and powerful magicians but sluggish in battle. The warriors were swift, nimble and ferocious. A warrior could channel its ferocity into a manifestation of form that leapt ahead of itself. The snapping of the stretching lunge would bring a warrior's blade or pommel hurling to bear with tremendous force. The victim would be sundered or beheaded or its head smashed.

Fiercely-Devoted was the captain of Lord Earnestly-Seeking's guard. They had come to an alien planet of _green_ jungles. There was not to be a fight. Infidels were to hear the Unheard Whisper and return to their people converted. Alas, warriors were in the midst of the infidels. They proved killers and defilers.

Earnestly-Seeking held a twisted wooden rod topped with a crystal. The lord of the Third Eye greeted its guard of swordsmen, telling Fiercely-Devoted, "Follow me and I shall lead you to them."

"No!" the captain of the guard refused. "Milord, your wisdom is a great strength of our people. Stay! The swords of your warriors shall do your will."

Lord Earnestly-Seeking reminded, "I too am a soldier."

"Milord is a soldier of wisdom. Its bodyguards are swordsmen. Let us use our swords without fear for the safety of Earnestly-Seeking."

The other eleven swordsmen crowded closer to their captain. The twelve were loyal but not always obedient. For love of their lord they would not allow Earnestly-Seeking to join them. The eyes of the warlock flashed white as it blessed its warriors, "May your blades or pommels strike hard and true."

Vain Glory dropped into a narrow maintenance corridor, her sword drawn. She looked up and nodded, signaling that all was clear. Big-Big let his weapon dangle by its cable as he climbed down the short ladder. Dr. Clarity followed after. "Hopefully the dragonfly-type entomopter remains and is refueled," the professor uttered. "Should it prove unavailable, a beetle-type may suffice."

Vain Glory asked, "You know how to fly an aircraft?"

"Not in the manner it was meant to be operated, but yes. The aircraft's computer shall do most of the piloting."

Miss Glory took point. Big-Big took the rear, his weapon ready to gun down any sudden pursuers.

Two Sentinels faced the opening to a stairwell... when suddenly struck in the neck! The two dropped. Vain stepped over the sprawled bodies and entered the winding stairwell they had been guarding. Neither Dr. Clarity nor Big-Big followed her down, however. Actually, Vain did not remember them being with her for the longest while. She backtracked.

"Dr. Clarity?" Vain whispered as loud as she dared. "Big-Big?"

Vain Glory was a veteran of the Galactic War and a defender of Numinous and the Nether Colonies. She recognized the shimmer of Phantom illusions. She knew the danger of the eldritch silence. Her blood chilled and her skin crawled as she felt the stares of what lurked in the shadows.

A cold, burning gust lunged! Vain ducked and rolled, the swiping blade of a Phantom barely missing her. The Mystic sprang at the spectral form and plunged her own blade into its shapeless mass. It _wailed_ and its three eyes flashed. The yellowish form splashed at Vain Glory's feet. She ducked as yet another blade swung at her!

All became stillness. Vain closed her eyes, knowing she would feel her assailants before she saw them. Three cold _shrieks_ burned through her, consuming her strength! She collapsed where she stood. A form and its sword lunged at her. She rolled away, hearing the scrape and glimpsing the sparks of a blade sliding across the floor.

Vain channeled her courage into strength. She sprang back onto her feet and brandished her sword. She announced, "I am Vain Glory! I have fought you before. Always have I bested you." The voices again _shrieked_ but to no avail. A form and its sword lunged! The Mystic sprang to meet it and cut it asunder. Goo splashed and a sword clattered.

Three yellow eyes glowed from the shadows. A whisper hissed, "I am Fiercely-Devoted! I shall be the death of Vain Glory!" Alas, it was the entity _behind_ Miss Glory who lunged! The Mystic ducked and the specter shot past her. Whispers laughed.

Vain backed against a wall. Six glowing yellow eyes parted into trios as the two Phantoms drifted to each side of the Mystic. The specters whispered chants. Vain Glory's ears suddenly rang and her vision blurred. She became dizzy. She stumbled. A Phantom stretched and lunged! Vain leaned aside and skewered the attacker. Goo splashed over her and a sword clattered and slid across the floor behind her.

Fiercely-Devoted shrieked, stretched and lunged! The Phantom spun around the Mystic knocking her off balance. Fiercely-Devoted raised his sword for a chop. Vain Glory slashed the vaguely humanoid form. A white and yellowish mess poured out of it as if bowels. The Phantom _wailed_ as it dissolved where it stood into goo that does not stick.

Vain Glory panted. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind. She could again hear the ambient hum of machinery. She sought her friends.

"Murder!" gasped the chilling voice of Earnestly-Seeking. "Warriors of the Third Eye are fallen!"

Lady Dolorous asked, "All of them?"

"Yes! They are murdered!"

Dolorous gazed upon the holographic floor plan of where the enemy was believed to be hidden. She commanded Maxeen the Vigilant, "I want a stormgun emplaced in the west hangar. It is to be aimed at the stairwell."

"Yes, milady."

Earnestly-Seeking hissed, "I shall avenge my fallen! Milady, allow me to lead Sentinels in the hunt!"

"Lord Earnestly-Seeking, do you hear the Unheard Whisper?"

"I hear it!"

"Does it move you to do what you ask of me?"

The fiery specter that was Earnestly-Seeking cooled until a mild, blue luminescence. Its whispering voice assured, "I shall return to my quarters and meditate."

Lady Dolorous looked at the robed Priestess Clarissa the Gentle. The human female nodded her hooded head. The Penumbran assured the Phantom, "Lord Earnestly-Seeking, your warriors shall be avenged."

"Yes, milady."

Vain found and followed a trail of green blood. The life of a human was red, a Mystic blue and a Phantom yellowish white so the wounded was undoubtedly the megasaurian. Vain hoped she would find Big-Big still alive. "Miss Glory," her mind heard the voice of Dr. Clarity. "We are near and await you."

Vain happened upon the yellowish goo she knew to be the corpses of Phantoms. Pock marks and carbon scoring dotted the walls. Miss Glory found Big-Big and Dr. Clarity sitting together in a corner. The megasaurian was covered in nasty gashes and wet with green blood. He panted and his eyes were rolled back. "He shall live," Dr. Clarity assured. "His magic cannot be cast but it preserves him and shall mend his wounds. He must rest, however, or his strength shall fail him."

Miss Glory warned, "We shall be unable to accommodate his need should more enemies assail us."

"I shall die with him should it come to that." Vain Glory arched an eyebrow. Ambiguous Clarity explained, "Big-Big is not my slave. He came with us for my sake. I shall stay with him for his."

Miss Glory sat with her companions. She decided, "A good soldier does not abandon her fellows."

Dolorous the Enticing of the Early Light chose Ambiguous Clarity because she found him interesting. She knew him to be formidable. Though he was scholarly he was keenly intuitive. Though not a warrior or assassin he was dangerous. He had an eye for talent and a way of employing it for his own ends. "Lord Ambiguous the Wavering of the Dying Light," she envisioned him as a priest of the Living Darkness. She would gladly kneel and bow before him. Alas, he could not be swayed.

Dolorous felt warm and euphoric. She smiled and cooed. She enjoyed her frustration and reveled in her struggle. The pain of killing Ambiguous Clarity would be such a pleasure. Oh, the thrill as something succumbed to nothingness!

Vain Glory scouted while her companions rested. She returned to the winding stairwell and descended. Her blood cooled and her skin crawled. She stopped, closed her eyes and outstretched her hand.

Concubine Sentinels were below, all of them waiting for whoever came out of the stairwell. A stormgun was mounted on a tripod behind a barrier of stacked crates. The women were ready. The way was impassable.

Big-Big's wounds were clean and mended as if he had never been wounded at all. He remained deathly weary, however, and the healing of his wounds made him hungry and thirsty. Dr. Clarity gave him water from a flask and conjured manna for him to eat.

Miss Glory returned. She reported, "The way you intended is impassable. Many guns and a stormgun wait in ambush. The women are ready, thus, I cannot hide within their gaze."

"Flow and balance," the professor reminded. "We must travel the path of least resistance. Miss Glory, you are the most capable scout. I trust you to find us a way."

"Dr. Clarity, I fear these corridors shall soon be flooded with Sentinels."

"Perhaps."

The professor chuckled. Miss Glory arched an eyebrow. Dr. Clarity told her, "In our early wars with the Greater Humanity Empire the fools tried to poison us with gas. The clones of the Golgothites would never be so stupid."

"What happened?"

"I changed the gas and returned it to them. I set it ablaze. Their chorus of screaming was quite amusing."

"Indeed."

Vain Glory scouted. She tiptoed, climbed and crawled about the corridors, catwalks, nooks and crannies. She watched as Concubine Sentinels positioned metal shield barriers and emplaced stormguns. "We are under siege," Miss Glory realized. "We are to succumb to deprivation or in a storm of plasma bolts."

Lady Dolorous sat on the floor, her eyes closed, legs folded and hands resting on her knees. She felt the warm, flowing blood and heard the selfless, restless thoughts of Maxeen Purple the Vigilant enter the chamber. The Virgin Soldier stood at ease as she awaited the attention of the meditating Penumbran.

Lady Dolorous opened her black, soulless eyes. She smiled, the sinister glee of her inhuman countenance causing the human clone to reflexively shiver. The soothing, eerily resonant voice of the Penumbran stated, "Your Sentinels are in position and await the inevitable."

"Yes, milady."

"Maxeen the Vigilant, you have considered the possibilities and tend to them yet you worry."

"Milady, I have yet to do what I believe may be necessary."

"Tell me."

"Milady, I am uncomfortable with the idea of relinquishing the initiative. May I have your blessing to flood the section with waves of Sentinels?"

Lady Dolorous laughed. She asked the clone, "Are the lives of your sisters so cheap? Corridors favor the defender."

"Milady, I have read everything we know about Dr. Clarity and his accomplices. They are too capable and too crafty to be trapped for long. We must deny them the initiative."

The Penumbran scoffed, "You were cloned from a reckless species."

"Milady, I have assessed the situation thoroughly."

"Undoubtedly." Maxeen Purple the Vigilant was a Sentinel-type Priestess. Like the Girls in Red, she was selfless, efficient and relentless. Lady Dolorous smirked, amused by the clone's eager willingness to sacrifice. "Do it," the Penumbran commanded.

"Yes, milady."

Concubine Sentinels flooded the corridors and catwalks and scoured the chambers and alcoves. "Besieged, perhaps, but stormed nevertheless," Dr. Clarity watched the throngs. He was with his companions, hidden atop and behind machinery. "Miss Glory, find us a way or we are soon to be discovered and inevitably overwhelmed."

Vain Glory nodded. She closed her eyes, channeling her mystical energies into a veil that hid her from unfriendly senses. She leapt from her perch across a searching crowd and onto machinery beyond them. The Mystic climbed up onto a catwalk and followed behind a procession of Sentinels. "So many," she fretted the multitude that sought her and her companions. Escape was the only hope for survival... and it seemed unlikely.

Chapter 6

"Escape or Die"

Sentinels heard rattling and murmuring. They raised their weapons and followed the noise. The one Sentinel peeked into a chamber... and saw the Piddling shaman standing in front of a terminal waving his wand and chanting. The little shaman looked over his shoulder and smiled. He continued his ritual. The Sentinel stepped into the chamber, enquiring, "Piddling, what are you doing?"

The shaman turned around. He answered the Sentinel, "Mojo helps the Keepers. He does what he is told to do. He is making the energy flow better."

The Sentinel told her sisters, "It's just the Piddling doing his thing." The woman told the little shaman, "Don't leave this chamber until called."

"Mojo has tasks to do."

"Don't leave the chamber until cleared to do so. Do you understand?"

"Mojo understands."

The Sentinels moved on. Mojo waited before sneaking out of the chamber. He tucked his wand into the waist of his loincloth and climbed up to where he knew Vain Glory was hiding. The Mystic spotted him. She arched an eyebrow when he smiled and waved at her. He crawled to her. She noted, "You are not deceived by my veil."

"Mojo sees beyond the apparent."

"So it would seem."

"Miss Glory needs my help. Her companions need my help. I will help."

"You expect us to take you with us?"

"Yes! I am a great shaman! Mojo is the equal of Lady Dolorous. He shall not be the slave of her slaves."

"You know a way out?"

"Yes!"

Against her better judgment Vain Glory liked this little rascal. Though she loathed him for his infidelity she admired him for his yearning for freedom. He was as bold as a fighter and as wily as a scout. His magic was that of a sage. Perhaps it was wrong of her to disdain him. Perhaps he was indeed worthy of her respect.

Mojo could feel the feelings of Vain Glory. He heard her thoughts as if hearing his own. The little Piddling choked as he confided, "I sought deliverance and I found you. You came to me as I knew you would." A tear leaked from the shaman's eye. He smiled, "You are a friend unto all who are friendly. Mojo is your friend."

The heart of Vain Glory swelled. Her blood warmed and her fear burned away. "You shall be free," she swore. "Come with us. Show us the way out that we may bring you with us."

"We must wait."

"No, we must hurry lest we be found."

The Piddling grinned, "We must wait."

"Why?"

"Our friends must be sneaky if they are to join us."

Miss Glory insisted, "I must go to them if they are to join us."

Mojo shook his head. He assured, "Dr. Clarity sees what I see and hears what I hear. He shall follow the path I have revealed to him."

"There can be no path. The Sentinels are too many. They are everywhere."

The Piddling explained, "I have made twelve marks in my own blood. The Sentinels glimpse movement and hear noises when the magic of my blood is burned. The Sentinels are drawn to where there is nothing to find. Our friends slip past them."

"You are an illusionist?"

"I am many things."

The Sentinel Lucy Red the Observant noticed a swirl painted in red. The mark _flashed_ into oblivion and everyone glimpsed an indistinct movement nearby. The other Sentinels moved to chase after it. "Wait!" Lucy commanded them. She touched the side of her goggles-communicator, hailing, "This is Lucy Red, over."

A voice like her own responded, "Report, Lucy Red."

"I happened upon a swirl painted in what appeared to be red blood. The mark flashed into oblivion and induced me and my squad to glimpse what I believe was a fleeting sensory manipulation."

"Standby, Lucy Red." A moment passed before every Sentinel heard, "Alert! Alert! Sensory manipulation detected! Red, spiral glyph will ignite and induce illusory visual, audio or olfactory stimuli."

"No chasing phantasms," Lucy commanded her squad. She led them around a corner... and found herself face-to-face with a big, greenish gray brute brandishing a stormgun! A stream of plasma bolts tore through the squad of Sentinels! The women dropped en masse.

Every Sentinel in the area converged on the loud, rapid report. Big-Big blazed away, mowing down every drove that came into view. "Onward!" Mojo directed him from behind. Big-Big streamed bolts into a crowded corridor, carpeting its floor with bodies.

Vain Glory was slashing and stabbing the Sentinels who poured out of an adjoining corridor. "Come!" Dr. Clarity called to her. The last of a drove fell at Miss Glory's feet before she rejoined her companions.

Mojo guided his new companions into a chamber. "Step through!" he pointed at a wall marked with a glyph of red streaks. Everyone dashed through the wall as easily as if it was not there at all. The mark then _flashed_ into oblivion. Sentinels poured into the chamber... but their quarry had eluded them.

Maxeen Purple the Vigilant reported, "The signatures of the spells cast are identical and match that of your shaman. Milady, your Piddling betrayed us."

Lady Dolorous laughed. "You accuse a slave of betrayal? It is the nature of the lesser to serve the greater. It is only natural that the Piddling should bend to the will of Mystics. Return him to me and he shall prove as faithful and useful as before."

"Milady, shall I require our Sentinels to mind their shooting?"

"No. We shall not impede our Sentinels with needless concerns."

"Understood, milady."

Mojo brought everyone into a chamber whose walls were marked with streaks, spots and swirls or red, blue or yellow. "These marks are made strong by the winds of the Silent Storm," the shaman told his companions. "They are the winds for which this edifice was built. They are the power Lady Dolorous meant to use against you. That power shall hide us and protect us until the storm breaks."

Dr. Clarity stated, "The phenomenon shall cease at dusk."

"Yes, the storm is soon to break."

"Your spells that hide us now shall become a glaring beacon." Dr. Clarity urged Big-Big, "Lay down your weapon and rest, my friend. Your vigor must be at its utmost if it is to avail us."

Dr. Clarity said unto the Piddling, "Mr. Mojo, you have done much for our sake. Your aid has delivered us from an otherwise inescapable evil. Rest, my friend: that the strength of your magic may return to you."

Dr. Clarity turned to Miss Glory. He told her, "Our hidey hole is soon to become a deathtrap. Find us a way out of this edifice. Do not bother seeking access to the aircraft for they are undoubtedly too heavily guarded. Simply find us a way _out_. We shall seek our refuge in the jungles beyond these walls."

Miss Glory mentioned, "It is likely I must venture far. It is unlikely the route shall be straight and easy. We must be swift if I find a way out. Be ready when I return."

"Miss Glory, we shall be as ready as we are able."

The Convent of Bosky was heavily guarded but it was _not_ a military facility. Most of its people were Concubine Laborers, the Girls in Pink. Vain watched from above as a prattling, giggling group of these unarmed civilians passed her. She dropped behind them and followed them. They passed Concubine Sentinels standing guard. A group of prattling Girls in Blue crossed their path. Vain followed the Girls in Blue.

Women were so small and childlike. These Girls in Blue prattled and giggled as readily and easily as those in pink.

Concubine Sentinels stood at their posts, silent, erect and without fidgeting. Though made in the likeness of the same woman as their sisters in pink or blue, their bearing was so different. Were Sentinels as silly as the other clones when not on duty?

The Concubine Keepers led Vain into a control room. Outside the windows of the control room was a vaulted garage below. Trucks and other vehicles were parked in rows or suspended for storage or maintenance. Vain Glory was trained in the operation of such machines. Dr. Clarity could undoubtedly open one of the garage doors from this control room.

Miss Glory returned to her companions. She reported, "The way is too well guarded for any of you to sneak past. You must follow me as I clear the way."

Dr. Clarity asked Mojo, "Where to these trucks go?"

"The road becomes many roads to outposts and gardens."

"Gardens?" Miss Glory was surprised to hear.

Dr. Clarity explained, "The Concubines make use of indigenous flora and fauna for research and for sustenance." He asked Mojo, "Do any of these outposts have an aircraft?"

"Yes. Outpost 9 has its own entomopter. Outpost 9 is along the river and has motorboats too."

"An aircraft and motorboats: yes, we shall be visiting Outpost 9."

A Sentinel was standing at her post... when suddenly pounced from above! Miss Glory signaled for her companions to follow her down. They climbed down, none of them as nimble as their scout.

The companions hid and waited whenever their scout made to clear their way. When they could see, they watched as the towering Mystic snatched or struck the unwary little women. The human Sentinels were simply useless against Vain Glory.

Concubine Keepers were in a control room when a big, burly, scaly alien barged in! He _growled_ and brandished a stormgun. "Peace," a male Mystic entered the room. "All of you stand with your hands behind your head." The Girls in Blue timidly and immediately complied. The Mystic went to each one and plucked the communicator from her uniform. "Mr. Mojo, would you and Big-Big please escort these women to the storage closet?"

Vain snuck her way into the spacious garage. She found herself behind yet another Concubine Sentinel. The Girl in Red stood at her post, dutiful and useless... when hands suddenly pressed against the sides of her head! The Sentinel winced in silence as she sank to the floor.

Vain had many vehicles to choose from. There was even a jeep with a stormgun mounted on its roll-bar. Vain slashed the tires of the jeep and sabotaged its controls. She happened upon a row of legged construction vehicles. She was relieved not to find any signs of the Virgin Army's bipedal main battle tank: a weapons system too cramped within for a Mystic to operate. Such a weapon could easily negotiate the forested terrain should the party be forced to flee into the jungle on foot.

Vain returned her attention to the many trucks. She chose an eight-wheeler with a spacious cabin and an open bed. A door of the garage opened. Vain waited for her companions to join her.

"Into the back," Dr. Clarity told Big-Big. "Lie flat on your belly. Do not rise lest we are chased or fired upon." Big-Big climbed up into the back of the truck.

Miss Glory, Mr. Mojo and Dr. Clarity climbed into the cabin. The Mystics were taller than what was meant for a human vehicle but were limber enough to be comfortable. The Piddling's toes barely touched the floor. The vehicle lurched forward and sped out of the garage. "Drive slower," Dr. Clarity advised, "lest we alert the guards needlessly."

Most of the Sentinels outside had their backs to the vehicle as it passed them. Even the guards at the gate did not discern that it was a Mystic driving.

The truck cruised off the grounds of the convent and into the jungle beyond. The road was dirt and the ride somewhat bumpy. Dr. Clarity urged, "Miss Glory, the enemy shall soon learn of our mischief. Let us make haste." The engine hummed louder and the ride became quite bouncy as the truck sped dangerously fast. The Mystics remained calm as if all was well. The Piddling worried he might get sick.

Unlike the other twelve outposts, Outpost 9 was a security station. It was the garrison of three hundred ninety-six Virgin Soldiers; three hundred sixty of them Girls in Red. The Girls in Blue here were not the civilians wearing the cowl and miniskirt but rather soldiers wearing the blue version of elastic body shirt with fixed goggles worn by Sentinels.

The planet Bosky was a disputed world. In accordance with the Treaty of Bosky, the Concubine presence was not equipped with artillery, combat aircraft or bipedal main battle tanks. The three patrol boats launched from Outpost 9 had nothing heavier than stormguns and grenade launchers. The Beetle-type 8 entomopter parked on the grounds of the station was completely unarmed.

The Sentinel Marsha Red the Watchful commanded Outpost 9. She was in the command tower when receiving orders to be on the lookout for escaped belligerents. It was noted the hostiles were in a stolen truck. Marsha issued orders and relayed the information to her women. She watched from her tower as a truck sped onto the grounds of the station!

Plasma bolts pelted the truck and shattered its windows. Tires burst but the vehicle kept trudging along. Big-Big rose from the back, blazing streams of plasma bolts into the many Sentinels. More Girls in Red started pouring out of the prefabricated buildings.

A Sentinel hopped in front of the metal shield barrier of a stormgun emplacement and swung the weapon around. She streamed bolts into the intruding truck. The vehicle's engine burst into flames. Smoke filled the cabin. Mojo screamed! The truck lumbered towards the parked entomopter. Dr. Clarity cautioned, "Do not crash into the aircraft." The truck died as if hearing him.

Big-Big stayed in the back of the burning vehicle, blazing away as his friends ran to the entomopter. He then jumped out and hurried to join them, still shooting all the while.

The hard outer wings of the entomopter eventually opened and the hind wings unfolded and rapidly flapped. There was a resonant _hum_ and the aircraft shot into the air and across the river. Plasma bolts pelted the entomopter as it made its escape but to no avail.

Dr. Clarity joined his companions in the back of the aircraft. He assured them, "We have escaped."

Miss Glory worried, "Dragonfly-type interceptors can easily overtake us and shoot us down."

"Yes. Fortunately the Treaty of Bosky forbids such a possibility. Lest the Concubines prove uncharacteristically treacherous we have escaped them. Soon we shall be landing among friends."

Dr. Clarity told the Piddling, "We accomplished our mission without you. We live to tell of it because of you. Mr. Mojo, I thank you."

The Piddling blurted, "I want to be free! Shall I be free among your people?"

"You shall have amnesty should you choose to remain with us. Oblige me and you shall have a place in the Academy of Magic."

"What does Dr. Clarity mean?"

"Mr. Mojo, you are a sage. Teach. I ask you to share your wisdom that my people shall be the wiser for it."

"Teach?"

Dr. Clarity nodded. "I am a professor at the Confederate Academy of Magic. You have my endorsement to teach as my peer and colleague."

The Piddling sobbed. Vain Glory snuggled him. Big-Big smiled, his fangs not offsetting the friendliness of his countenance whatsoever.

Miss Glory worried, "Our laws and customs are what they are, Dr. Clarity. I hope you are not presuming beyond your influence."

Ambiguous Clarity smirked, "Our laws are whatever my friends in power want them to be. Our customs are legitimized by clout. My promises shall be kept by power and influence beyond my own, I assure you."

Vain Glory assured Mojo, "You may live with me if you are not pleased with what is promised."

Dr. Clarity insisted, "Your quaint village is no place for a restless mind, my dear. What I offer is preferable for one such as Mr. Mojo."

Lady Dolorous was out on a balcony, watching as a dot in the distance disappeared over the horizon. The Penumbran smiled.

The Silent Storm was breaking and the crystal ball meant to make use of it was broken: a great opportunity was lost. Four hundred Concubine Sentinels and a dozen Phantom swordsmen were dead, for nothing. A valuable slave was gone. "Ambiguous Clarity, you have bested me," Dolorous the Enticing admitted allowed. He heard her as she knew he would.

Dolorous the Enticing of the Early Light loved Ambiguous Clarity. She adored him, as thrilled by his success as she was pained by her own grievous failure. Alas, her something had succumbed to nothing.

The sages of the galaxy returned home, safe and sound. They told of the gracious hospitality of Lady Dolorous. They openly wondered why the Mystic Ambiguous Clarity acted against her.
