Clumb

This article has a separate continuity. This article is in the Berkely Novelizations separate continuity, which is related to the Original Series. Be sure that your contributions to this article reflect the characters and events specific to this continuity only.

Clumb is an actor and member of Dwybolt's traveling theater troupe aboard the fleet in the Fleet.

Biography

Clumb serves as one of the principal actors in Dwybolt's theater company, specializing in antagonist roles. He performs opposite Dwybolt's heroic characters in the troupe's dramatic productions.

Like other members of Dwybolt's company, Clumb works backstage after performances, joining the other actors and actresses in "various stages of undress and makeup removal" in their makeshift dressing areas. The troupe operates as a close-knit group of professional performers, struggling to maintain their artistic standards while dealing with often unappreciative audiences across the Fleet.

Performance in The Curse of the Sagitaran Ruby

During a performance of The Curse of the Sagitaran Ruby aboard the supply ship Broadside, Clumb plays the villainous character opposite Fleet, who is portrayed by Dwybolt. In the climactic sword fight sequence, Clumb's character confronts Fleet, threatening the heroine Myray (played by Shalheya). The character demands that Fleet face him in combat, declaring his intent to fulfill a family pledge by killing Fleet.

The staged combat between Clumb and Fleet becomes the dramatic centerpiece of the play, with the two actors engaging in what is described as "a trading of exuberant and apparently forceful blows accompanied by a trading of equally forceful and exuberant insults." During the choreographed battle, Clumb's character initially gains the upper hand, driving Fleet backward and pinning him against a prop tree.

The performance is disrupted by heckling from audience members aboard Broadside, with particularly vocal criticism coming from the ship's crew. One heckler calls out during Clumb's dramatic moment, expressing impatience with the lengthy performance. The disruption visibly affects Clumb, who appears ready to confront the hecklers directly. However, Fleet (Dwybolt) whispers something to calm him, and they resume their choreographed battle, though the performance becomes "lifeless, as if the actors' hearts weren't in it."

The fight concludes according to the script, with Fleet defeating Clumb's character, after which the play reaches its resolution with the forgetting of The Curse of the Sagitaran Ruby.