MISC: Swashbucklers of the Grand Helix #2

[Drew Perron]

    The Captain stood at the prow of the ship, watching the cosmic sparklings of 
the Grand Helix shimmer by. The whitecaps were lovely today, and land was coming 
into sight.
    The Prince came out of the cabin, put one arm around the Captain's waist and 
the other round his chest, leaning his chin on the Captain's shoulder. "Ohhh, a 
planetoid! Is this our next stop?"
    "Indeed," said the Captain. "'Tis the Land of the Lotus Eaters, from whence 
we can get our bearings."
    The Prince pulled back slightly, though he did not unwrap. "Don't they tempt 
you into a dreadful sleep?"
    The Captain smiled. "And is sleep so dreadful for you that you fear napping? 
No, they are gentle healers, at least by cultural leaning. They bring lovely 
dreams or dreamless rest, depending on what you need. I have never felt danger 
when in their lands."
    The Prince nodded, slowly. "It begins to become clear how, in my amber 
castle, I've stayed a step back from the comings and goings of men."
    The Captain squeezed the Prince's hand. "Feel no guilt, my prince. The good 
ever have enemies, who wish to tarnish their image in the minds of the people, 
and it is ever difficult to know the truth."
    The ship of ivory turned off the Grand Helix, sliding down the sunbeams, 
through the planetoid's jetstreams and turbulence. Off the starboard bow, a 
great city of the Lotus Eaters grew, with verdant, living buildings with great 
stained-glass windows inset in the wood. They turned off from it, over a grassy 
veldt to the east of the city, in a broad, square patch of sand which sparkled 
with tiny shards of amethyst.
    The two disbarked, climbing down the gangplank of the ship, each one 
carrying a traveler's satchel. At the edge of the patch stood a man, and the 
Captain waved to him as they walked his way.
    "What ho," said the man. His was a wide figure, tall and strong, shaped like 
a barrel. He had a great beard that trailed down his front. He wore a colorful 
robe, that seemed to be made of many gauzy layers, each a different color, so 
that the effect, when he moved, was a continual shifting of rainbow hues. Around 
his wide waist was belted a scabbard, out of which stuck the hilt of a 
double-handed greatsword. "My name is Aunther, of the city of Nelumbo of the 
Lotus Eaters. I greet you a good day, and thoughtfully ask the reason of your 
visit."
    The Captain bowed low. "'Tis for business, to gain a map to the Amber 
Dwarves, and for pleasure, to see this lovely land once more."
    Aunther smiled wide. "Lovely reasons all. May I give you a ride to the city 
gate?" He gestured to his craft - a wide, turtle-shaped hovercar, off-white and 
painted with complex curling patterns in rainbow colors.
    The Captain turned to the Prince. "Would you like to accept this gentleman's 
ride, or shall we walk?"
    The Prince grinned. "I suppose I can allow myself to skip the invigorating 
stroll, this time."
    They climbed aboard, and the hovercar hummed off. It was not fast, but it 
was steady, and did not disturb the grasses beneath.
    After they had all enjoyed the sunlight and breeze, the Captain spoke, in a 
mild but curious tone. "A sword worn so openly," he noted. "'Tis not as expected 
in these lands."
    Aunther laughed, and it was rich and true with just a slight edge of 
resignation. "My path has always diverged from that of my brethren. They do 
their best to make a space for me..." He shrugged.
    "Why not take to the Grand Helix, and make a space for yourself in the 
stars?" queried the Prince.
    "I would not leave my fair and trusting folk without one such as me. A 
scrapper like myself has his uses, no matter how queer it may be in these 
lands." He looked up at the sky. "Looks like a storm's coming in, lads."
    The sunlight dwindled. Gray clouds gathered above them, dark weight floating 
above their heads. There were far-off boomings, but there was no rain, no 
thunder; only the threat of these, the looming presence of an incipient storm.
    They were close to the city gates, now, a pair of great wooden doors in a 
twenty-foot hedge which circled the city entire. The Captain squinted. "Hmmm..."
    Aunther pulled a pair of binoculars from beneath the dashboard, and frowned. 
"What black nightmare is this?"
    "I'm afraid I don't understand the problem," said the Prince, looking 
between them.
    "The Lotus Eaters do not close the city gates except in times of great 
danger," said the Captain.
    The Prince smiled. "You said you have never felt danger in these lands."
    The Captain shrugged slightly. "There is, of course, a first time for 
everything."
    "Ah," said Aunther, not without trepidation. The great doors were swinging open.
    "Perhaps it was simply a false alarm," said the Prince, leaning on the 
Captain's shoulder.
    Out from the doors came a long, brutish machine, heavily armored on tank 
treads, great and bulging and round. It was bristling with weapons, swinging 
about in every direction.
    "...or perhaps not."

Drew "to be continued!" Perron