Penny the Conqueror Ch. 09

It was a week after the freighter had dropped Penny, Oola, and Groovi back to Bok. The helium-3 expedition had been a smashing success, securing enough fusion fuel for their planned space station for perhaps a lifetime. Penny was mildly thrilled for the progress, but her losing Sakura hurt badly.

She knew that Sakura was making a mature and responsible decision. Her mother would now receive good care and be able to live in comfort, and Sakura could go back to Earth and start her life up again, this time with a large advantage.

Penny was summoned to the Synod of Wisdom. The three members were waiting at their usual table. Penny approached, giving her deepest bow. "Thank you for seeing me," Penny declared.

"Your greatness," one of the male members began. "We have received the report on the recent return to Earth."

Penny's stomach did a curdle. "This voyage was sanctioned by all ministries that oversee these things."

"We are not disputing your ability to travel, your greatness," said the other male member, with a chortle. "It will soon be upon you to commence such great journeys in the future. Our issue is with leaving behind the one you call Sakura O'Malley."

Penny took a deep breath. "She needed to return to Earth. She did not belong here, and she had a sick mother who needed support."

"Why did you return?" asked the female synod member. "You left her behind."

Penny licked her lips. Suddenly she felt like she had to rehash all of the old feelings of having to leave her behind. "I want to be queen of this planet. Maybe I'm saying this wrong, but...I like feeling important. I like the spectacle. I like that people make me feel like I matter. Most of all, I thought maybe I could use a few of my ideas and improve the life here on Bok. I love the people here."

The three members of the synod leaned in and whispered. The first male member focused back on Penny. "We wish to commend you on your decision, your greatness. I understand this must have been quite a daunting decision."

"Thank you," Penny said quietly.

"It is our decision that, due to your love for our world, and your ability to forego your own pleasure for our sake, that we have decided that the Feat of Sacrifice has been fulfilled. Congratulations, your greatness. You are now officially the queen-designate."

Penny let out a sigh of relief. "I was so worried I was in trouble!"

The synod all had an uncharacteristic show of glee. They all stood up and applauded. Penny was so happy that she ran up and hugged each of the members.

"Congratulations, your greatness," the female member said. "I assume there will be a celebratory ball."

"Oh! I don't know!" Penny put her hand to her forehead. "I want you all there, of course. I'll see with Eltar." She backed out of the room. "Thank you all so, so much!"

This news gave Penny some solace, but she could not help missing Sakura all that much more. They had saved each others' lives out in the desert, and Penny was sure that they had a great future together.

Oola had noticed the funk that Penny was in, and encouraged her to continue her training. One afternoon, out in the grounds, Oola had finished giving Penny a flip, when Penny just sat there.

"Greatness!" Oola dropped to her knees next to Penny. "Have I injured you?"

Penny sighed and looked off in the distance. "I can't focus. I'm sorry."

"Oh dear," Oola groaned. "It is that Sakura again. Greatness, you did what you had to. Our planet will be better for it."

"I just...I don't know." Penny kicked at the grass and groaned. "I don't want to be alone again. This hurts too much."

"Mmm. You know what I would do? Go back to Grandfort, and make the beast with all of the sluts!"

Penny sputtered and then laughed out loud. "I think being on Earth has changed you for the worst, girl." She sighed and rested her chin on her fist. "I mean, I can't just use the girls there!"

"Greatness, may I make a confession?" Oola sat down on the ground. "There was a woman there who wished to seduce me. She came to me in the shower and we were both nude. I said no because I love Groovi, but I almost made a terrible mistake."

"Wow, girl," Penny exclaimed. "I won't ever tell her, but please don't do anything to hurt poor Groovi, okay?"

"The point is, they have made a vow to please you, and they do not wish to make a commitment to you," Oola reasoned. "They wish to worship you, and it pleases them to do that worship. It is what we call two armies conquering the same land."

Penny smiled. "Yeah, like win-win?" She sat and thought, then started to smile. "You know what? Why can't I enjoy this queen stuff? I just passed my fourth Feat. Those women are beautiful, and it's not like I would ever force them into something!"

"Penny," Oola started, "please be sure...with Girtan..."

Penny looked back and nodded. "She's off-limits. Focus on Groovi. You got it?"

"I vow never to hurt Groovi," Oola said flatly.

Penny told Eltar that she was heading off to Grandfort again, who did not seem to mind. The next day, Penny had Oola drive her to the forbidden palace and drop her off. She had convinced Oola that she did not need a bodyguard while at Grandfort, as she was surrounded by over forty well-trained soldiers. Oola accepted, then went back to the the main palace alone.

Penny was greeted by two guards at the front gates. "Welcome home, your greatness," one of the guards said. They both got on their knees, then bowed deep and placed their foreheads on the steps. Penny waited as they arose.

"I bid greetings," Penny said, trying to sound royal.

"Your greatness, we were delighted to hear that you had achieved the Feat of Sacrifice," said the other guard. "Will you need assistance with your bags?"

"Oh, I have it," Penny replied. "Thank you, though."

"We will show you to your quarters," the first guard said. The three of them went into the gates. "Wait for me," she requested of the other guard. She nodded, then went back to her position.

Penny followed the guard up to the room. "It is a shame that you had not come ten days sooner," the guard went on. "We had two new recruits join us right after their day of Ascension."

"What's the Day of Ascension?" asked Penny.

The guard smiled as they walked. "I see you still have much to learn about this world."

Penny got to her room, which was enormous compared to the last time she was in Grandfort. "Wow! I wasn't expecting this!"

"We have decided that this would be more suitable for her greatness," the guard said. The room was spacious, with a gigantic bed suitable for twelve, plus giant cathedral-style windows. "This is typically the room for Queen Revulo. She had insisted that you use it while you are here. You will be queen soon. I suggest that you become accustomed to the royal lifestyle."

"Thanks..." Penny pointed her palm at the guard. "...um..."

The guard smiled. "I am Mikis, and the other guard is Siltar. I am pleased that you wish to get to know us."

"Well, sure!" Penny smiled, making the guard do the same. "You do a great job here! Thank you for your service."

Mikis bowed, then went to leave. Penny got her gear unpacked and went to get washed up a bit. Her wall communicator went off, and she ran to get the buzzer. "Yes?"

"Your greatness, your presence has been requested by the sergeant-at-arms," came the reply.

"Oh, tell her I'll be right there," Penny said into the comm.

"That should be easy, as she is me," came the reply with a chuckle.

Penny covered her mouth. Oops! "Girtan! I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you! I'll be right down, okay?"

Penny got on a modest dress, then went to meet with Girtan. She was waiting down in the parlour, speaking to another guard. As soon as she saw Penny, she asked the guard to leave. "Your greatness, I was pleased to hear that you would be joining us," Girtan started. "We hope that your time here will be productive. We had a special request from one of the servants to meet with you."

"Oh, am I leaving too many wet towels on the floor?" Penny tittered.

Girtan smiled back. "No, madam, but she did say that she had personal matters to talk with you. She is our head of archiving, as well as our deportment coach."

"Deportment?" Penny was curious. "She teaches manners?"

"I am told that she is the best," Girtan explained. Girtan had her brown hair tied up in a ponytail, and Penny liked to watch it whip back and forth. She could see why Oola was so interested in her. "Personally, I fail to see the need, but she has worked with many of our women here, and it has been a net benefit." She raised an arm to point out the hallway of the parlour. "Her room will be at the end. I can take you." She said it as if it was the last thing she wanted to do.

"You know what? I can find it." Penny crossed her arm over her chest and put a fist against herself, the way she always saw Oola do it. Girtan bowed, and they left.

Penny made her way down the long hallway, where a fine wooden door was. She knocked. "Hello? Girtan said to contact you. I--"

The door opened, and there stood a figure that Penny could honestly say she did not expect to see. She was tall, slender, and graceful. A Boccan woman, she was as tall as Girtan at just under six feet. Her silver hair had a distinguished back streak along one side of her head, and her hair was pulled up into two buns at the sides. She had an elegant red face with chiselled cheekbones and a long neck. She wore small spectacles, which surprised Penny as the health care on the planet could fix any eye issue.

The woman was in a dress down to her ankles, cinched at the waist and showing her to have a slim figure. Her chest, while covered by a lace blouse, was plain to see that it was large. Her dress was a simple brown, buttoned up to the neckline. She also had a piece of purple ribbon tied around her neck.

"Your greatness," the woman said, with a low drawn-out tone. She bent at the knee for her bow, making a grand gesture with her arm. "Please, enter."

Penny went in, finding a room that looked like a small library. There were wooden ornaments as sconces on the walls, and there were a variety of books and maps on the shelves. "Is this a library or something?" asked Penny.

"This is the royal archive," the new woman explained. "We have documents and tomes that date back over a millennium here. They have survived the invasion, and it is my sworn duty to ensure they are preserved." She turned to Penny. "Would you do me the pleasure of sitting for me?"

Penny went to sit down at the nearby table with two chairs. She slumped down in the chair and rested her arms on the chair arms.

The woman pressed her lips together, looking like Penny caused her pain. "Madam," she began, "I appreciate that certain customs on Earth might lend themselves to the sense of informality. Let me show you something."

The woman went to her own chair. She pivoted to face Penny, then smoothed out her dress and seemed to place her bottom with great care. She sat up in the chair with perfect posture, then tented her fingers in front of her. "Do you see?"

"Who are you?" asked Penny. "I know your role, but not your name."

The woman pouted her lips a bit. "My full name is Lovaria Lodaxious, but everyone at this complex has taken to calling me Lolo."

"Ooh, that's pretty!" Penny seemed amused by Lolo's stalwart nature. "Do you need to wear those glasses?"

Lolo took her glasses between her thumb and forefinger. "They perform many tasks--zooming in, cross-cataloguing, and even scanning in other parts of the spectrum."

"What, like infrared?" asked Penny.

"I discovered the hidden transcripts of Anuk-Mon using this technique," Lolo mentioned. "They were written in a special ink. Once I had scanned in low infrared, I found his most profound writings."

Lolo crossed her legs, then clasped her fingers together and let them rest on her knee. It was such a graceful gesture, and she did not seem to need to think about doing it. "I think maybe I can make use of you here," Penny said. "If you're willing to work with me, that is."

"I take my responsibilities seriously," Lolo explained. "We will work on dining, conversation, dancing--"

"I have to dance?" exclaimed Penny. "I suck at dancing!"

Lolo looked horrified, putting a hand to her upper chest. "Please tell me that you will not regale delegates with such palaver."

"Oh, sorry," Penny said sheepishly.

"I accept, and never apologize again," Lolo replied. "The queen does not need to apologize, ever. Perhaps you wish to dine, and we can start fresh tomorrow." They both sat there, then Lolo extended her hand. "I only rise when the queen-designate rises."

Penny's mouth went wide. "Oh!" She shot up out of her chair. Lolo rose gracefully, looking aghast at the way Penny bounced up.

"We will work on rising like a lady tomorrow." Lolo extended her hand graciously, with her fingers draped down. Penny reached up to give it a handshake, and the disappointed look on Lolo's face was all Penny needed to know.

Penny went down to the dining hall, where there was a special room for the queen to eat alone. She saw Girtan from across the room, then waved her over to join her. The two of them went into the room and sat down.

Girtan watched as Penny smoothed out her dress and sat gently in the chair. "Hey, girl," Penny said as she got her napkin ready in her lap. "What do you know about this Lolo? She has a serious stick up her butt."

"Yes," Girtan replied. "I was in the same graduate class as her. We are very close to the same age."

The servant came and poured them each a water. "We will be serving braised courvot with fresh amtargash." She gave a gentle curtsy and left.

Penny looked at Girtan and smiled. "I'm still kind of getting used to some of the words in this planet."

"Lolo will teach you all of them. She has a tendency to drone on." Girtan got a sly smile as she took a sip of water.

"Hmm," Penny muttered. "Sounds like you and she have a history."

Girtan nodded and put down her glass. "You would like a discussion of history? Well, here it is--she was supposed to be a soldier."

Penny cocked a thumb. "Miss Library Lukewarm Oatmeal was supposed to be a fighter?"

"I should explain about the Age of Ascension first," Girtan began.

Penny hopped up. "Oh! The guard! Mikis! She said that before!"

Girtan smiled and nodded. "When a woman reaches twenty years of age, she is granted full womanhood. She is able to own land, to propose marriage, and, most importantly, to serve in the Majestic Guard."

A Boccan year lasted 372 days, which pleased Penny because she had already slowed her aging. The day also lasted 24 hours and 37 minutes, which allowed Penny to get that extra half hour of sleep she always wanted every day. "So that makes girls from Earth...let me see...do I subtract...or...?" Penny sputtered. "I'll ask Eltar later. So, do you get a party or something?"

"I have heard of many families doing so for their daughters, but here in Grandfort, things are different," Girtan explained. "Lolo and I were meant to become soldiers. We had been enrolled to train here by our families when we were eighteen, and trained for two years. It's a wonderful career choice, and a huge honour for any young woman."

"So what happened?" asked Penny. "Why would she not want to join you?"

"She fell in with...her," Girtan growled. "Lady Grovis, the former deportment advisor. She had worked at this castle for twenty-seven years, and had yet to find a prodigy. Then Lolo wanted to learn the finer things." Girtan sucked in her face, much like the way Lolo would. "She wanted to learn how to drink her herbal tea, how to enter a room properly, and other such wastes of time."

"Don't all the soldiers have to learn that as well?" asked Penny.

"Certainly, but not to such a degree," Girtan responded. "Lolo was seduced away. She changed, your greatness. She cared not about weapons or strategy, or...association with her fellow troops. She became the new deportment coach. She abandoned her sisters!"

The servant brought out the plates for both Girtan and Penny. The servant looked noticeably nervous around Girtan. Penny thanked her, and the servant departed hastily.

"So, just because she's one of the serving class, you look down on her?" Penny started in on her courvot. She was surprised to find out that was not the meat.

"There is an understanding here, your greatness," Girtan explained. "Soldiers are here to be held up high. We are the reason that this establishment exists. Lolo turned her back on us, and I will gladly do the same to her."

They ate in near silence. Penny finished up quickly and went out to the main hall. She then remembered a special place that she and Sakura went. Penny stopped a servant girl. "Oh, excuse me. Could I maybe get a massage arranged?"

The young woman did a bow. "I will make arrangements, your greatness."

Penny went to the spa, almost giddy. She got stripped off at the entrance and hung up her clothes, then ran to the shower and got scrubbed. She ran out and grabbed a towel, then ran out to the massage table and jumped on, still keeping the towel wrapped around her. She laid down on her back. "I want some groping!"

After what seemed like an eternity, in walked a veiled masseuse. She had a long, lean body with perky boobs and lovely red skin. Her hair was pushed up under her white cap. She had a plastic squirt bottle in her hand.

"Your greatness," the masseuse purred in a low, calm voice. "I was summoned to service you."

"Okay, so look," Penny started. "I just...want to relieve some tension, and I don't want a lot of entangling...things, okay?"

"I am so relieved to hear that, your greatness," the masseuse replied. "Tonight should be all about enjoyment. We are here to serve."

The masseuse moved over to the table. Penny admired the masseuse's thighs and calves. Her tiny little robe just barely covered the sweet spot. The masseuse gently pushed Penny down so that she laid flat, then did circular rubs with her thumbs on Penny's temples. Penny shut her eyes and grinned.

The masseuse had her privates right by Penny's head as she rubbed and kneaded. Penny panted and groaned as those slender fingers went up and down. "I will focus on the legs now, your greatness." The masseuse made way down and started on Penny's feet. She used the pump bottle to slick up her feet. Penny felt tingly having the bottom of her feet rubbed and tickled.

Penny just decided to open up her towel and let it fall open. The masseuse stopped what she was doing and stared. "Oh my, your greatness! Have you become disrobed accidentally?"

Penny lifted up her head and looked at herself. "What? Oh! How did that happen?"

The masseuse spritzed into her hand, then went up and down on Penny's thigh. "There is no modesty needed, your greatness. We are two women here, enjoying each others' company. There is not a care in all of Bok." She moved along to the inner thighs with both hands. "I understand you went back to your home planet recently."

Penny was in heaven. "Yeah. Yeah, it was nice. I took my friends with me. I kind of had a sad time, though. I had to say goodbye to a woman I loved."

"Oh, I am so sorry, your greatness," the masseuse said.

"What's your name?" Penny asked dreamily.

"Are you sure you wish to know?" asked the masseuse. "Perhaps call me...Bliss."

"Oh, I like that," Penny purred.

Bliss was now making her way up to Penny's mid-section. "Did you wish to receive pleasure now or do you wish to wait?"

Penny's feet pointed forward. "Um, just go slow, okay?"

Bliss undid her robe and let it fall to the floor. Penny admired Bliss's soft breasts with the dark red nipples. She was definitely getting used to the beauty of Boccan girls. She had only a tiny hint of a belly, which Penny thought looked so sweet.