Orville Mouse and the Puzzle of the Capricious Shadows (Orville Wellington Mouse Book 3)

by Tom Hoffman

  Sophia blinked up a powerful sphere of defense and leapt into the water. “See? I’m not even getting wet.”

  “You said the creatures with the snappy teeth are little, not big and scary?”

  “Quite small, indeed. No need for concern.”

  Orville flicked his wrist and a glimmering sphere of defense popped up around him. He took a deep breath and jumped off the boat, bobbing around inside his airtight sphere.

  “All right, one of you on each side of me, please.” When Orville and Sophia were in position, Proto released his grip on the boat, quickly wrapping his arms around them. Orville did his best not to shriek as they sank beneath the rippling waves. He did, however, let out a screech of horror when a huge scaly creature with rows of long spiky legs smashed into Proto.

  “AGGHH!! What was that thing?? You said they were little!”

  “Oh my, did you get a good look? Quite terrifying indeed, those fangs looked dreadfully sharp, more than likely filled with deadly toxins. It could be some sort of giant underwater carnivorous centipede. Quite frightening.”

  Moments later they were on the bottom of the lake. Proto flicked on his ear lights, illuminating the Morsennium lake floor. Orville studied the glowing transport tube as Proto pushed his way through the water.

  The huge school of small blue fish with oversized teeth came out of nowhere, smacking into Orville’s sphere of defense. He instinctively jumped back, the fish gnawing wildly at the invisible field of energy surrounding him.

  “Stop wriggling around, please. If I lose my grip you’ll float back up to the surface of the lake.”

  Orville tried to slow his breathing, tried to fight the feeling that he was running out of air, that the fish were going to eat him. “Lots of air, plenty of fresh air to breathe, I can shape more if I need to. Fish are gone now. No more blue fish with snappy teeth. No more giant creatures with spiky legs.”

  Orville had calmed himself by the time they reached the airlock. Proto tapped a control panel and a transparent door slid open, water rushing into the small room. Holding Orville and Sophia tightly in his arms, he entered the room and tapped a yellow disk. The door slid shut and pressurized air was pumped into the room, expelling the lake water.

  Proto set the two adventurers down. “Safe and sound, just as I promised.”

  Orville blinked off his sphere of defense. “What was that giant thing that crashed into you? You said there were pesky little creatures, not giant scaly things with a million creepy legs.”

  “A marvelous stroke of luck, wasn’t it? It’s not often you get to see a terrifying beast in such close proximity. Its resemblance to the giant carnivorous centipedes on Periculum was quite uncanny.”

  Proto tapped the violet tab next to the inner door, stepping back as it whirred open. The three adventurers stepped into the transport tube. Proto pointed to the gleaming silver tracks running through the tunnel. “The car floats several feet above those tracks. I would assume the system is based in hyper-conduction magnetics or antigrav displacement units in the cars.”

  Sophia nodded in agreement. “That would make sense.”

  Orville had no idea what either of those things were. “How do we get the car to stop?”

  “An excellent question. I believe the answer shall be found on that panel next to the airlock with the grid of colored tabs.” Proto stepped over to the flat console and tapped a large yellow circle. “Violet is go, yellow is stop.”

  “What about the other tabs?” Orville reached over and pressed a bright red tab. Sophia let out a screech when the enormous yellow striped gelatinous blob appeared in front of her, the top half of it covered with wiggling green eyes on pale blue stalks. A sphere of defense popped up around her as she jumped backwards, bumping into the wall of the tube.

  Orville was pressed back against the tube, his eyes wide.

  Proto chuckled. “It’s quite harmless, nothing more than a holo image. Perhaps this was once a great aquarium where visitors would come to view all manner of fascinating undersea creatures.” He pressed another of the colored tabs and a school of small blue fish with enormous teeth appeared in front of Orville.

  Orville reached out cautiously with one paw, swiping it through one of the fish. “You’re right, they’re not real. I didn’t think they were, I was just surprised to see that big blobby thing with all the wiggly eyes.”

  Sophia was about to make an extremely humorous comment when she felt a powerful gust of wind, immediately followed by a blaring alarm.

  “Here comes the car!” Proto pointed down the tracks to an orange light speeding toward them. The three adventurers stepped back against the airlock door, waiting until the cylindrical silver car came to a full stop, hovering silently in front of them. A wide curved door slid open.

  “What do we do?”

  “We get in.” Sophia jumped into the car, followed by Proto and Orville.

  Orville flopped down on one of the bright yellow padded chairs. “These seats are comfy. Maybe this won’t be as scary as I thought it would be.” He flicked his wrist and a plate of Proto’s tasty little cakes appeared in his paw.

  Sophia reached over and snatched four of the little cakes from Orville’s plate. “Thanks for sharing, best friend.”

  Orville was about to offer his thoughts on Sophia’s concept of sharing when the car shot forward, pressing him back against the seat, his plate of tasty cakes tumbling to the floor.

  Chapter 24

  Tickets, Please

  “We passed another airlock, that makes six, and I saw another one of those big centipede things swim past. So creepy. How fast do you think we’re going?” Orville’s face was pressed up against one of the car’s round viewing ports, watching as they flashed through the tunnel beneath the enormous lake.

  “According to my Interworld Positioning System we are traveling precisely at seventy-nine miles per hour. It shouldn’t take us long to reach the other side of the lake. I am assuming the train will come to a stop of its own accord and not–”

  Proto was interrupted by an earsplitting explosion of sound blasting out from the front of the car. Orville later described the sound as a thousand angry parrots having an argument in a raging thunderstorm.

  Orville’s paws were pressed against his ears. “What’s that noise?? What’s happening?”

  Proto hollered into Orville’s ear. “I believe the car is announcing our next stop, but in a language I am unfamiliar with.”

  Proto was quite correct. Less than a minute later the car slowed to a halt, hovering in the center of a vast, brightly illuminated dome shaped pavilion. The passenger door slid open with a hiss, and the angry parrots in a thunderstorm voice screeched out again, followed by a shrill honking sound.

  “Everybody off!” Sophia hopped down from the car, studying the enormous dome above them. “It’s beautiful! Look at all those lovely murals of the green rabbits with short ears. They look like Aelric and Gemma. Proto, do you have any idea who those rabbits are?”

  Proto eyed the exquisitely painted scenes covering the dome’s ceiling, studying in particular the strange hieroglyphs running around the base of the dome. “If I am correct in my assessment, we have discovered something quite remarkable.”

  “What do you mean? What is this place?”

  “I will need to do more research before I am one hundred percent certain, but I believe the images shown above are authentic portrayals of ancient Thaumatarians, more than likely the original inhabitants of this planet.”

  Sophia let out a gasp. “Thaumatarians? How could that be? They’ve been gone for eons. Their home planet was only recently discovered by the Quintarian Science Guild, and orbital scans found no life at all on their planet, no plants, animals, or even microbes. It had been abandoned for millennia.”

  “Wait, who were the Thaumatarians? The name sounds kind of familiar, but I can’t quite…”

  “Orville, you know this. Thaumatarians were the first inhabitants of our universe, their technology
surpassing anything we have today. The Thaumatarians created the World Doors, interdimensional gateways to twelve different worlds.”

  “Weren’t we trying to get back from Periculum through the World Doors?”

  “Yes, Periculum is one of the worlds accessible through the World Doors. Earth is another.”

  Orville scanned the great domed hall. The rotunda had a diameter of over a hundred feet, the apex of the dome towering one hundred and fifty feet above them. The floor was inlaid with intricate designs created with an incalculable number of colorful ceramic tiles. Soft padded chairs sat in long serpentine rows, sweeping around the periphery of the room.

  Orville whipped around at the sound of a blaring alarm, watching the silver car slip silently back through the tunnel beneath the lake.

  “What do we do now? How do we get up to the surface?”

  Sophia spotted an arched opening on the far side of the hall. “That looks promising, let’s see where it goes.”

  “That circular symbol over the door must mean something.”

  “Maybe it’s an exit sign.” The three adventurers strode across the atrium and through the arched doorway, heading down an expansive corridor.

  “Check out the pictures on the walls. It looks like the Thaumatarians were building something, but I can’t tell what it is. A lot of the images show interstellar ships in dark space. Maybe this was a transport station. There might be more spectral doorways like the one on the Isle of the Serpent.”

  “Here’s another set of doors with that same circular symbol you saw in the hall.”

  The doors whirred open at Sophia’s approach. She peered into a magnificently appointed room, the floors bedecked with luxurious maroon carpeting, lavishly illustrated panels lining the walls. “These paintings are beautiful. They all show the construction of some enormous structure.”

  As Orville was studying one of the panels, trying to identify the object under construction, three things happened. Sophia gave a loud screech, Orville gave a yelp, and Proto skittered backwards, colliding with the wall. A four foot tall dark green metallic rabbit had stepped out from behind a set of decorative freestanding panels, a cacophonous angry parrot thunderstorm voice blaring out from its mouth.

  Spheres of defense popped up around Orville and Sophia.

  “Why is it so loud??”

  “I don’t think he means us any harm.”

  “Proto, is that a Thaumatarian? His ears are short, and he’s green.”

  “I do not believe so, but he does appear to be a robotic representation of a Thaumatarian, much as I was created in the image of the Elders.”

  “Can you talk to it?”

  Proto stepped closer to the dark green robotic creature.

  “Greetings, I am Proto the Rabbiton from the planet Earth. We mean you no harm.”

  The creature’s voice thundered out again. Orville covered his ears. “I’m not deaf, but I will be if he keeps yelling like that!”

  The green robotic rabbit studied Orville closely, then turned and disappeared behind the set of panels, reappearing moments later carrying three small golden discs. It motioned for the adventurers to approach him. The mechanical rabbit reached up and pressed a gold disk onto Sophia’s forehead, then did the same for Orville and Proto.

  Orville ran his paw over the disc. “It’s stuck on my fur. What is this thing?”

  The creature spoke again. “At no extra cost to our valued patrons, the Museum provides universal neuronic translator disks on an as needed basis. You should currently be hearing my voice in whatever language, and at whatever volume you are accustomed to. I am Copo, your host for today’s showing, and I warmly welcome you to the History of Tectar Temporal Displacement Museum. May I have your tickets, please?” The green rabbit smiled pleasantly and held out his paw.

  Orville stared blankly at the green rabbit. “What tickets?”

  “Your tickets, please. The next show begins in five minutes. You purchased your tickets on Stellar Holowave?”

  “Wait, what is this place? Why do we need tickets? There’s a show?”

  Copo’s eyes blinked rapidly. “In order to view the History of Tectar Temporal Displacement Experience you must have tickets. Our patrons generally purchase them prior to their arrival, on Stellar Holowave, as I previously had mentioned.”

  Sophia smiled apologetically at Copo. “I’m so sorry, we’re not from around here, and sadly we are quite unfamiliar with your lovely museum. The show is about the history of Tectar?”

  “Precisely. It is a Temporal Displacement Experience revisiting the construction of Tectar.”

  “The construction of Tectar?”

  “Is your translator disk not working properly? Should I speak louder? More slowly?”

  “I’m so sorry, are you referring to the structures found beneath the surface of Tectar?”

  “Where did you say you were from?”

  “We are visitors from another planet, a planet called Earth.”

  “Ah, I see. You have been misinformed, I’m afraid. Tectar is not a planet, it is an interstellar ship created by the Thaumatarians nearly twenty thousand years ago. The Temporal Displacement Experience allows you to view first hand the creation of Tectar, the pinnacle of Thaumatarian interstellar engineering. The presentation is extremely informative and I highly recommend it, especially since you are unfamiliar with Tectar. As an added bonus, at the end of each show there is a drawing for a marvelous door prize.”

  “Tectar is an interstellar ship? That’s not possible.”

  Copo gave a most gracious smile. “Today’s showing may very well sway your position on that particular topic.”

  “How do we buy tickets for the show?”

  “It could not be any simpler. Press your Transtar Credit Ring to the violet panel and the tickets will pop out of that little slot next to the window.”

  “Transtar what ring?”

  Copo glanced at Orville’s paw. “I see, you have no Transtar Credit Ring. This is not unheard of, no need to worry. Taking into consideration the great distance you have traveled to visit our fine museum, I have unilaterally made the decision to present each of you with a complimentary ticket for today’s showing, courtesy of the History of Tectar Temporal Displacement Museum management.”

  Copo waved his paw and three tickets popped out of the small slot on the wall.

  Sophia looked at Orville and Proto. “We should watch the show. The universe has brought us here for a reason, although what that reason might be certainly eludes me at the moment.”

  Orville plucked the three tickets from the slot. “I like shows. I hope there’s lots of music. Can we shape snacks or do we have to buy them?”

  “Your tickets, please?”

  Orville presented the three tickets to Copo, who deftly tore off the stubs with one hand, dropping them into a large glass vase behind him. “The prize drawing takes place at the end of each show. Best of luck to you all.”

  “Are there many other patrons here for today’s show?”

  “You are currently the only attendees for this particular showing.”

  Sophia looked curiously at Copo. “When was the last time you had visitors here?”

  “Seven hundred and thirteen years ago we had a visitor from a small planet called Nirriim. I believe his interstellar craft had gone rather disastrously off course.”

  “So it’s been a while. How long have you been here?”

  “We must hurry along now, the show starts in one minute, and you don’t want to miss the opening sequence. Quite dramatic, I assure you. This way, please.”

  Copo strode across the thick carpet to a set of gleaming brass doors. He swung them open, revealing a small darkened room holding three ornate stuffed chairs.

  “There are only three chairs?”

  “One for each of you, of course. Have a seat please. Only thirty seconds left.”

  Orville flopped down in one of the chairs. “Comfy. Can I shape snacks?” Sophia and Proto took their seats.


  Sophia looked at Copo. “What do we do now?”

  “Relax, sit back, and enjoy the History of Tectar Temporal Displacement Experience. Don’t forget the prize drawing at the conclusion of today’s showing.”

  Orville raised his paw. “How long does the show last?”

  Copo laughed with delight. “Ha ha ha, I see you have quite an elevated sense of humor. Do enjoy the show!” Copo stepped out of the small room, closing the brass doors softly behind him.

  Orville let out a terrified shriek when he found himself floating in dark space surrounded by a trillion stars, galaxies, and planets.

  “AGGHHHH!! I’m going to die in space!”

  “It’s part of the show, you ninny. Didn’t you hear Copo say it was a temporal displacement experience?”

  Orville turned to see Sophia and Proto floating in space next to him. “What are we doing here? Where’s my chair?”

  “Temporal displacement means you’re experiencing something in another time. I guess we’re going to watch the Thaumatarians build Tectar. It sounds really interesting.”

  “I’m not going to die? I’m in space, there’s no air and it’s a zillion degrees below zero. I won’t freeze? What about snacks?”

  “You’re not really in dark space. Well, you are in dark space, but you’re not really here. It’s hard to explain, just watch the show.”

  “Fine. It seems like Copo could have warned us about this before the show started.”

  “Quiet. Look down there!”

  Orville watched as a magnificent silver ship at least a mile long flickered into view. A soft mellifluous voice filled his thoughts.

  “Tectar, a pinnacle of Thaumatarian engineering, the first interstellar planet ever created, and a technological marvel to this day unsurpassed by any other civilization. But why? Why build an entire planet capable of interstellar travel? The answer is simple. Thaumatarian scientists realized long ago that finding a planet of the correct size, in the precise orbit around the class of star needed to create a hospitable climate for colonists was more than a daunting task. That task became virtually impossible if they needed the planet to be in a particular sector of dark space at a particular time. Their solution to this vexing problem was the creation of Tectar, the first mobile planet. Designed and built by the finest Thaumatarian engineers, Tectar was fully capable of interstellar travel, powered by a bank of six Mark XVII Micronizing Distortion Thrusters, the most powerful space warping engines ever created. The construction of Tectar began in Dark Space Quadrant MBF062957, at a location nearly two light years from Thaumatar.”