by Tom Hoffman
Please be aware as of
yesterday afternoon
Oliver T. Rabbit, head of Research
and Material Acquisitions
will be on extended holiday.
Acting head of R&MA
will be selected later this week.
Alexander snorted. “Knew it. Mad as a bag of frogs, and they finally chucked him out on his ear.”
Chapter 4
The Fortress of Elders
Oliver T. Rabbit stood at the border crossing, a bulky leather valise in one paw, a roll of freshly drawn technical drawings in the other. After his sudden departure from the Electro-Vacuumator headquarters, Oliver had returned to his home on the outskirts of New Fendaron. One week later he emerged with these new drawings – plans for a remarkable invention he was certain would revolutionize travel for rabbits and muroidians alike.
The neighboring country of Grymmore was primarily inhabited by muroidians, creatures resembling large wild rats. After the defeat of evil Grymmorian King Oberon, Grymmore and Lapinor had opened new lines of communication which dramatically improved relations between rabbits and muroidians. Grymmore’s newly crowned King Fendaron, who Bartholomew and Oliver knew as ‘Fen’, had played a significant role in King Oberon’s overthrow.
Oliver stepped across the border and was met at the white wooden gate by a stern faced Grymmorian border guard. A small freshly painted sign reading “WELCOME TO GRYMMORE” hung from the gate.
“Name, please?”
“Oliver T. Rabbit.”
“Are you in possession of any vegetables or invasive insects?”
“I am not, sir.”
“Are you a member of the New Grymmorian Shaper’s Guild?”
“No, I–”
“Wait, what did you say?”
“I said I’m not a member–”
“No, your name, what did you say it was?
“Oliver T. Rabbit.”
The guard’s stern demeanor melted away. “I beg your pardon, sir. I do apologize for not recognizing you. There’s a carriage waiting to take you to the Fortress of Elders. King Fendaron sends his best regards and wishes you a safe and pleasant journey. He also wishes to inform you that Edmund the Rabbiton is anxiously awaiting your arrival.”
“Ah, thank you, good sir. Would it be possible to make a slight detour to Madame Beffy’s Pastry Shop in Grymmsteir?”
“Indeed, sir, it is on the way, only a few miles past the mouth of the Farlo River. If I might add, it is an honor to meet one of the rabbits who helped bring about the downfall of King Oberon, may he be infested by angry fleas and rot for all eternity in the deepest and darkest of Malgraven dungeons.”
“Good heavens, I did nothing more than anyone else would have done in such a desperate situation. Oberon was planning to transform all the rabbits in Lapinor into mindless slaves with his infernal shaping machine and he had to be stopped. It was Bartholomew Rabbit who defeated Zoran and nearly lost his life destroying Oberon’s insidious device. He is the true hero, not me.”
“Spoken like a true hero, sir.” With a smile, the guard held open the door of a highly polished maroon carriage and a flustered Oliver T. Rabbit stepped inside.
The guard waved to the driver and the carriage lurched forward on the first leg of its journey to the Fortress of Elders. Oliver recalled only one year prior he had been riding in a similar carriage with Zoran the Emerald Shaper, who at the time was formshifted into Master Scientist Tarami. Oliver shuddered at the memory. He had met many rabbits and muroidians in his life, but none as chillingly evil as Zoran.
“Enough of these dreadful thoughts. Time to get cracking on the final plans for the Adventurer II.” He unrolled the sheath of technical drawings and spread them out in front of him, grinning like a bunny on his birthday. “Whatever will Bartholomew think when he sees this astonishing new craft?”
The carriage ride to the Fortress was long and uneventful, something which pleased Oliver immensely. Although he had accompanied Bartholomew on a number of extremely perilous adventures, he was by nature not very adventurous and rather averse to risky situations. They stayed at comfortable inns along the way where Oliver sampled generously the fare offered by each, often having lengthy discussions with the chef regarding the cuisine and its preparation. Oliver’s culinary skills were almost as highly developed as his expertise in the scientific arena.
The afternoon of the fourth day found him kneeling on the carriage floor, studying several dozen mechanical drawings now peppered with red penciled comments and diagrams.
“With some assistance from Edmund’s A9 engineering Rabbitons, I believe this will be a rousing success.”
Oliver felt the carriage slowing down and peered out the window. They came to a rattling halt in front of the monumentally massive Fortress of Elders. There was not another structure in all of Grymmore or Lapinor that even came close to the sheer enormity of the Fortress. The huge bronze colored metallic doors leading into the Fortress were over forty feet tall. The angled sand colored walls of the Fortress rose up several hundred feet above that. During his first visit to the Fortress Oliver had closely examined it’s construction and found the doors and the walls to be composed of unknown synthetic materials far more durable than stone and metal.
The carriage door swung open, the driver nodding politely to Oliver. “We have reached the Fortress, sir. I do hope you had an enjoyable trip.”
“Yes, all quite delightful, I assure you, especially Madame Beffy’s Pastry Shop in Grymmsteir. Excellent éclairs, just excellent, and Madame Beffy herself was quite charming.”
“Very good, sir. I will bring your bags into the Fortress. I understand you are eager to see your friend Edmund the Rabbiton. I must confess I’ve never seen a Rabbiton before. Are they really ten feet tall?”
“Indeed they are, good sir. Ten foot tall silver robotic rabbits created by the Elders over fifteen hundred years ago. They are also absolutely indestructible, completely resistant to shaping, and incomprehensibly strong. The mechanism of their fabrication is still a mystery, of course, but one day I hope to unlock those secrets.”
The driver’s eyes widened as he turned towards the Fortress.
“Great Fendaron’s ghost, it’s one of those metal Rabbitons!”
A wide grin spread across Oliver’s face as he recognized his old friend Edmund.
Edmund strode across the gatehouse bridge towards the carriage. “My old friend Oliver! It has been three hundred and forty-five days since I last saw you, and at times your absence seems to have negatively affected the processes of my synthetic neuronic brain.”
Oliver laughed. “Are you saying you missed me?”
“Well, yes, I suppose I am saying that.” Edmund looked puzzled. “It’s very curious. I’m not certain Rabbitons have the innate capacity for such feelings, but time and time again I find myself wishing to be in the presence of my old adventuring friends.”
“Edmund, stop all the talking and give me a hug. I missed you too. Life at the Excelsior Corporation pales in comparison to my thrilling adventures with you and Bartholomew.”
Edmund leaned down, giving Oliver a great hug. “I have not hugged anyone since I hugged Clara and Bartholomew soon after Oberon’s infernal device was destroyed. The other Rabbitons have no interest in such behavior.”
“I’ve always said you were one of a kind, my friend. How have you been? Have you reactivated many of the Rabbitons which were left in storage?”
“Indeed so. Thirteen thousand two hundred and twenty-nine have been activated so far, and they are currently working on the restoration of the Fortress and the underground gravitator transportation system. Many of the shops have opened, and a growing number of muroidians and rabbits have been visiting the Fortress. It is quite evident they are losing their fear of Rabbitons, and I have personally noticed they seem especially fond of the food synthesizers.”
“Excellent news. Have you any word of our old friend Morthram?”
“Morthram is the New G
rymmorian Shapers Guild Master and is extremely busy since Fen declared shaping to be lawful in Grymmore. He said they are opening new Guild centers all across the country.”
“I’m ever so glad to hear he is doing well. I haven’t seen Bartholomew and Clara since the wedding in Lepus Hollow. They honeymooned on the Isle of Mandora and I have received a number of lovely letters from Clara since then. They sound wonderfully happy, but Clara did mention Bartholomew seemed to be pining somewhat for the adventuring life. They sold their homes and moved to Penrith, where Clara replaced Morthram as Guild Master. She has been well received there, and I hear Guild membership has nearly doubled. Parfello is still with them, of course.”
Edmund gave a muffled little laugh.
“What is it?”
“Oh dear, they wanted it to be a surprise, but Bartholomew and Clara are coming to the Fortress in thirteen days for a visit. I have missed them also.”
Oliver’s face broke in to a grin. “That’s wonderful! I can’t wait to see them. I’m certain they have missed you too, Edmund. They count you among their dear friends, as do I. Now, shall we pay a visit to those A9 engineering Rabbitons of yours? I would like to have the Adventurer II completed and fully operational before Bartholomew’s arrival. If he thought The Adventurer was miraculous, just wait until he sees this!”
Chapter 5
The Ant
“No, no, put those parts back in the storage bin. We won’t need them until after we have installed the Mark VII Commercial Prototype Electro-Vacuumators.”
“As you wish, sir.”
Oliver watched as the A9 Series 6 Engineering Rabbiton gingerly picked up a stack of wooden crates filled with parts, each box weighing over six hundred pounds.
“I shall return these to the proper storage bins, as you requested.”
Oliver’s gaze turned to the thirty foot long metal alloy frame sitting in the center of the room. With its long graceful curves, the ship held a certain resemblance to a traditional Lapinoric fishing vessel. Eight A9 Engineering Rabbitons were busily molding and shaping sheets of metal and welding them to the framework.
“Excellent work, my friends, we are well ahead of schedule. You are doing a fine job and should be proud of yourselves.”
None of the Rabbitons acknowledged Oliver’s compliment.
“Once the outer shell is complete we can add the Mark VII Vacuumators. They arrived only yesterday from the Excelsior Corporation and are even more efficient and powerful than I had expected. It looks as though Senior Engineer Alexander J. Rabbit managed to bump up the output of the Mark VII by almost sixteen percent.”
Again the A9 Rabbitons said nothing.
Oliver eyed the Rabbitons with a slight frown, then chuckled. “How many Rabbitons would like to go out for a glass of wine and a delicious éclair once we’ve completed the outer shell? Perhaps we could even take in a play afterwards, one filled with adventure and romance.”
One of the A9 Rabbitons stood up, his silver face expressionless. “Rabbitons do not eat or drink. We are not powered by the ingestion of organic matter, but by Cross Dimensional Energy Transference Spheres, more commonly known as CDETS, created by the Elders. We do not attend plays of any kind, romantic or otherwise, and we require no sleep. Consequently, we will continue working on the fabrication of the vehicle until it is complete, if that is your wish.”
“Ah, thank you my good Rabbiton, for your most enlightening comments. With that in mind, we shall forego such frivolous activities and instead proceed with the assembly and installation of the Mark VII Vacuumators.” With another chuckle Oliver turned to the technical drawings spread out before him. Only seconds later he was interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Good afternoon, Oliver. It looks as though the A9 Rabbitons are on schedule with the fabrication of the Adventurer II.”
Oliver spun around to see a smiling Edmund. “You are quite perceptive, my friend. The A9s are well ahead of schedule. I feel quite certain she’ll be ready by the time Bartholomew and Clara arrive. We’ll have to run extensive operational tests before our maiden voyage, of course. Better safe than sorry, I always say.”
“I would be happy to pilot the craft during those tests. As you know, I am quite indestructible, so if anything were to go awry, there would be no injuries. I have just now done the necessary computations, and have determined the eight Mark VII Vacuumators will provide more than enough power for the craft. My current calculations indicate the ship can safely operate using only five Mark VII Vacuumators.”
“That’s excellent news, Edmund. Your ability to solve such complex mathematical problems so rapidly is truly amazing. It would have taken me at least half a day to come up with a proper solution.”
“Yes, the synthetic neuronic brain which the Elders created for the Model 9000 Rabbitons is capable of over six hundred and fifty million–” Edmund stopped in mid sentence, his eyes focused on something across the room. Without a word he turned and walked towards it.
Oliver watched with a puzzled expression. It was quite unlike Edmund to walk away in the midst of a conversation, and he had no idea what Edmund was looking at. The two hundred foot wide room on sub level 2 of the Fortress was empty save for the construction of the Adventurer II. Edmund stopped about fifty feet away and sank down to his hands and knees, peering at some invisible object on the floor.
“Good heavens, what is that Rabbiton up to?” Oliver walked across the room to Edmund. “Did you lose something? Whatever are you looking at?”
“I am observing an ant. They are quite miraculous creatures. Did you know some ants can lift over one hundred times their own body weight? It’s quite remarkable when you consider a Rabbiton can only lift ten times its body weight. It’s almost frightening how strong ants really are.”
“That’s... remarkable indeed. I had no idea you were interested in ants, Edmund. The study of entomology has always been a favorite–”
Edmund abruptly stood up. “I have not previously had an interest in ants, and I am unable to explain my sudden urge to examine this particular one. The urge has passed now, so I will return to my original task, assisting the engineering Rabbitons in their preparation of the Mark VII Vacuumators.”
“Ah... all right. Yes, that would be a great help. Thank you, Edmund.” Oliver watched Edmund walk back across the room towards the Adventurer II. “That may be the strangest conversation I have ever had. Quite peculiar, even for Edmund.”
The A9 engineering Rabbitons worked around the clock as promised, and ten days later the Adventurer II was ready for its initial testing. Oliver stood in front of the gleaming craft, paws on his hips and a smile on his face. This was a far more complex vehicle than the original Adventurer, and Oliver foresaw this as the future of transportation for rabbits and muroidians.
Edmund climbed into the craft, calling out to Oliver, “I will begin testing the Mark VII Electro-Vacuumators, first making certain they all function properly. Once I am satisfied with their performance I will push this yellow lever to send the air stream through the sixteen custom designed air release nozzles.”
“Excellent. Please activate the first Vacuumator.” Oliver put his paws over his ears. He remembered very well the earsplitting roar created by the old Vacuumators. Edmund stepped over to the ship’s center console, holding his paw above a row of eight small red levers, then flipped the first one.
The was a slight humming noise.
“What’s wrong with it? Is it not working properly?”
“It is working perfectly. These Mark VII Vacuumators have a radical new sound deadening mechanism built into them, courtesy of Senior Engineer Alexander J. Rabbit.” He flipped the second red lever, then one by one all the rest. The room was filled with a deep and powerful droning sound, but nothing even remotely resembling the terrific shrieking roar of the old Mark III models.
Oliver lowered his paws. “This is wonderful, we’ll be able to talk while the ship is operating! Do the nozzles rotate properly?”
&nb
sp; Edmund pushed one of the large green levers at the center of the console and with a whirring noise all sixteen nozzles swung into position. “They work perfectly. Shall I activate the nozzles?”
Oliver took a deep breath. All their calculations had led to one inarguable conclusion, but as he was so fond of saying, ‘the proof is in the pudding’. “Push the lever!”
Edmund flipped the yellow lever and all sixteen nozzles throttled open. He inched the number one green lever forward and the low droning noise rose to a deep throaty roar. He glanced over at Oliver and gave the number two green lever a gentle push.
Oliver’s jaw dropped. The pudding was tasty indeed. “We’ve done it! We have done it! Great heavens, Edmund, we have really done it!”
Chapter 6
The Adventurer II
“I believe I have packed everything you and Clara shall need for your trip to the Fortress of Elders, sir.” Parfello set down two oversized leather valises in front of Bartholomew. Bartholomew looked at the two highly polished bags and gave a mock frown.
Bartholomew was remembering his first visit to the Cavern of Silence. “Parfello, with shiny new bags such as these, everyone will surely think this is my first adventure. We can’t have that. I’ll need a pack with some age to it.”
“Indeed so, sir. Perhaps I could fetch a tattered old canvas sack from the dust bin behind the fish market, one which has been used to convey rotting fish entrails. Would that be satisfactory?”
Bartholomew laughed. “After some further thought I have decided these two valises will be quite adequate, Parfello.”
Parfello gave the faintest hint of a smile. “Very good, sir, I shall postpone my excursion to the fish market. Will you be riding the train to the border and then traveling by carriage to the Fortress?”
“I think not, Parfello. Clara and I have decided to blink to the Fortress. The trip will take only four jumps at the most, so we will arrive shortly after we depart.”