Salty and Cara – Purple Peak 2

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Love and crime in a world of fruits and vegetables – A tasty fable. Third story, second episode: Hanano and Salty travel far and wide in this new mission. But it does not begin without a hitch.

What is this all about? [Salty & Cara – Info Page: Overview, table of contents and background]

Grand Style Travel

They had started very early in the day. Salty had barely been able to say goodbye to Cara, who was still preparing for her trip back to New Valley. Things would certainly change for her there.

But Hanano had made haste. Joe, whom Salty had met during the rescue at Silent Waters, was at the wheel of a large and luxurious closed floater. He and ‘Sir Lanceolato’ – he still could not get used to the fact that his lover’s boss was of high breeding – sat comfortably in the back. Together with an enormous load of water and nutrients. Where would they need all that, he wondered. A few times he tried to speak to his traveling companion, but to no avail. The two bananas exchanged short sentences in a language Salty had never heard before.

Finally, Hanano turned to him and smiled: “We are making good speed. We might even make it to the rendezvous point without any new problems.”

“Problems? What kind of problems?”

“You have seriously annoyed some of the most powerful fruits in the Big Valley. That rotten pineapple whose scam you exposed had friends. And those friends have powerful families.

“So you are afraid that we might be ambushed?”

“It’s not a question of if, but where and when. Because that determines the amount of fuzz we will face.”

“Fuzz?”

“Well, yeah. This thing is pretty much weapon proof. Bromelia likes to travel without being disturbed in any way.”

“So this is her carriage. This is the Queen’s floater?”

“It certainly is. Quite comfortable, isn’t it?”

“Aha.”

Hanano ignored Salty’s knowing grin.

“We should be fine, unless…”

There was a very loud thud at the rear of the vehicle, and the other two began shouting in the strange dialect again. The floater slid and turned, then came to a stop. Now there was a continuous series of constant clicking and sizzling sounds near the wall of the cabin.

He must have looked quite worried, because Hanano tried to calm him down.

“No way, they are getting close to this thing. State-of-the-art defense technology. Don’t worry.”

“Okay, but we are not moving anymore. And I have a feeling that loud thud a few minutes ago was somehow a direct hit on our machine.”

“You’re right, and I’d really like to know how they found the one weak spot this vehicle has… But don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

“Don’t worry, it’s okay? What are we going to do? Wait and starve?”

“Not likely,” Joe replied from the front, “we have enough to last us a while. And help is coming.”

Now Salty understood all the provisions. And he realized that Hanano had expected this from the beginning.

“You knew this would happen?”

“No, I did not know, but I was afraid it would happen. I will have a serious talk with Bromelia when we get back. She definitely needs to have her palace debugged. And by ‘debugged’ I do not refer to members of the insect family. There seems to be a very confident spy around. Well, he or she is going to be very sorry.”

“You two have known each other for how long?”

“Almost all of my life and almost all of hers.”

“But how…?”

“I’m afraid that is …”

“Classified, I know. Are you ever going to tell me the whole story?”

“I don’t have to. You will find out all by yourself.”

“How so?”

“Patience, young friend. This very mission includes all there is to know about my – and her – unusually long life expectancy”.

“Hmm, so I guess sending me on this trip with you is a sign of trust in a way.”

“In every way, Quentin. If the Queen of Big Valley was not convinced that you were trustworthy, you would not be here.”

Outside, the sound spectrum changed. A front of howling sounds now swept across the grounds. The floater was hit occasionally, but the defense mechanism bounced off whatever was making the sounds.

Salty looked at Hanano: “That almost sounds like swirlers. Only much bigger.”

“Yes, those are swirlers. And if this thing was not state of the art royal travel custom, we would be sliced fruit in a can by now.”

The sounds stopped abruptly. Then there was a ding, and from a device on the side of the cabin came a strange bellowing sound. Joe answered in the same way. A reply and a laugh. Both Hanano and Joe let out a chuckle.

Suddenly the floater was lifted and placed on something moving and uneven.

“Did they just lift us onto some kind of carrier?”

“They did. It’s a very old transport device. But it will get us where we need to go.”

“Where are we going?”

“Up,” Hanano replied with a conspiratorial grin, “and before you ask me what makes this platform move: This vehicle is powered by bug energy. Very large monster bugs with long plated legs and fuzzy backs. Like the ones you were so fond of when you were young.”

“Fascinating,” was all the youngest traveler in the group managed to say.

Salty: ” … Are you ever going to tell me the whole story?”

Hanano: “I don’t have to. You will find out all by yourself.”

Side Notes:

Needless to say, the stories about Salty and Cara are pure figments of my imagination. No resemblance to any person or place – present or past – is intended. But I am sure you have already figured that out 😉