≈ Ch. 1: ECLIPSE ≈
~ Crushed hopes ~
The entire population of Eclipse had gathered in the Main Hall, and was watching the closed double door of the Birth Room in anxious silence, waiting for something to happen.
There weren’t many people. In the last decades many people had died by old age or due to the lethal environment that surrounded the underground facility named “Eclipse”. And the few people still living in Eclipse didn’t even remember why their home bore that name, and sure enough didn’t wonder why the almighty Boba-Maiii, in His infinite wisdom, had created such a big complex on a small inhospitable planet lost in the Milky Way.
In the front row there was Deimos, the First Husband, a tall black man in his forties with a chiseled body and a noble allure; he and the four black-skinned co-husbands were the only Darks still alive, the only hope for Eclipse to survive. They all proudly showed off their muscular physiques, wearing only an embroidered loincloth.
A few steps behind them, a couple dozens of fair-skinned Pales, all males, looked at the Darks with a hint of admiration and envy, but also with fear and resentment; many Pales had ill feelings toward them, because the Darks were often arrogant, commanding and uncaring of the Pales’ feelings. After all, the Pales and the entire Eclipse couldn’t survive for long without the Darks, and they knew it well.
And yet they needed the Pales, because only Pale men, and in particular Archon, the Guardian, could talk to the almighty Boba-Maiii; and without Boba-Maiii’s help not even the Darks could survive. There was a sort of mutual benefit, between Darks and Pales, a sort of symbiosis, but the Darks invariably treated the Pales as inferiors, confident in their own physical prowess and muscled bodies.
As a matter of fact, Darks had no merit for having a DNA that allowed them to go outdoors and hunt, gather fruits and dig for Holy Stones. Many Pales dearly wanted to follow them out of Eclipse, but the few who tried didn’t come back: their white skin couldn’t protect them from the lethal radiations of the twin Suns illuminating the planet’s skies. The only role Pales had was to support the Darks and maintain the underground base.
The First Husband shifted foot nervously, wearing a worried expression, because one hour had gone by, and still no one was coming out of the door. He feared that it was a difficult birth and dearly hoped that both the Wife and the child were fine.
From afar, a Pale in his early twenties named Jason couldn’t tear his gaze off Deimos; most of the Pales were a bit short and slim, but not Jason: he was rather tall, to be a Pale, and his white short tunic stretched nicely around a toned body. Through the open collar of the tunic, a virile hairy chest gave a proud show of itself, and his bare legs and arms were equally covered by a thin layer of black body hair.
While Jason didn’t like the Darks, just like most of the Pales, he felt that Deimos was different, he had a heart, as proved by the tense, worried expression clouding his handsome face. No one of the co-husbands looked worried, they seemed rather bored for the long wait, but not Deimos: his frown got deeper by the minute, and Jason felt sympathy for him.
He wished to go to him, comfort him, but he couldn’t: after all, they’d exchanged no more than a few words in years. Pales didn’t talk to Darks.
A few muffled screams came out of the closed door, and then the loud cry of a baby echoed in the ample hall. Both Darks and Pales turned to the door and waited in respectful silence, until the door opened and the Guardian, the eldest of the Pales, came out. The long white robe he was wearing was stained with blood. The silence was complete.
“It’s a baby boy” – he sternly announced, and then added, in a lower voice: “Pale”.
“Fuck!” – one of the co-husbands exclaimed – “Another useless Pale boy! We gave that Pale bitch five loads, as per Boba-Maiii’s commandment, hoping to get a Dark female, and look what we got! Another mouth to feed!”
“Shut that filthy mouth of yours, Vesper!” – Deimos scolded him; but Helios, another co-husband, huffed: “It’s true, and you know it well! There are only two women left in Eclipse, both Pales, and apparently they are unable to give birth to a Dark child! Fuck! A damn Pale boy! What are we supposed to do with him? I hope he doesn’t survive!”
Some of the younger Pales, ashamed and hurt by the Darks’ words, ran away with wet eyes and Jason felt his blood boiling in his veins. But his fury suddenly vanished when he heard Deimos ask the Guardian with a trembling voice: “What about Claire? Is she well?”
The Guardian frowned, lowered his eyes and briefly shook his head.
“No! Claire!” – Deimos cried out, with a broken voice, while his eyes filled with tears. Jason looked at him, from afar, feeling for him. Deimos was a Dark, but Jason didn’t care, the deep pain painted on his face, the tears filling his eyes went straight to Jason’s heart.
Deimos felt watched and turned to look at Jason; the eye contact lasted no more than a fleeting moment, but it was enough for Jason to feel a tear sliding down his own cheek. Losing a loved one was something Jason couldn’t ever know, as there were no parents or siblings in Eclipse, and Pales could never marry a woman; but looking into Deimos’s eyes, for that fleeting moment, taught him how deeply the pain for a loss could hurt.
Deimos averted his gaze and ran to the Birth Room, wiping his face. No one of the co-husbands followed him, nor looked particularly concerned. Claire was a Pale, after all…
Jason followed with his eyes Deimos rushing through the big door, and cringed when he heard a single, heartbreaking sob coming from inside. He felt more tears welling from his eyes and hastened to wipe his face, lest to be seen by the Darks.
~ Boba-Maiii ~
“She’s dead, isn’t she?” – a young boy asked, gently pulling Jason’s short tunic. Jason looked down and smiled faintly: “Astron, you shouldn’t stay here, only adults are allowed to the Births…”
“Is she dead?” – the boy insisted and Jason wore his most comforting expression: “Boba-Maiii took her in his arms and brought her up to Earth. She’s in a beautiful place now, and she’s at peace. Don’t cry, Astron…”
“I’m glad I’m not a woman…” – a teen boy commented – “They live a horrible life. The Husbands inseminate them all the time, they get pregnant, carry the baby for nine months and then give birth to them with great pain. And as soon as they recover, there is another insemination, another pregnancy, more pain, over and over, until they wilt to death…”
“Orion, I won’t say you’re wrong” – Jason replied – “but it hasn't always been this way. The Guardian says there were many women, back in the day, both Pales and Darks, and they weren’t forced to carry babies all the time; but now it’s different, and with Claire’s death there’s only one woman in Eclipse, Pearl, and I dearly wish she can give birth to a Dark baby girl. We need her like the air we breathe.”
Little Astron pulled Jason’ tunic again : “Why did that Dark say they gave Claire five loads?”
“It’s when a man…” – Orion began, wearing a proud grin, but Jason shushed him, picking Astron up: “You’re too young to know. You’ll know everything when you become an adult… or probably even sooner” – he added, shooting a knowing glance at Orion, who was fifteen years old but apparently already had quite a precise idea of what a man is supposed to do with a woman.
“I loved Claire…” – Astron whined – “Why does Boba-Maiii let her die?”
“Boba-Maiii’s ways are often obscure. We may not understand why he does something, but there’s always a reason. Boba-Maiii loves us and watches over us. I’m bringing you to bed, now, and don’t forget to say your prayers to Boba-Maiii before sleeping.”
Jason moved toward the Pales’ sleeping quarters, bringing Astron in his arms, and Orion followed them: “How do you know that Boba-Maiii loves us? Did he tell you?”
“No, but the Guardian says He loves us, and we can trust the Guardian. He knows everything, he’s studied the Sacred Tomes for his entire life, and he’s got an exceptionally long life, so far. He’s sixty-two, would you believe it?”
“Maybe Boba-Maiii doesn’t want to take him and bring him to Earth…” – Orion commented, doubtful, entering the youngsters’ bedroom.
“Maybe Boba-Maiii doesn’t take him because He knows we still need him. I told you, Boba-Maiii loves us and knows what we need… Now go to bed, Orion, and watch over Astron.”
Jason left the boys in the bedroom and went out. Out of the door there was the Guardian, wearing a fatherly smile: “I heard what you told the boys. You would’ve been a wonderful father…”
“Yeah, if only we Pales could lay a woman. This is the hardest thing about being a Pale. It’s unfair! The last Dark woman died before I was born, and since then all the women of Eclipse have been Pales, but we Pales can’t touch them…!”
“You know why” – The Guardian replied, walking back toward the main hall, now deserted – “Boba-Maiii stated that the only chance for a Pale woman to give birth to a Dark child is to be inseminated by five Dark husbands, one after another. Five Dark loads can do the magic, but if the Wife is Pale, the chances are low. We can only pray that Boba-Maiii does the miracle with Pearl: she’s the only woman, now, and if she doesn’t give us a Dark baby girl, we’re doomed. You too, before sleeping, don’t forget to say your prayers to Boba-Maiii.”
Jason glanced furtively around and lowered his voice: “Guardian… I have something to confess, and I hope you won’t judge me too harshly. I have… doubts. All this thing about Boba-Maiii seems too… convenient to be true. Boba-Maiii knows everything, He loves us, He can do everything, and still Eclipse is on the verge of a catastrophe. What if Pearl can’t give birth to a Dark baby girl? What if she dies? She’s the last woman still alive and I’m… scared. Are you mad at me, saying that I don’t really believe in Boba-Maiii?”
The Guardian halted and looked at Jason with an inscrutable expression. He didn’t look angry, he looked almost amused, but was trying hard to conceal his feelings. He opened his mouth and his words shocked Jason: “Say… Would you like to be my successor as a Guardian? I’m getting old, and even if Boba-Maiii, like Astron said, doesn’t want to bring me to Earth, I won’t live much longer, and I need someone to pass my knowledge to.”
Jason’s eyes widened in disbelief: “Me?? But I just confessed to you that…”
“I heard what you said, and that’s precisely why I’m asking you to be my successor. You might say that Boba-Maiii’s ways are obscure, if you like. I’m sixty-two, but my mind is still as sharp as steel, I know what I’m doing. But you have to trust me.”
“You’re by far the man I trust most!” – Jason exclaimed fervently – “I’m humbled by your offer, and I’ll be more than glad to learn from you, Guardian.”
“Good” – the Guardian mused – “Then, you can start by calling me Archon, when we’re alone. Come with me to the Antechamber…”
~ The Helper ~
Deimos was sitting on the bed, in the Birth Room. Two young Pales, after cleaning and dressing the Wife’s body and tidying up the room, had just gone away. Under the clean sheets, Claire seemed peacefully sleeping, but the deadly paleness of his beautiful face was for Deimos a constant reminder that she was gone and would’ve never come back.
A voice behind him snapped him out of his gloomy thoughts: “Deimos, we have to go.”
Deimos turned around and looked with pleading eyes at his Helper, a slim Pale in his twenties: “Darek, not now… I can’t do it…”
“The Insemination has already begun; the other co-husbands let you be the last one, to give you a moment, but we have to get ready immediately.”
“But Claire just died! Couldn’t the Insemination be pushed forward to tomorrow?”
“Pearl is fertile now!” – Darek stated with a tone that didn’t allow rejection – “You must come with me, and quickly!”
Deimos wearily rose to his feet and reluctantly followed Darek to the Nuptial Chambers; they entered Deimos’ personal bedroom and Darek knelt in front of Deimos, to unlace his long loincloth. When the narrow drape fell to the floor, Darek’s face was an inch from Deimos’ crotch, but he didn’t give even a glance to the long flaccid cock dangling in front of him.
“Lie down and leave everything to me” – Darek hastily said, glancing through the door leading to the Nuptial Alcove – “We must be quick, Vesper and Helios already finished giving their loads…”
Deimos lay down on a raised padded table murmuring: “I’m not in the mood, Darek… I can’t do it…”
Darek took some perfumed slick gel from a jar nearby and thoroughly oiled his hands, went close to the table and unceremoniously grabbed Deimos’ flaccid cock: “You must.”
He peeled down the black foreskin, revealing the dark pink glans underneath, and immediately started polishing it with hasty moves, holding the cock with the other hand.
“Fuuuck!!” – Deimos protested – “Take it easy!”
“There’s no time, Rufus is almost done!”
The harsh, torturous massage went on, and though Darek really did know his stuff, Deimos didn’t like a single second of the treatment. The black cock was forced to come to life and thicken, while the vicious polishing and the harsh massage sent shivers of discomfort through Deimos’ spine. It didn’t take long until the long member rose to a full, stiff erection.
“Quick!” – Darek said with urgency, helping Deimos off the table – “Rufus is coming out! It’s your turn!”
Reluctantly, Deimos headed to the Alcove and met Rufus at the door; he seemed quite surprised to see Deimos ready to fulfill his marital duties and sneered at him: “Are you done weeping like a crybaby, while we real men were doing our job here?”
“Fuck you, Rufus…” – Deimos growled, pissed off; but inwardly thanked Rufus for causing him a fit of anger that somehow wiped from his mind, for a moment, the image of Claire lying on her death bed. «Claire is dead, but Pearl is not, and she needs me, now…» – he thought resolutely, feeling ready to do his part in the Insemination.
It didn’t take long. The fuck was quicker and rougher than he wanted it to be, but he feared to lose his erection, and tried to reach his orgasm before the bad thoughts started filling again his mind. When he came out of the Alcove, covered with sweat and his cock still dripping sperm, he was surprised not to see Castor, the last co-husband, who was supposed to provide the fifth load.
“Where is Castor??” – Deimos asked Darek, alarmed, and his alarm grew even more when Darek replied, with a matter-of-fact tone: “He got sick, he’s in the infirmary. As the First Husband, you must provide the fifth load, too.”
“Me?? I just gave Pearl all I could give moments ago!”
“No time to argue, sorry, man!” – Darek exclaimed, grabbing Deimos from behind and reaching around to his spent cock. Using the last drops of sperm as only lubrication, Darek started stroking Deimos' cock with vigor, doing his best to make him hard again as quickly as possible.
“AWWW…. FUUUCK!!” – Deimos screamed, bucking wildly under the fierce overstimulation of his now sensitive cock – “Stop!! I can’t! I said stop!!”
Darek ignored Deimos’ orders and went on playing all the tricks in his bag to get what he wanted: he brushed the glans with his fingertips and with the palm of his hand, stroked furiously the shaft and used his other hand to press on the perineum, forcing more blood into the semi-hard meat.
“Damn you, Darek! Can’t you do it more respectfully? I’m a man, for fuck’s sake, not a piece of meat! Can’t you put some passion in your job?”
“Fuck you, Deimos! Do you think I’m happy to wank another man’s cock? Do you think I do it for my own pleasure?? I’m not a fuckin’ invo! I’m your Helper, my duty is to make you hard, no matter what, and your duty is to inseminate the Wife, no matter what!”
“Please… Please…” – Deimos pleaded, with ragged breaths – “At least slow down… NNNGGHH… It’s too much… Too much…”
“Here!” – Darek said triumphally, releasing Deimos and slapping his firm erection – “You’re good to go for another round. Give that bitch the fifth load!”
Deimos turned around with a wild expression, ready to punch Darek on his face for the insulting way he just talked about Pearl; but he immediately thought to convey again his anger to his duty, and entered again the Alcove.
This time it took him longer to provide his load to the Wife, but he was the First Husband, he couldn’t fail the Wife, or Eclipse. Everyone relied on him and his ability to provide the fifth load, and he did what he had to do.
When he came out of the Alcove, his eyes seemed to shoot lightning all around. He was furious. He strode across the room to Darek, who turned to him and gave him a worried glance.
“You’re fired” – Deimos said with restrained anger, and Darek protested: “Hey man, I was doing my job! It’s not my fault if you had to provide two loads back-to-back!”
With a lightning-fast move, Deimos grabbed Darek’s throat and hissed: “If I ever see your Pale face again here in the Nuptial Chambers, I swear I drag you outdoors and let you roast under the unmerciful rays of the twin Suns! Fuck off, Darek! And don’t you dare to come back ever more!”
Deimos released his grip and Darek stumbled backward, scared. Without a word, he scampered out of the room and fled out of sight. Deimos heavily sat on a chair and took his face into his hands, overwhelmed by the emotional rollercoaster of the last couple hours. He started sobbing, and between the sobs he fervently prayed: “Boba-Maiii, why does it have to be so hard? Help me be the man you want me to be…”
~ The secrets of the Antechamber ~
The Guardian looked around the ample Main Hall, which had the irregular shape of a vast underground cavern, but was filled with a warm bright light. He admired the way the omnipotent Boba-Maiii, at the beginning of time, created an ingenious lighting system hidden inside the walls themselves, making the stone radiate light as if they were outdoors. His acute sight spotted a dark area in the farthermost part of the hall and turned to look at Jason, who was standing next to him in reverent silence.
“You said you don’t believe in Boba-Maiii…” – he began, and when Jason nodded yes, contrite, he went on: “Do you see the darkness over there, in the East aisle? You know what to do…”
Jason looked around and headed to one of the many small Altars scattered all around Eclipse. The Altar was a small dark niche in the wall, with a black cylinder placed in the middle of the small shelf. Jason stood in front of it, raised his hands and pronounced the initial invocation: “Laudon!”
The Altar started glowing with a faint, ethereal blue light, and Jason reverently bent one knee and bowed his head: “O almighty Boba-Maiii, hear the plea of your servant! Please, bring back the light in the East Aisle!”
There was a flicker throughout the entire main hall, and then the lights in the farthermost aisle turned on. “Thank you, Boba-Maiii, for your benevolence!” – Jason said in a heartfelt, reverent tone, and the Altar became dark again.
“So…” – the Guardian said, inquisitively – “Do you still believe that Boba-Maiii does not exist?”
Jason shook his head: “I don’t know what to believe, Guard… Archon. Moments ago I said that believing in Boba-Maiii was somewhat convenient, and what’s more convenient than asking Him to fix a broken lighting system? Maybe now you don’t want me anymore as your pupil…”
“I want you as my pupil more than ever” – Archon replied, quizzically – “and it’s about time I show you the Antechamber, the seat of the Guardians, that one day will be yours. Come!”
Archon led the way through the Main Hall heading to the Birth Room; they stepped inside, and Jason glanced with a shiver at Claire, lying lifeless on the bed; her skin was as white as the bedsheets covering her.
“May Boba-Maiii have mercy on her soul…” – Jason murmured, but he didn’t really mean it, it was rather a way to lessen the pain of knowing her dead.
Archon crossed the room and opened a tall wooden door on the opposite wall; they stepped through the doorway and Archon gestured around: “The Antechamber.”
Jason looked around with wide eyes. There was a wide desk, facing a bare wall with an Altar cutting through it; the floor was scattered with weird objects, whose purpose or functions were obscure to Jason. Against a side wall there was a metal structure with many shelves, but it was almost empty; only two of the lower shelves were filled with what seemed like bricks in different colors, width and height.
“Are those… the Sacred Tomes?” – Jason asked under his breath, unsure if he was even allowed to name them. Archon nodded: “Yes. They contain the answers to all the questions. You can touch them, if you like. Take one of them. Don’t worry, they don’t bite…”
Archon’s lighthearted tone gave Jason the strength to reach out to the shelf and pick one of the Tomes. He took it in his hands and looked at it from every side. He’d never seen such a weird object.
“Open it” – Archon instructed, and Jason examined it with a puzzled expression, trying to spot a hidden lock, until he realized that the “brick” in his hand was not as solid as a brick: it was made by many thin layers of an unknown material, tied together on one side only. He opened the Tome in the middle and he saw that the inner sides of the thin layers were covered with tiny, neat drawings, one next to the other, ordered in lines.
“Are all the thin layers…” – Jason began, but Archon immediately corrected him: “Pages. They are called pages. Each of the tomes you see on the shelf is made of many pages, and each page is covered with those tiny symbols. Sometimes there are illustrations, diagrams, drawings, even photos, but most of the pages are filled with symbols.”
“And what do they mean?”
Archon frowned and lowered his head: “I’ve spent my entire life trying to decode them, but most of the Tomes are obscure to me. For example, the big green Tome on the left is about Eclipse, its structure and functions. It contains some maps, too: I recognized the layout and found out what was the subject of the Tome. And the thick brown one here is about the wilderness out of Eclipse: the animals, the plants, the Holy Stones… There are pictures and photos that amazed me, since we Pales can’t ever venture outside. I’ll show you, later on.”
Jason was thrilled, both for the incredible things the Guardian was sharing with him, and for the obvious great trust the Guardian placed in him. Jason’s eyes wandered around, focusing on the many weird objects scattered around: “What’s the purpose of all these things?”
“Uhm… well… this device, for example” – Archon said, picking a small object from the desk – “can be used to pinch loose pages together, but there are no loose pages here, because all the pages are already part of the Tomes. And this little thing” – he added taking what seemed a thick drinking straw – “is like a small painting brush, but the color is contained within the object itself. It can be used to draw something on a blank page… though there aren’t blank pages here, as all the pages of the tomes are already filled with symbols and drawings.”
Jason was a bit disappointed, as he hoped there was something more amazing, or at least useful, in the Antechamber. His eyes suddenly fixated on a small metal door on the wall opposite to the shelf: “What is there behind that door?”
Archon stiffened: “It leads to the Sancta Sanctorum, the Holy Temple of Boba-Maiii. Only the Guardian is allowed to enter it. And before you ask, you’re still my pupil, you’re not a Guardian, yet. Don’t you even think about going there.”
“I don’t see any lock on the door…”
“There’s no need for a lock. Everyone knows that the Sancta Sanctorum is off-limits, and Boba-Maiii would be terribly angry if anyone but the Guardian violates the sacred space.”
“Have you ever entered it?” – Jason asked, worried to make Archon angry.
“Only in the first chamber. That is where the Holy Stones brought in by the Darks are stored. Speaking of which, I dearly hope that during the next expedition outdoors the Darks find at least two more Stones, or a big one, because if we don’t provide enough Stones, Boba-Maiii gets angry and refuses to answer to our pleas.”
“I… I think it’s enough for one day…” – Jason said, unsettled – “I hoped to find answers, here, but I only found many more unanswered questions. What… What do you expect from me, as your pupil?”
“Nothing specific. Come here whenever you want, whether I’m here or not. Examine the Tomes, examine the objects you see here, and maybe your young, agile mind will find some answers that I missed so far. Never open the door to the Temple and never touch the Holy Stones, if the Darks bring them while I’m not here.”
“OK…” – Jason said, still filled with doubts – “But maybe you can answer some of my questions… Can’t you tell me something about Eclipse and its inhabitants? Something about our own story?”
“I can, but not now. It’s late and we both need to sleep. Tomorrow there will be Claire’s funeral. Pales are not allowed to climb up to the Entrance Hall, except for the Guardian, and since you’re my successor, you can come with me. And when we have time, I’ll tell you the story about Adam and Eve. I heard it from my mentor, and I will relate it to you, so as to let you relate it to your successor, when the time comes. Go, now, my sweet Jason, and see you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Guardian… I mean, Archon. I hope I’ll fulfill your expectations.”
“I’m sure you will” – Archon said with a fatherly smile, opening the door for Jason to go out.
-~~~≈≈≈ooOoo≈≈≈~~~-
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