Free Trader Complete Omnibus

by Craig Martelle

  “I don’t know what any of that means, but I don’t think I like it.” Micah crossed her arms, waiting for the expected unacceptable answer.

  “Cloning is a way to make an exact copy of a living creature.”

  “I knew I wouldn’t like it. The answer is no. We won’t sample our friends. We don’t need any copies; we’re satisfied with the originals.”

  They stepped into the elevator and Braden said, “New Command Center, please.”

  When they entered the Command Center level, Holly instantly appeared, waiting for direction. “Have you reestablished communication with Cygnus VI? And the ship in the sky?”

  “Your timing is impeccable. The system is going through its final function checks now. We should be able to attempt communication later this evening.” Holly seemed to brighten with the good news.

  “Can you let us know when you’re ready to try? We’d like to be here.” Braden was infinitely curious. Once he heard of humans living on another planet, he wanted to know. He wanted to see how they lived, how they traded. He wanted good news about the ancients.

  “Yes, I will notify you via your neural implants.”

  With that, they needed to get back into the sunlight.

  “Let’s go for a swim,” Braden suggested.

  “I don’t want to go back inside, lover, not yet anyway,” Micah said sadly, not wanting to disappoint her mate.

  “No, I meant in the pond. We’ll have to share it with the fish, but at least there aren’t any cold-water crocs!” He ran through the open air, stripping off clothing and dropping it as he went. He kept the belt and the blasters with him, finally dropping them on the beach as he waded, naked, into the pond. Micah followed his lead, leaving everything on the beach. She sauntered toward the water, her bare skin a creamy white, except for her shoulders and arms which now showed the scars from the mutant bird attack. Braden stopped swimming, watching as she slowly and gracefully entered the water.

  She dipped low and dove beneath the surface. He watched as she swam along the bottom toward him, pushed off and grabbed his legs. She pulled his head under, then pushed him away. As he surfaced, sputtering, she splashed his face, then with her feet, pushed off his chest and swam quickly away. He pummeled the water with his hands as he swam after her.

  56 – Contact

  Braden and Micah didn’t know how late it was when summoned to the New Command Center. It was dark outside and they’d been asleep, but not for very long.

  When they arrived, Holly escorted them to the wall of screens, where all the images faded out and blended into one massive picture of some kind of drawing. Braden read the words that wrapped around the outside for Micah. “Cygnus VI – A Refuge For Humanity, A Gateway To The Stars.”

  “The signal has reached Cygnus VI and the auto-response sequence has been activated. This is a very good sign!” Holly exclaimed. They watched as the screen changed, showing a room, much smaller than the New Command Center, but of similar configuration with the desks, screens, and raised platform.

  A single human was there, sitting in the chair on the platform, engrossed in the screens that surrounded him.

  “Hello! I’m Free Trader Braden of Plant Vii, I mean, Cygnus Seven.” They waited, but the man didn’t acknowledge they had spoken. “Holly?”

  “There is a delay of nearly four minutes, twenty-three seconds before they will hear you.”

  “I guess we’ll wait.” During the delay, they watched the individual as he never took his eyes from what he was working on.

  “And it will take another four minutes twenty-three seconds before you hear and see his response.”

  “Well, now. That takes all the fun out of it. How did the ancients carry on a conversation like that?” Micah asked.

  “They prepared their information and sent it over the computer. They delivered messages but they didn’t have conversations.”

  “No, I wouldn’t think they did. What about the RV Traveler?” Braden hoped that they would find humans alive on the ship as well. If he had heard correctly, in one more cycle, they could travel to the ship. He wanted to make that trip, with Micah and their companions, too.

  “The delay with the Traveler is only three seconds. I’ve been able to establish only a base communication link. It recognizes the signal, responding with its own code, but it won’t open a telecommunications channel. I’m attempting to query its systems for diagnostic information now.”

  They continued to wait until the young man’s head popped up, looking around. “Hello? Who’s there?”

  His eyes found them. He looked directly at something, Braden and Micah felt like it was them. His mouth was open, working, but no sound came out.

  He did something with the arm of his chair and a red light started flashing. A horn sounded intermittently in the background.

  “That’s the emergency klaxon,” Holly answered before they could ask. Holly continued to interpret what he saw for Braden and Micah, who were still mildly in shock from watching what was happening on another planet.

  An older couple rushed in, disheveled and half-dressed. The younger man pointed at Braden and Micah.

  “Hello!” the older man said before turning to the young man. “Shut that damn thing off!” he barked.

  “I’m Doctor Johns of the Cygnus VI Research Station. Are you the relief convoy from Earth?” He waited, watching, then asked the young man to replay the original message. The three of them looked at a different place on the screen, watching closely.

  Braden and Micah had not yet responded, not knowing what to say.

  “You’re from Cygnus VII? But Cygnus VII was destroyed some four hundred years ago. Are you the relief convoy? Did you land on Cygnus VII first? We could use your help here. Our population is in rapid decline and I’m afraid there aren’t many of us left. I’m a clone, as is my son. My wife is the last surviving natural human. There are only twenty-three total of us. I’m afraid we can’t clone anymore. We don’t have the materials for it. When we die, we’ll be the last. We’ve learned so much since we lost contact with you. We don’t want to lose that. We will transmit all of our information, but that could take months. There is a lot of information.”

  “Only twenty-three left,” Micah said softly. “I’m Micah, President, for what it’s worth. What happened to the others?” She waited impatiently, forgetting about the delay.

  “It’ll be four minutes,” Braden said, parroting the hologram.

  “What is a minute?” she asked. Braden shrugged and shook his head.

  “Holly, can you give them the history of the war and the intervening years after we tell them about the north and the south as we know it?” Braden and Micah started telling their tale, as if they were around a campfire. Holly assured them that he could hold the others’ message until they were ready to hear it. After they finished, Holly started with what he knew, ending with the rebuilding of the Command Center by a single surviving Bot using materials recovered from the destroyed city.

  When they finished, Holly allowed the Cygnus VI message through, where they talked about meteors and environmental leaks, and research into improved propulsion systems resulting in failures that killed a great many of their good people, but in the end, they believed they had vast improvements for in-system transit. They only needed rare elements that were now depleted on Cygnus VI. None of that mattered to the companions. Maybe the Bots who built the New Command Center would someday build a space ship, but that wasn’t going to happen in their lifetime.

  Braden and Micah waved good-bye, wished them well, and told them Holly would be in touch. The matter transfer system would be under construction for almost an entire cycle. Once that was ready, then maybe the people could travel to Cygnus VII and return to humanity.

  57 – The Return Trip

  The companions heard everything that was said, but they didn’t see the information from the neural implants. If there was anything that the companions needed to know, Braden and Micah would have to conscious
ly share it.

  As was their new routine, they loaded up on foods from the fabricator for their trip. Brandt, Aadi, G-War, and Skirill ate their fill of grasses, bugs, and javelina as the time of their departure neared.

  Brandt remained uneasy throughout their stay. Any civilization that could build itself up like this, then destroy it, was not to be trusted. He committed to watch over Braden and Micah, to keep them from enforcing their will on others through Old Tech. The Old Tech weighed heavily on them. They needed his broad shoulders to carry some of their burden, even though physically their greatest weight was no bigger than a grain of rice.

  Mentally, it was the size of all Vii.

  And there were people on Cygnus VI.

  Barely. They couldn’t do anything about them, but they could do something about the mutie birds.

  And they needed to do that soon.

  So they left New Sanctuary, with instructions that no humans besides Braden and Micah were allowed into the buildings. No mutants besides the ones already categorized--Golden Warrior, Aadi, Skirill, and finally Brandt--were allowed. Any of the companions could ask questions of the hologram by way of the Security Bots.

  Everything was agreed to. Braden and Micah had clean clothes and plenty to eat. The companions had eaten their fill, although the hologram had asked President Micah to limit Brandt’s forays into the fields as he had eaten nearly all of their monthly production in less than a day. They laughed at the enormity of the King’s appetite.

  Sounded about right. Micah informed the hologram that New Sanctuary needed to expand the fields as the Aurochs would return and maybe next time, they’d have more of the behemoths with them. New Sanctuary needed to be able to provide for them. The hologram sounded contrite as he said that all efforts to expand the fields would begin immediately with the production of three additional Development Units.

  “I think it was pretty simple. Either they grow more or the King of the Aurochs eats less. I am not going to tell him he needs to lose weight!” Micah said to Braden. “Sometimes, it’s good to be the President.”

  They headed out, better than they arrived as they were all healthy. A Development Unit was dispatched to follow them all the way to the rainforest with fodder for Brandt and the horses. Once they entered the Amazon, the Development Unit would return and begin work on the fields.

  Since they knew they could eat, the Aurochs and the horses ran. It wasn’t much of a race. Skirill always won. G-War could outrun any of those stuck on the ground, but only for a short distance. After that, he was comfortable riding, like now, where we crouched on the King’s head. Skirill circled lazily not far ahead of them.

  Braden brought up his neural implant window, showing healthy vitals, as the hologram called them. He queried Holly, to see if he could hear. He could. Holly informed him that they could talk anywhere Braden was. Braden asked if the factory could make metal hubs so the wagons would roll better. Holly asked a few questions, which Braden answered. Holly said that eight of them would be ready when Braden returned. He asked for a spare for each wagon, but Holly said that a spare wasn’t needed. These would hold up under any circumstances.

  Braden told the window in his eye to sleep. Wasn’t that convenient, he thought.

  He looked around him to see his growing caravan. He started with two water buffalo and a ‘cat. With the Aurochs running ahead and a Mirror Beast skimming along behind, his group looked nothing like a traditional caravan.

  In this case, he saw the group as a war party with the singular purpose of finding the nest of the mutie birds and wiping them out. For that goal, they were well suited.

  They reached the southern edge of the rainforest just after mid-daylight. The Development Unit unceremoniously dumped the fodder and departed toward the oasis at a high rate of speed.

  Good, Braden thought. You have a lot of work to do if you want to be ready for our return. Brandt is going to be hungry.

  After eating, they continued into the rainforest as fast as they dared. Toward nightfall, Zalastar was waiting for them in the road. The King of the Aurochs and Aadi went ahead to meet him. Braden and Micah stayed on the horses with G-War and Skirill. They rode slowly to give the others time to talk. When they reached the others, they stopped and waited.

  When they finished, it was dark. At least it wasn’t raining. They were able to start a fire, so they could see when the Amazonians prepared to take their leave. Zalastar stepped into the firelight for quick greetings with both humans, before hurrying away.

  “So, Brandt, what did you guys talk him out of?” Braden was naturally curious. He couldn’t read the body language of any of the companions, so he was forced to ask.

  ‘There seems to be a rift forming between the various Amazonian clans. The villages are starting to choose sides--those who want to come into the open and those who wish to remain in the depths of the Amazon.’ Aadi was narrating a story, probably as he understood it from Zalastar.

  ‘It seems there are more Lizard Men who don’t wish to follow Zalastar than we were led to believe.’

  “As long as they don’t try to kill us, they can hide all they want. It’s when they raise their spears against us that I get concerned. And I don’t want an accident that hurts one of Zalastar’s warriors. I’m still sorry over the one that struck the McCullough woman. I feel like I should have prevented that.”

  “No. There’s nothing you could have done. We were all there. We all let it happen. In the end, it turned out for the best. Maybe that warrior wasn’t loyal to Zalastar and was trying to interfere with the trade?” Micah wouldn’t allow Braden to wallow in self-pity.

  He knew she was right.

  “Does Zalastar think we’ll have any problems on our way north through the rainforest?”

  ‘No. His people, the loyalists he calls them, are already moving. They will create new villages close to the road. He said that within a moon, they will start clearing the road of undergrowth, filling in holes to allow passage of human carts pulled by the Aurochs,’ Brandt replied.

  “I think we need to make the best time possible. We need to get out of the rainforest while Zalastar holds his position. Once his people line the road, we’ll be safe. Until then, I’m afraid that I’ll be suspicious of any Amazonian.” At times, Micah was more cautious than Braden while a wild risk-taker at other times. He thought he’d never understand her, but he did. She was just like him--fiercely loyal to her companions, doing anything she thought necessary to keep them safe.

  ‘I agree. I am happiest when I am not in the rainforest,’ the ‘cat added.

  “It’s settled then. We do whatever makes the pretty kitty happy.” Braden’s attempts at chiding the ‘cat were usually weak. G-War didn’t respond. Skirill bobbed with laughter. He appreciated the sentiment. He didn’t like it in the rainforest either. With the vines and intertwined overhead branches, he had difficulty flying. He usually rode, being held upright by one of the humans. It wasn’t very dignified for a Hawkoid.

  Just like being wet made G-War miserable.

  Braden was happy they hadn’t fought a battle in the rainforest. The extra weight of being wet would throw off the ‘cat’s delicate balance. Braden wondered how effective he would be in a fight. The best answer was not to find out. The ‘cat was right. They needed to finish this trip quickly.

  When the sunrise lessened the darkness on the road, they set out at a slow jog, running more quickly where they could. Braden activated his neural implant, asking the hologram if he knew where they were and how far they had to go. Holly, with infinite patience, described to both he and Micah how they could activate a map and highlight their position. They could then expand the view to show the entire rainforest.

  Micah almost fell out of the saddle as she intently stared at the map. She shook her head and closed her window. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be comfortable with Old Tech, while Braden seemed right at home. Sometimes that scared her, but she had forced him into getting the implant. Maybe she had made a mistak
e, but it was done. She would keep him from going too far.

  ‘Yes, I will, because you will,’ he responded in his thought voice.

  “Ahh! You’re getting better at it!” Micah exclaimed. She was a natural at the mindlink, where Braden had to work at it.

  “I’ve only had ten cycles practice, so I think I should be insulted by that.” He smiled at her, his tone playful. His goal in life had always been to do a little bit better tomorrow than today. You can’t get better without knowing you have shortcomings, his mother used to say.

  ‘I like that,’ Micah said. ‘Balance is important, too. I wouldn’t be me without you. I look forward to the day we can go to my village, to Trent, and show them what we’ve accomplished, show them what’s possible.’

  ‘When we go, we’ll be riding in a wagon filled with goods to trade. I think I’d like to try some of your ocean fish.’

  ‘I’m surprised you didn’t ask Holly if you could bring a fabricator along. Besides taking over the world, is there nothing else you think about besides eating?’ Micah replied.

  ‘I asked him about the fabricator. He said it wouldn’t work. Something about raw materials.’ He hesitated for a moment, then continued, ‘And there are other things I think about.’ He grinned at her as she blushed, seeing images that popped into his mind. She had no clothes on in any of them. When she thought of him, he was shooting his bow, talking a villager into a trade, or arguing with G-War. He was leading them. Suddenly, his images of her changed as she fought with her sword, stood with her hand on an Amazonian’s chest, punching Braden.

  And laughter. The images were replaced by feelings of joy.

  ‘It’s giving me a headache. Stop now or I may have to give it a good scratch,’ G-War interjected. Braden and Micah looked at each other.

  “You’re getting much better with our mindlink,” Micah said finally.

  And then the rain started. They had plodded through turns of rain before, but nothing like this. It rained so hard that they couldn’t see more than a few strides ahead of the horse’s nose. G-War sunk into a black pit of despair, despite Braden leaning over him with his body. Wet Aurochs smell would have been bad, but it was washed away instantly in another avalanche of water.