The Dark Lady

painting,” I said, indicating the portrait.
    He walked over and studied it for a moment. “I don't know,” he said at last. “It's quite striking from across the room, but the closer you get, the more you realize that this Kilcullen was no Jablonski.” He stared at it for another moment, then turned to me. “What do you think it will bring?”
    “Perhaps fifty thousand credits,” I responded. “Sixty thousand if Kilcullen has a reputation in the Bortai area.”
    He stared at it once more and frowned. “I'm not sure,” he mused. “We'd be going out on a limb, buying a painting by a virtual unknown. I don't really know if that qualifies as an investment. It may be worth fifty thousand on quality, but that doesn't mean it'll appreciate any faster than the inflation rate.” He paused. “I'll have to think about it.” He stared at the painting again. “It's striking, I'll give it that.”
    Just then Tai Chong entered the room.
    “I thought I'd find you here,” she said. “The auction is due to begin in another five minutes.”
    “We're on our way, Madame Chong,” said Rayburn, and I fell into step behind him.
    “Did you find anything of interest in there?” Tai Chong asked me.
    “Perhaps one piece, Great Lady,” I answered.
    “The portrait of the woman in black?” she asked.
    “Yes, Great Lady.”
    She nodded her head. “It caught my eye, too.” She paused and smiled at me. “Are you ready to take a look at the Morita sculptures?”
    “Oh, yes, Great Lady!” I said enthusiastically. “All my life I have dreamed of seeing a Morita sculpture in person!”
    “Then come with me,” she said, taking me by the hand. “You'll probably never see three of them on one planet again.” She turned to Rayburn. “We'll be back in a few minutes, Hector.”
    “I'll hold the fort,” he said easily. “We don't have a professional interest in anything that's coming up in the next half hour.”
    She led me through the circular gallery to a small room that was off to one side. I tried unsuccessfully to control my color, which was fluctuating wildly with excitement, and experienced a moment of almost physically painful embarrassment over such a display of passion concerning a personal and individual interest.
    “May I see your credentials, please?” said a burly, purple-clad guard who was blocking our way.
    “I was here not five minutes ago,” answered Tai Chong.
    “I know, Madame Chong, but those are my orders.”
    She sighed and withdrew her identification card.
    “Okay. You can go through.”
    “Thank you,” she said. “Come on, Leonardo.”
    “Not him,” said the guard. “Or is it a her?”
    “He's with me,” she said.
    “Sorry,” said the guard firmly.
    “Leonardo, show him your invitation.”
    The guard shook his head. “Save your time,” he said to me. “Only gallery directors are permitted through.”
    “I am a ranking member of the House of Crsthionn,” I said.
    “That's an alien gallery?” he asked.
    “Yes,” I answered. It was easier than explaining the concept of a Bjornn House to him.
    “I'm sorry. This is for the directors of human galleries only.”
    I was stunned. I did not know what answer to make, and so I said nothing, though my color registered total humiliation. I hadn't realized until that moment how much I had looked forward to seeing the Morita sculptures; it was as if the Mother of All Things was punishing me for having the audacity to place my personal interests above those of the House, even for a moment. And as I realized that the punishment was a just one, all possibility of anger was drained from me, to be replaced by silent acceptance of the justice of the situation.
    But while I may have been silent, Tai Chong wasn't.
    “What's going on here?” she demanded. “Leonardo has come to Far London on an exchange program, and is associated with the Claiborne Galleries. His papers are in order, and I will personally vouch for him.”
    “Madame Chong, we're at war with more than fifty alien races across the galaxy.”
    “ Not with the Bjornn!” she snapped.
    “Look, I'm just obeying my orders. If you've got a complaint, see the director.”
    “I most certainly will!” she snapped. “This treatment of an honored visitor is inexcusable!”
    “Please, Great Lady,” I said, tugging gently at her glittering sleeve and trying to hide my humiliation. “I do not wish to be the cause of such disharmony. I will see the Morita sculptures another