Reach for the Stars by Dreamflower
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lotrchallengesAuthor: Dreamflower
Title: Reach for the Stars
Rating: G
Theme: Thinking Outside the Box
Elements: random words—die, mellow, juice
Author's Notes: The challenge was to write in a format, style or genre different than what I've written before. Well, I got to thinking about it, and the one thing I had never written was an AU that places the characters in an entirely different milieu. And I started imagining LotR as a sort of steampunkish futuristic space opera. To keep it from getting totally out of hand, I decided to do something else I haven't tried before—each chapter is a different specific fixed length: the first chapter is 100 words, the second, 200, the next, 300, etc. I don't know how well it will do as a story—but it is certainly outside MY box. (Although, well, it's still got hobbits.)
Summary: A familiar story in another time, another place altogether…
Word Count:1,500
Reach for the Stars
I.
Frodo Baggins gazed at his visitor. The Istarian had been a friend of his uncle for more years than he could count. It was hard to read anything into the alien face, though he'd always been fascinated by the grey complexion and the deep-set red eyes.
"What are you telling me, then, Professor Olórin?"
His voice was deceptively mellow. "I tell you there is every reason to believe that the crystal your uncle left you is the key to the Emperor Gorthaur's greatest weapon. If he can recover it, he'll be able to spread his influence over the entire galaxy."
II.
"I tell you, Squire Meriadoc, the Professor is sending us away from Suza." Sam took a swallow of his elderflower juice.
"Surely Frodo won't go under these circumstances! It will be horribly dangerous, Samwise. He cannot simply abandon his family responsibilities! Besides, how will he leave the planet?"
"Professor Olórin says there's a way, if we can get to the spaceport at Bree."
"We'll have to go with him, cuz," said young Peregrin Took. "Frodo will be in dreadful danger if he goes alone."
"Begging your pardon, sir, but the Professor has said I'm to go with him!"
"You are an excellent fellow, Sam. I know you'd jump down a wyrm's throat to protect him. But he's going to need more than one friend beside him!"
Meriadoc was looking thoughtful. "Knowing Frodo, he will not agree to any such thing, Pip. You know that he will think we are too young to go with him. The only solution is to catch him up on the road to Bree, as if by chance." He looked thoughtfully at Samwise. The Gamgees had been servants to the Bagginses ever since the periain race had colonized Suza.
"Are you cycling to Bree?" he asked.
III.
The Professor looked doubtfully at the bicycles. He knew that the periain relied upon them for transportation about the Shire, but how reliable would such simple mechanical devices be if the two were pursued? Frodo's device was a sleek new model in shiny red; Sam's was a rather worn-looking, but sturdy cycle. Still, he did not feel comfortable arguing with Frodo about it again. That his young perian friend was willing to take this perilous journey was remarkable. He did not wish for Frodo to put it off because of his own concerns about the mode of transportation.
Of course, the periain did not have available his own swift mode of transport. That was an inherent part of being an Istari, and not anything he could share. With another dubious look at the bicycles, he sighed.
"Frodo, I have been summoned by Professor Curunír, the head of my department. I hope that my visit to Orthanc will not take long, and that I will be able to join you in Bree within a day or two. If all goes well I might precede you there."
Frodo arched an eyebrow. "Professor, I may never have travelled far from Suza, but I do know the solar system. Orthanc is nowhere near Bree."
"Never you mind, Master Baggins! Suffice it to say I have means of transport other than a bicycle. Nevertheless, if I am not there, do not wait more than two days for my arrival. Carry on to Imladris as best you may. Be careful!"
The Professor watched the periain ride off, waiting until they were out of sight before opening his personal wormhole. His friend Aiwendil had conveyed Curunír's message with reservations. Both of them had begun to suspect that their superior had his own agenda. Best to be wary.
IV.
Frodo and Samwise were on the road east of Frogmorton. Frodo thought they were making good time, in spite of their stop at The Floating Log for luncheon. Under the clear autumn sky, riding along through the pleasant breeze, it was difficult to remember that they were on a journey into danger, if the Professor were right.
This evening should see them at Riverbridge, and another day's ride should get them to Bree.
The sound of bicycles came up behind them, and Frodo was startled. There had not been much traffic on the road. He glanced to his right, and to his surprise, saw Sam slowing down.
A voice to his left said "Oi! Frodo Baggins!" Startled, he swerved. The next thing he knew he and Sam were in the dust of the road, along with two other cyclists.
He stared in exasperation. "A Took and a Brandybuck! I might have known!"
"It's nice to see you, too, Cousin Frodo!" said Pippin with a cheeky grin. It was he who had startled Frodo.
Merry was looking at his machine. "My front wheel is twisted," he said.
Frodo sighed and shook his head. This unexpected encounter with his cousins created difficulties. He could not, without a serious breach of manners, tell them to go away. He couldn't plead the urgency of his errand without explaining. This would make for delays.
The four began walking, wheeling their bicycles along the shaded road. Merry and Pippin were speaking excitedly of what they'd been doing lately; Sam was making the appropriate noises, but Frodo was too distracted to even pretend to pay attention. They had gone round a curve above an embankment, when they heard an eerie screech.
Frodo began to hear the crystal hum. "Quickly! We must get off the road!"
His cousins stared at him as though he were mad, but made no objections. He led them over the verge and down the embankment. They hid the cycles behind some bushes, and took refuge beneath a tree root.
There was another shriek, and then they heard the chug-chug of a steam motor, and the rumble as it stopped above their position. For what seemed an endless moment, they could feel something unwholesome searching for them. Then the motor rumbled to life again and they heard it riding away.
Frodo's companions stared at him. "Sam and I must get to Bree," he said.
V.
Merry gave his older cousin a sharp look. "Right! Bucklebury Ferry!" he said. "We can cut cross-country from here!"
"But we'd have to leave the cycles, sir!" Sam objected.
"They'll be safe enough behind the bushes," said Merry.
Frodo nodded. "Cross-country to Stock, then."
"Who or what was that?" Pippin asked.
Frodo ignored the question, and pressed on. The other three hobbits exchanged a glance, then plunged after him, between trees and through underbrush.
For several hours they struggled through the woods. It was beginning to get dark when they heard another of the shrill screams, this one not far behind. And if that weren't enough, they heard another scream answering it.
But they could hear also the rush of the Brown River ahead of them.
"We are nearly there," said Merry. He rushed ahead, quickly followed by Frodo, Sam and Pippin. He had already jumped aboard the ferry and begun to loosen the ropes at the landing by the time the others caught up. Frodo was the last to leap aboard, as the ferry moved into the water. They were halfway across the River when they heard another shriek. Looking back they saw two cloaked figures in black staring in frustration at the hobbits.
Frodo drew a deep breath. Safe, for the moment. Their pursuers would have to travel north to Riverbridge. Perhaps by that time they would already be gone…
"What next?" asked Pippin.
"Sam and I have to give them the slip and get to Bree."
"Right." Merry looked thoughtful. "We'll take a shortcut through the wyldwood."
"WE?" Frodo asked.
"The wyldwood?" asked Pippin.
Merry nodded, ignoring Frodo's question. "We can stop at the house in Crickhollow and pick up some supplies. It's practically right up against the wyldwood."
"We?" Frodo repeated.
Pippin grinned. "We. First person plural. I'm sure you know what that means."
"There's no need to get upset, Frodo. We're ready to go with you, and help keep you and Uncle Bilbo's crystal safe," added Merry.
Frodo glowered at his cousins. "How did you know?" Then he followed their smirking gaze. "Sam?"
"I thought it best, sir, for you to have more help than just me." Samwise blushed furiously.
A brief stop at the house to fill their packs with food and drink, and soon the four friends were on the way. Late at night there was no one to see as they approached the gate to the force-field. With and expert ease, Merry punched in the code that opened it. "We have thirty seconds to pass through before it closes," he said.
The wyldwood stood before them, dark and ominous. Immense trees waved in the windless air. There was a path before them, but it vanished into the shadows.
"Well," said Merry, his voice slightly higher in pitch than was usual as he tried to force cheer into it. "Shall we go on?"
The others nodded, and they set forth in single file, silent save for Pippin's soft mutter. "We're going to die…"
TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NOVEMBER CHALLENGE
Title: Reach for the Stars
Rating: G
Theme: Thinking Outside the Box
Elements: random words—die, mellow, juice
Author's Notes: The challenge was to write in a format, style or genre different than what I've written before. Well, I got to thinking about it, and the one thing I had never written was an AU that places the characters in an entirely different milieu. And I started imagining LotR as a sort of steampunkish futuristic space opera. To keep it from getting totally out of hand, I decided to do something else I haven't tried before—each chapter is a different specific fixed length: the first chapter is 100 words, the second, 200, the next, 300, etc. I don't know how well it will do as a story—but it is certainly outside MY box. (Although, well, it's still got hobbits.)
Summary: A familiar story in another time, another place altogether…
Word Count:1,500
I.
Frodo Baggins gazed at his visitor. The Istarian had been a friend of his uncle for more years than he could count. It was hard to read anything into the alien face, though he'd always been fascinated by the grey complexion and the deep-set red eyes.
"What are you telling me, then, Professor Olórin?"
His voice was deceptively mellow. "I tell you there is every reason to believe that the crystal your uncle left you is the key to the Emperor Gorthaur's greatest weapon. If he can recover it, he'll be able to spread his influence over the entire galaxy."
II.
"I tell you, Squire Meriadoc, the Professor is sending us away from Suza." Sam took a swallow of his elderflower juice.
"Surely Frodo won't go under these circumstances! It will be horribly dangerous, Samwise. He cannot simply abandon his family responsibilities! Besides, how will he leave the planet?"
"Professor Olórin says there's a way, if we can get to the spaceport at Bree."
"We'll have to go with him, cuz," said young Peregrin Took. "Frodo will be in dreadful danger if he goes alone."
"Begging your pardon, sir, but the Professor has said I'm to go with him!"
"You are an excellent fellow, Sam. I know you'd jump down a wyrm's throat to protect him. But he's going to need more than one friend beside him!"
Meriadoc was looking thoughtful. "Knowing Frodo, he will not agree to any such thing, Pip. You know that he will think we are too young to go with him. The only solution is to catch him up on the road to Bree, as if by chance." He looked thoughtfully at Samwise. The Gamgees had been servants to the Bagginses ever since the periain race had colonized Suza.
"Are you cycling to Bree?" he asked.
III.
The Professor looked doubtfully at the bicycles. He knew that the periain relied upon them for transportation about the Shire, but how reliable would such simple mechanical devices be if the two were pursued? Frodo's device was a sleek new model in shiny red; Sam's was a rather worn-looking, but sturdy cycle. Still, he did not feel comfortable arguing with Frodo about it again. That his young perian friend was willing to take this perilous journey was remarkable. He did not wish for Frodo to put it off because of his own concerns about the mode of transportation.
Of course, the periain did not have available his own swift mode of transport. That was an inherent part of being an Istari, and not anything he could share. With another dubious look at the bicycles, he sighed.
"Frodo, I have been summoned by Professor Curunír, the head of my department. I hope that my visit to Orthanc will not take long, and that I will be able to join you in Bree within a day or two. If all goes well I might precede you there."
Frodo arched an eyebrow. "Professor, I may never have travelled far from Suza, but I do know the solar system. Orthanc is nowhere near Bree."
"Never you mind, Master Baggins! Suffice it to say I have means of transport other than a bicycle. Nevertheless, if I am not there, do not wait more than two days for my arrival. Carry on to Imladris as best you may. Be careful!"
The Professor watched the periain ride off, waiting until they were out of sight before opening his personal wormhole. His friend Aiwendil had conveyed Curunír's message with reservations. Both of them had begun to suspect that their superior had his own agenda. Best to be wary.
IV.
Frodo and Samwise were on the road east of Frogmorton. Frodo thought they were making good time, in spite of their stop at The Floating Log for luncheon. Under the clear autumn sky, riding along through the pleasant breeze, it was difficult to remember that they were on a journey into danger, if the Professor were right.
This evening should see them at Riverbridge, and another day's ride should get them to Bree.
The sound of bicycles came up behind them, and Frodo was startled. There had not been much traffic on the road. He glanced to his right, and to his surprise, saw Sam slowing down.
A voice to his left said "Oi! Frodo Baggins!" Startled, he swerved. The next thing he knew he and Sam were in the dust of the road, along with two other cyclists.
He stared in exasperation. "A Took and a Brandybuck! I might have known!"
"It's nice to see you, too, Cousin Frodo!" said Pippin with a cheeky grin. It was he who had startled Frodo.
Merry was looking at his machine. "My front wheel is twisted," he said.
Frodo sighed and shook his head. This unexpected encounter with his cousins created difficulties. He could not, without a serious breach of manners, tell them to go away. He couldn't plead the urgency of his errand without explaining. This would make for delays.
The four began walking, wheeling their bicycles along the shaded road. Merry and Pippin were speaking excitedly of what they'd been doing lately; Sam was making the appropriate noises, but Frodo was too distracted to even pretend to pay attention. They had gone round a curve above an embankment, when they heard an eerie screech.
Frodo began to hear the crystal hum. "Quickly! We must get off the road!"
His cousins stared at him as though he were mad, but made no objections. He led them over the verge and down the embankment. They hid the cycles behind some bushes, and took refuge beneath a tree root.
There was another shriek, and then they heard the chug-chug of a steam motor, and the rumble as it stopped above their position. For what seemed an endless moment, they could feel something unwholesome searching for them. Then the motor rumbled to life again and they heard it riding away.
Frodo's companions stared at him. "Sam and I must get to Bree," he said.
V.
Merry gave his older cousin a sharp look. "Right! Bucklebury Ferry!" he said. "We can cut cross-country from here!"
"But we'd have to leave the cycles, sir!" Sam objected.
"They'll be safe enough behind the bushes," said Merry.
Frodo nodded. "Cross-country to Stock, then."
"Who or what was that?" Pippin asked.
Frodo ignored the question, and pressed on. The other three hobbits exchanged a glance, then plunged after him, between trees and through underbrush.
For several hours they struggled through the woods. It was beginning to get dark when they heard another of the shrill screams, this one not far behind. And if that weren't enough, they heard another scream answering it.
But they could hear also the rush of the Brown River ahead of them.
"We are nearly there," said Merry. He rushed ahead, quickly followed by Frodo, Sam and Pippin. He had already jumped aboard the ferry and begun to loosen the ropes at the landing by the time the others caught up. Frodo was the last to leap aboard, as the ferry moved into the water. They were halfway across the River when they heard another shriek. Looking back they saw two cloaked figures in black staring in frustration at the hobbits.
Frodo drew a deep breath. Safe, for the moment. Their pursuers would have to travel north to Riverbridge. Perhaps by that time they would already be gone…
"What next?" asked Pippin.
"Sam and I have to give them the slip and get to Bree."
"Right." Merry looked thoughtful. "We'll take a shortcut through the wyldwood."
"WE?" Frodo asked.
"The wyldwood?" asked Pippin.
Merry nodded, ignoring Frodo's question. "We can stop at the house in Crickhollow and pick up some supplies. It's practically right up against the wyldwood."
"We?" Frodo repeated.
Pippin grinned. "We. First person plural. I'm sure you know what that means."
"There's no need to get upset, Frodo. We're ready to go with you, and help keep you and Uncle Bilbo's crystal safe," added Merry.
Frodo glowered at his cousins. "How did you know?" Then he followed their smirking gaze. "Sam?"
"I thought it best, sir, for you to have more help than just me." Samwise blushed furiously.
A brief stop at the house to fill their packs with food and drink, and soon the four friends were on the way. Late at night there was no one to see as they approached the gate to the force-field. With and expert ease, Merry punched in the code that opened it. "We have thirty seconds to pass through before it closes," he said.
The wyldwood stood before them, dark and ominous. Immense trees waved in the windless air. There was a path before them, but it vanished into the shadows.
"Well," said Merry, his voice slightly higher in pitch than was usual as he tried to force cheer into it. "Shall we go on?"
The others nodded, and they set forth in single file, silent save for Pippin's soft mutter. "We're going to die…"
TO BE CONTINUED IN THE NOVEMBER CHALLENGE
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