The Free Trader of Planet Vii

by Martelle, Craig

  Pots materialized and they started two smaller fires for stew.

  The only thing they lacked was bread, but they didn’t miss it. They celebrated Braden and Micah’s announcement and they celebrated the opportunity to fish.

  Braden didn’t want to spoil things, so he waited until after they ate. He gathered everyone together.

  “Just south of here, we were attacked by the Amazonians.” Braden lifted his tunic and shirt, turning so everyone could see the ugly scar. “I don’t think they’ll come this far north, but they could move through the woods. I think we need to post a watch. Everyone have your spears ready. Micah and I will have our weapons ready, too. I don’t think we’ll need them, but better to have them and not need them than to need them and be caught unaware.”

  The villagers nodded, almost indifferently. Those from White Beach had lived through the night terrors. Watching for a flesh and blood enemy was not too much to ask. They accepted it and started mapping out the watches.

  Braden was happy that he didn’t have to say anything else. After they worked out the details between all the villagers, a few people came to Braden and Micah.

  Crabby led the group, mostly White Beach villagers, but a couple from Westerly. “Good place here. We want to stay,” Crabby said.

  “How long? We need to keep moving to get to safer areas, Bliss, Coldstream, and Greentree.” Braden was okay with a longer break. The villagers from White Beach had traveled four long turns on foot, although they didn’t seem worn out.

  They weren’t.

  “No. I mean we stay, build a village. We have fisherfolk and farmers, everything we need. This’ll be a good trading stop. By foot, it’s barely more than three turns from Westerly and another couple to Bliss?” Braden nodded. Crabby continued, “Imagine fields over there, with grain for bread. Right here, we catch and process fish. The woods on both sides of the river for game. There are fifteen of us ready to settle right now.”

  Braden and Micah looked at each other. There was no reason not to start a new village. They hoped the people would help out the already established villages, but freedom of opportunity was what they had promised.

  “I can’t think of a better place to build a new village,” Micah said, not waiting for Braden to answer.

  “Congratulations,” Braden said with a smile, offering his hand to Crabby. They shook, firmly. “Sleep on it and after sunrise, maybe you can give it a name. We’ll proudly add it to the trade route maps.”

  Braden and Micah finally had time to themselves. “How could I not have noticed?” he asked simply. “How long have you known? Never mind. The ‘cat knew, didn’t he?”

  “Yes. You’ve been busy. You always notice me, but the change has been gradual. What, did you think I was eating too much?” she said without accusing Braden.

  “I didn’t notice. I don’t care about that!” He was defensive. She punched him softly in the arm.

  Sleep, then they’d come up with a new plan over the next few turns. Everything was changing, yet nothing changed. Ever since he met Micah, he simply hung on as the raft of life rushed down the whitewater rapids. Things used to be so calm.

  ‘G?’ Braden asked as an afterthought.

  ‘Aadi moved into the forest to watch over us all. The Amazonians won’t harm him,’ the ‘cat answered.

  ‘Sleep well, friends. I’ve got this,’ Aadi assured them.

  72 – River Crook

  With the departure of so many from the caravan, they didn’t leave with the sunrise. They waited to make sure things were sorted out. Braden gave them his trusty shovel that had helped them cross the Great Desert. He also gave them all of the remaining Amazonian rope.

  Their excitement grew as the two groups intermingled and said their goodbyes. Braden assured them that with the trade routes, someone would always be coming through. They’d left a good trail from Westerly for anyone to follow. They were going to continue building the road to Village Bliss, then to the rest of the villages on their new trade route.

  Soon, someone would be back, and maybe with a wagon load of implements--plows, axes, maybe even a saw blade. Braden was most proud that these people saw the possibilities and seized them. Crabby was going to be a great leader. He watched as the settlers looked over their new home and made plans.

  Braden cautioned them to set up a watch each night, and keep their spears close.

  Aadi told the companions that there had been no movement in the woods along the river. He even looked for signs that the Lizard Men had been there, but couldn’t find anything. Braden didn’t share this with Crabby. He wanted them to stay alert. Maybe someday soon, the Amazonian war would end and people could sleep soundly. Until then, he wanted them ready to keep themselves safe.

  The settlers stood back as the remaining villagers shouldered their burdens and prepared for the morning’s hike. Braden and Micah sat on their horses, while G-War curled up in his usual spot on Brandt’s head. Skirill watched from a distant tree limb. Aadi stayed close to the cart.

  Traders did not like saying goodbye. Successful trades needed to be repeated. They vowed to return. The best traders always found a way to make it back, bringing more or better of what the people wanted. As Braden waved, Crabby came up to him for one last handshake.

  “River Crook is the name. It’s where there’s a crook in the river before it divides into the five streams. White Beach? The beach is white. I’m afraid we’re not very imaginative.”

  “River Crook is what it shall be. What matters is that you named it and you will make it what it will be. We will see you again and soon.”

  They waved and set off at their regular pace. Twenty-two villagers remained with the caravan, which included the two women and three children in the cart. It wasn’t as many as they planned for, but more than the villages had.

  ‘It’ll be what it is. These are good people. They’ll be welcomed wherever they decide to settle,’ Micah said simply over their mindlink.

  “Of course you are right, partner mine.” Braden nodded and gave Max a nudge forward. They trotted ahead of the people as he looked for the best way across the streams ahead.

  Skirill helped, but he couldn’t judge the depth. Brandt jogged ahead and tried a number of crossing sites before Braden arrived. They picked the best ones and marked them with boulders and freshly scored earth. They continued until the route across the streams was easily followed.

  Skirill flew ahead to check on Village Bliss. Braden thought they were less than a full turn away. He didn’t verify that with the Old Tech, because he refused to open his neural implant. The Old Tech didn’t scare him, but his reliance on it did.

  The companions made sure that he knew what he needed to know.

  ‘I see no people at Bliss. It looks like the village is abandoned,’ Skirill told him. He hadn’t been flying long, so maybe they were less than a turn away. But if the people were gone, Braden didn’t need to rush in. He was afraid to ask, but he had to.

  ‘Do you see any bodies, Ess?’

  ‘No. I see no one. Let me get closer.’

  ‘Be careful, Ess! Don’t get too close to the rainforest,’ Braden cautioned.

  ‘Master Human, if I may. Zalastar or Akhmiyar would have warned the humans away if it looked like the fighting would get close. They may have contacted Bronwyn so she could tell the humans to run.’ The Tortoid’s logic was sound. Zalastar was a good friend to the humans and wouldn’t let them get in the middle of a battle.

  ‘Nothing. It looks like they simply left and not even in a hurry. I think Aadi is right,’ the Hawkoid agreed. He didn’t see anything that suggested the Amazonians had attacked Village Bliss.

  ‘Let’s head straight for Coldstream. We can be there in three turns if we don’t dally,’ Micah agreed and encouraged the seventeen people walking to move more quickly. They obliged her when she explained that Bliss had been abandoned, and they were on their way to Coldstream. She shared the good news that Bliss wasn’t a victim of the Amazonian wa
r.

  For the next three turns, they limited their stops, slept briefly at night, and always stayed alert.

  Their arrival at Coldstream wasn’t what they expected.

  Amazonians were standing guard, just inside the rainforest. They lined the heavier trees, but they faced inward. The villagers welcomed the group, not with cheers but questions.

  “Did you see them? Are you the people from Bliss?”

  Once Braden got the people to make sense, he discovered a grim truth. Their guess at what happened to the villagers from Bliss was wrong. They’d been taken by hostile Amazonians. Akhmiyar and his people were standing guard to guarantee the safety of Coldstream. Bronwyn had come through with Tanner and Candela. That’s when Akhmiyar showed up. The little girl was shocked at the turn of events. If she only had the chance to talk with all the Amazonians, she was sure she could have changed their minds. Akhmiyar tried to convince her that she would not have made a difference.

  Only the Amazonians could resolve their differences.

  Bronwyn had left only two turns prior with the older cow Aurochs and the trader couple. They hurried away to inform the Greentree villagers of current events. Akhmiyar assured her that Greentree and the other villages were well within the area that Zalastar controlled.

  The good people of Westerly and the few that remained from White Beach committed to staying in Coldstream, to help them should a hostile force of Amazonians arrive. The extra people were welcomed by Coldstream.

  Braden and Micah looked to Aadi, who led them to Akhmiyar. After talking with the Amazonian leader, they were convinced what needed to be done. They had to go after the villagers. Braden didn’t want Micah to come along.

  That earned him a hard punch in the chest. It was lucky he was healed.

  She negotiated some sweetened pork and with that, they committed to leaving at first light. Skirill and Brandt would travel to Greentree, catch up with Bronwyn, and rally the Aurochs. Max and Speckles would remain in Coldstream and await the companions’ return. Aadi and G-War would accompany Braden and Micah, with Akhmiyar and a band of his warriors leading the way into the Amazon.

  They prepared to travel light, carrying the absolute minimum. Akhmiyar assured them that they didn’t have to travel far, although the Amazonian way of measuring distance was lost on the humans. They simply agreed. They’d get there when they got there.

  73 – The Rescue

  It was still dark when Akhmiyar roused them from their sleep. Braden wasn’t sure if it was past the middle of the night. The Amazonian told them that he’d received a report that the enemy was moving, so they needed to hurry before they got too far into the depths of the rainforest.

  They put their weapons on, Braden with his recurve bow across his back, his remaining hardwood arrows in the quiver, two blasters, and a long knife on his belt. He filled his pouch with numbweed and mushrooms. He was ready.

  The scabbard for Micah’s sword wasn’t made for running, so she slung it across her back instead. This freed her hands in case she needed her blasters. They were fully charged. She did not bring the recharger. If they couldn’t rescue them with what they had, then they couldn’t be rescued.

  Braden heard her grim thoughts, but didn’t comment. He agreed with them. There was only one chance to get this right.

  They were ready quickly. Akhmiyar and his warriors set off at a brisk pace. The humans struggled to keep up as their feet weren’t made for slopping through the tree roots, underbrush, and muck. Aadi grasped a roped that one of the Amazonians carried. He floated as he was pulled along. He often bounced off trees, but his shell protected him.

  G-War raced through the tree branches. Judging by what little they could see, Braden revised his opinion of how well the ‘cat could see in the dark. He had no problems keeping up and on occasion raced ahead.

  Akhmiyar stopped so the humans could catch their breath. Each time, Akhmiyar told Aadi that the humans needed to be quiet. Braden and Micah felt bad, but they couldn’t see and the footing was treacherous. Aadi suggested the Amazonians carry them, which they reluctantly agreed to. Braden told Micah to protect the babies, but she was already ahead of him on that.

  When their human eyes didn’t have to look at the ground, they saw the rainforest in amazing detail. When they were running, they missed much of what the rainforest was.

  As sunrise approached, Akhmiyar told them that they were close. Braden wanted as much detail as they could give him so he could best devise a plan of attack. Micah knew that his plan would be good. He was gifted at tactics, even though he detested fighting.

  The villagers were holding the Amazonian enemy back. The Bliss villagers couldn’t and wouldn’t move quickly through the trees and swamps.

  Akhmiyar didn’t have a way to see the enemy. He knew the villagers were there because of his keen hearing and sensing the rainforest around him. That didn’t prevent G-War from going ahead. With the sunrise, he ran, flitting from branch to branch as quick as a bird.

  Braden and Micah got down from the Amazonians who’d been carrying them.

  Not many heartbeats later, G-War shared his view of the villagers, huddled together in a mass with the larger Amazonians circling them. The Lizard Men used their spears as prods on the people, but they refused to move. They were too tired, too sore, maybe even too fed up. As Akhmiyar and his warriors stealthily moved forward, Braden and Micah had time to think.

  ‘They are too close to the villagers for us to use our blasters. I can use my bow, but can’t shoot fast enough. There are too many. We can’t let Akhmiyar and his warriors engage. They are outnumbered. As long as they’re fighting, we can’t use our blasters. Aadi, can you ask Akhmiyar to wait? We don’t have a plan.’

  ‘I’m afraid it’s too late,’ Aadi replied.

  They had cleared a final row of trees when they were spotted. Those closest turned and readied to throw their spears.

  Aadi swam forward to get in between the two groups of Amazonians. A hurled spear bounced off his shell and ricocheted harmlessly into the trees. Akhmiyar and his warriors crouched, preparing to thrust their spears. Behind the enemy, the villagers cowered.

  Braden jumped to the side until he had a clear line of sight in front of the villagers. He could fire across the front of the group. He pulled the trigger and instantly let go. A tight beam of light hit an enemy warrior in the chest.

  He went down.

  The others turned and threw their spears as one, at Braden.

  He stepped behind the tree he’d used to brace the blaster for his first shot.

  Akhmiyar and his warriors rushed forward into the unarmed enemy. Each spear found a target and five Amazonian enemy wriggled on the points as they died. Others stepped from around the villagers.

  “Get down!” Braden yelled. The villagers went to their knees and huddled over top each other.

  A spear thrust forward and Akhmiyar went down. The point had driven through his back leg. He lost his spear, but held the shaft of his enemy’s weapon to keep him from pulling it out.

  Braden picked another target and dropped him with a short beam from his blaster. Micah had moved to the other side, to the left of Akhmiyar, which gave her a good angle to shoot without endangering the villagers. She aimed at the Amazonian who wrestled with Akhmiyar and pulled the trigger. The enemy toppled over.

  Akhmiyar pulled the spear from his leg and crouched, ready for another attacker. His warriors were bunched up, parrying and thrusting with the enemy, neither gaining an advantage.

  Braden moved to find a clean shot. He took it and another Amazonian died. One of Akhmiyar’s warriors was stabbed in the throat and he went down. Then another. Then one of the enemy.

  Micah took two more shots, wounding two of the enemy. Braden kept moving, trying to clear his targets.

  Akhmiyar and another were wounded. Two of his warriors were dead. The enemy still had double their number in the fight. When they rushed Akhmiyar, Braden and Micah each shot one.

  The enemy
Amazonians decided that if they were to die, they’d take the humans with them. Not the ones with the deadly Old Tech, but the unarmed villagers.

  G-War flew from a tree, landing on the Amazonian furthest from Braden and Micah. He attacked with a Hillcat scream, shredding before leaping away. Braden and Micah ran forward, shooting at a range of only an arm-span, killing one, then another. The last Amazonian turned and dashed into the shadows, but was tripped up by a flying orange fur ball. Braden continued around the villagers until he was over the Amazonian, who lay stunned from his fall.

  Aadi rushed forward and hovered finger widths from the creature’s face.

  He tried to push the Tortoid away, but Aadi swam back, time and time again. Then he delivered a focused thunderclap, from that close, directly into the Amazonian’s head, which cracked from the force of the blow.

  “Aadi!” Micah exclaimed.

  ‘Sorry, sorry. He wasn’t very cooperative, I’m afraid.’

  “It’s over. It’s over.” Braden put his hand on their arms and shoulders as he urged the villagers to stand. Two didn’t. Blood ran from spear wounds that the desperate enemy had delivered at the last moment.

  “How many others?” Micah asked.

  “Two more, right after they herded us into the rainforest. We lost four total,” an elder lamented. “But we would have all been lost if you hadn’t come for us.”

  “You can thank Akhmiyar and his warriors. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here.” Braden nodded to Akhmiyar, who was on one knee. Braden had forgotten about his horrific wound.

  He rushed over and pulled numbweed from his pouch. He applied it to ease the pain. Then he pulled the numbweed out and sewed up the wound using hairs from Max’s tail. And he reapplied numbweed. Akhmiyar never flinched through the entire process.

  ‘These Amazonians are tough! I’m glad they’re on our side,’ Braden told Micah in his thought voice. ‘How about you? Are you okay?’