Free Trader Complete Omnibus

by Craig Martelle

  When they arrived at Greentree, Braden started their lessons in the alphabet and basic math. After seven turns, Micah had improved greatly. Her neural implant showed her the letters and words as she asked for them so she had a constant source of reinforcement. Her head hurt at the end of the day, but her learning speed had increased exponentially.

  The young couple had no such advantage. They learned the hard way, through repetition. Braden scratched the numbers on tree bark for them so they could review.

  His determination in teaching them to read and write was driven by the fact that they weren’t coming to Westerly. They would go as far as Coldstream, then return to Dwyer with the Aurochs and the wagon. That would be their route until Braden and Micah could open trade all the way to the far west.

  Bronwyn would have to travel with them so they could communicate with the Aurochs. Brandt insisted on this. He also suggested that two cows accompany the team back to Dwyer where they would help the miners. As long as Bronwyn was with them, no one would get out of line.

  Brandt seemed to swell with pride and pranced into the grasslands like a puppy as he joined the Earthshaker Herd. Braden thought it was because he was happy to be with his people, even if only for a short time. Until it became clear that an untold number of cows were in heat. Braden and Micah left him alone at that point, figuring he’d show up when his affairs were concluded.

  This delayed their departure, but allowed Braden to spend more time teaching. Micah wasn’t surprised that he was an excellent teacher. He inspired the students. If only he had a way to make paper. He wondered if New Sanctuary could print books to teach reading, writing, and basic math. He still carried his rudder and updated it as a way to show Tanner and Candela both how to do it and why it was important.

  Whenever they made it back to New Sanctuary, he’d have to remember to check. Then he remembered that he didn’t have to remember.

  He brought up his neural implant window and asked the question regarding paper and books. The database showed a limitless spectrum of material. He asked Holly if they could print certain ones into books as well as create some blank books. Of course they could. Using wood pulp, they had a fabricator that could create almost anything. These items would be prepared and ready for him when next he returned.

  “What?” Micah asked. When she couldn’t hear him think, she knew he had the interface active. It blocked their mindlink, and she didn’t like it.

  “Just asking Holly if he could print some books to help people learn how to read and write. He’ll include blank ones too that they can use as rudders.”

  “Oh,” was all she said. Of course Braden would think like that. He wasn’t bothered to think two or three turns ahead for himself, but he always took care of other people. This was another example of something she would have never thought of.

  And that was why they made good partners. She was feeling amorous, but expected that was from Brandt’s emotions overflowing into all of the companions. G-War had started to yowl. Skirill was flying high and fast in circles around the village and far above the rainforest. Only Aadi seemed immune, floating and blinking slowly, keeping his thoughts to himself.

  Braden was getting overly adventurous with his hands, so they retired to their house to see if they could forget about the King of the Aurochs.

  63 – Fighting to the Western Ocean

  The trip to Coldstream was uneventful. The village welcome was unspectacular. The trades were marginal as few items were available, although it was far more than what they’d previously offered. The new traders secured tanned hides and a gourd of colored dye, and Braden worked a side deal for their special sweetened pork. He took as much as he could carry in two leaf bags. Micah suggested he’d make himself sick eating that much. He said he’d share. She knew he wouldn’t.

  They didn’t stay long. Bronwyn was sad to part ways with Brandt. He considered her one of his own. When he talked with her, he would lie on the ground and she’d sit on his horn, her back against his head. Braden and Micah didn’t know what they talked about, but sometimes their conversations went on for a long time.

  Brandt helped the little girl climb onto the back of an older cow Aurochs who had assumed responsibility for pulling the wagon. He wanted an elder member of the herd to take care of his little girl. Tanner and Candela vowed to take good care of her, too. Micah convinced her parents to join the caravan when it passed back through. Having them along would help both Braden and Micah sleep better at night. If you asked Bronwyn, she was fine without other humans.

  The companions knew this to be true, but adults had responsibilities, even for children who were protected by the world’s creatures.

  Braden’s caravan watched Candela’s caravan leave on the trade route to the west. Even G-War looked sad.

  “When did I stop being fun?” Braden asked the companions. Micah shrugged.

  “The innocence of youth. You and I carry all the burdens of Vii on our shoulders. It’s not that we stopped being fun. She doesn’t carry that weight. It doesn’t darken her thoughts. Her mind is pure, refreshing to touch,” Micah answered.

  ‘We have news to share,’ Brandt said in his overly loud thought voice. Braden raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Yes, we have news,’ Aadi added. ‘We wanted to wait until Bronwyn was gone. The news would upset her. Zalastar said that the Amazonian tribes have broken into factions. Zalastar controls the area from Greentree east, or so we were able to gather. The way they reference directions and locations has me befuddled.

  ‘In any case, the other tribes have taken over the areas to the west. Zalastar thought they’d moved inland to avoid contact with humans or other intelligent creatures. If we run into any Lizard Men, I mean Amazonians, from here west, they may not be friendly.’

  Brandt shook his head, swinging his massive horns through the air. They were right, telling by how agitated the Aurochs was, that Bronwyn would have been upset, possibly even inconsolable.

  “What changes for us?” Braden asked, concern clouding his face. He wanted to continue west, but didn’t want to fight his way there.

  ‘We go to Westerly and beyond, of course,’ Brandt said. The King of the Aurochs wasn’t to be dissuaded.

  “Simple as that?” Braden shrugged as he looked from face to face. This reinforced what he already knew.

  He knew that he could not read the body language of his companions.

  “Maybe we don’t have to travel so close to the rainforest, but yes, off to Westerly!” Micah added with a dramatic smile and hand wave.

  So they pressed on.

  They traveled more slowly than they had before because they pulled the cart this time and they also marked the trail for future traders. It was just a path of travel at present, but at some point, it would become a real road.

  Brandt was exceptional at removing obstacles to the cart’s travel. He could plow up any size rock and roll it aside. He even ran back and forth a few times to better mark a trail. When they looked back, it was easy to see where they’d passed. With Skirill flying ahead, they did not have to backtrack. They chose the best way ahead the first time, every time.

  With their neural implants, Braden and Micah were able to track progress on maps shown directly in their minds. They updated details on the maps with what they saw, helping Holly to build a real-life view of the trade route.

  Micah used the travel time to practice reading. As she learned, she was able to open up more and more areas of the database. After Braden guided her to the school books, she was unleashed. She learned in the course of turns what it took children cycles to do.

  Braden kept his window closed to watch over them while Micah studied. By teaching her to read, he opened a vast part of his world to her. She could read his rudders. For him, that was the ultimate expression of trust. That was how he was raised.

  She could hear his thoughts and finally, he could hear hers. Maybe reading the rudders was only symbolic, but it was important to him. He looked at the watch he wor
e. Old Tech. He could finally read the time and know what it meant, thanks to a short lesson from the database. With his neural implant, he could always check the time, which rendered the watch unnecessary.

  Like his rudders, the watch, the bracelet they called it, was a physical part of his story. It gave him access and authority with the first hologram. It gave him a title that he liked. Caretaker. Maybe it was time to change from Free Trader to Caretaker Braden. As Micah kept telling him, he took responsibility for the well-being of humanity’s current and future generations.

  Skirill squawked an alarm, alerting all the companions. Braden and Micah shook off their individual distractions and looked about. “Ess?”

  ‘Fighting. At the edge of the rainforest.’ He flew slowly past to show everyone what he saw. Amazonians were engaged with each other. Braden and Micah couldn’t tell them apart. It looked like every creature fought for himself.

  ‘They are killing each other, Master Human. We must stop them.’ Aadi said, his thought voice pleading.

  ‘I agree. We cannot allow this to go on,’ Brandt decided for them as he snorted once and ran toward the trees. Max and Pack followed in his wake at a full gallop. Braden and Micah held on for the ride, hoping the cart wouldn’t be damaged as it bounced along.

  Ears flat, G-War crouched low as he clung to the King’s head. Aadi bounced along behind Speckles as they raced over uneven ground.

  Brandt skidded to a stop at the very edge of the rainforest, raised his head and bellowed into the mass of Amazonians.

  Braden learned how loud the King’s voice could really be.

  Braden and Micah rode up to the Aurochs, stopping abruptly to jump off. They each pulled a blaster.

  “Stop!” Braden yelled, pointing his blaster haphazardly toward the Amazonians.

  A spear appeared out of nowhere. Braden dodged it. Micah fired a short burst at a point above where the spear originated. It scorched the bark of a tree, but didn’t start a fire. Braden looked at her in alarm, but she was calm.

  A second spear flew from the trees, this time at Brandt. Then a third. Brandt knocked the second spear away with a sweep of his horns, but the third spear hit his side and stuck there. He shook with fury. The spear flipped away from him as did G-War, who landed gracefully in the middle of surprised Amazonians. He bolted in an orange flash up the nearest tree.

  The King pawed the ground once and surged forward into a smaller tree, his back legs driving hard. As the tree cracked and went down, Amazonians scattered. Others weren’t impressed.

  Spears flew from both sides, peppering the Aurochs’ sides.

  “Get out of there!” Braden yelled as he unleashed the power of the blaster. Micah followed his lead less than a heartbeat later. Braden held the trigger down, sending a line of fire through the Amazonians he could see. Micah was firing single shots, short bursts, picking her targets carefully.

  But they were both on one side of the King of the Aurochs. The Amazonians on the other side were safe.

  Brandt’s eyes shot wide as the pain finally registered. He stumbled and pulled backwards trying to pull himself from the confines of the rainforest. The Amazonians moved forward tentatively to drive their spears into the Aurochs.

  The enraged Amazonians wanted to kill the great beast.

  Aadi floated upward quickly and once he saw the attackers, he let loose with his focused thunderclap. The Amazonians staggered, many fell, but others did not. A second group of Amazonians raced forward. Aadi wasn’t ready for a second thunderclap. He watched helplessly.

  But the second group wasn’t trying to attack Brandt. They speared the Amazonians who were helpless from Aadi’s attack.

  ‘They are friends! Help them!’ Aadi shouted over the mindlink. Braden stopped firing. The power of his blaster was dangerously low. Micah had conserved her power, so she ran, trying to get to the other side of the Aurochs. She swung wide behind him as he kept backing up.

  The attack from Brandt’s left side had been shattered, although if there were any friends, they counted among the dead as readily as their enemies. Braden ran forward, knowing he would have a shot as soon as Brandt cleared the trees.

  Braden was behind the Amazonians when Brandt was finally free. Turning his great head, his hooves ripped the ground as he ran back toward the grasslands.

  One Amazonian turned, saw Braden, and immediately thrust his spear at him. The human had been looking past this group toward their enemies. He was surprised and the spear jammed him in the chest, his tunic deflecting some of the blow. The speartip ripped through the special material and creased along his ribs, tearing his flesh as it passed.

  He went down, pulling the spear from the Amazonian’s hand.

  Two others joined the fight against the human, stepping forward to add more power to their spear thrust. G-War landed between the Amazonians and the human, then jumped into the face of the closest enemy. The surprise made the group hesitate. Braden snapped a quick shot with his blaster at the second attacker, blowing a ragged hole into his chest. He fell backward.

  G-War shredded the creature’s face, but the Amazonian was able to get a grip and throw the ‘cat to the side. But he could no longer see, his face covered in blood, one eye missing. G-War turned and leapt high. As he landed on the Amazonian’s shoulder, he slashed its throat and jumped away.

  “Aadi!” Micah yelled as she barreled into the rainforest to get between the Amazonians and her mate. She fired a few shots toward the Amazonians hovering at the edge of light within the rainforest. They lost their stomach for the fight and disappeared into the murkiness beyond.

  That left four Amazonians with clearly mixed loyalties.

  Braden stayed down. His chest hurt too much to move. As he looked at the Amazonians, he realized they weren’t friends at all. The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy. I only hate him a little bit less, Braden thought. After they dispatched their enemy Amazonians, they probably would have resumed the attack on Brandt.

  “Aadi?” Micah asked, her blaster pointed at the remaining Amazonians. They remained still, but their spears were leveled, at the ready.

  Aadi floated forward until he was in front of the group. He stayed there. As a fellow reptile, the Amazonians had an innate respect for him. As soon as they saw him, they stood their spears on end. Micah didn’t relax. She used the time to get into a better position to shoot them.

  Aadi spoke with the creatures. Micah stayed where she was, getting more and more anxious as time went by. Braden had not yet gotten up and his blood was spreading into a greater pool around him.

  A bleeding Brandt returned, probably summoned by the ‘cat, who had moved himself behind the Amazonians. Skirill flew in and perched on a branch directly over their heads. Micah finally put her blaster away and ran to her partner.

  “Sorry, lover. I was too slow,” Braden said weakly. He let her sit him upright so she could get his ruined tunic and shirt off. She was shocked by the wound. The cut wasn’t clean. It was a long gash that needed to be stitched, something she’d never done before. She pulled all the numbweed from her pouch and started packing it into the wound, helping Braden press down on it, which slowed the blood flow.

  She turned red with rage. Braden grabbed her arm and shook his head. “Two of those three are dead. These four might follow them into the great beyond, but not yet. Aadi, can you tell us something which might save their lives?”

  Micah looked at the group. One stood there without his spear. He was the one. Micah stood and pulled her sword.

  “Aadi?” Braden asked again.

  ‘Hold, Micah,’ Brandt’s thought voice boomed. She stopped moving toward the Amazonian, who stood his ground, head up. ‘They are telling Aadi about the war. We need to hear this and then we need to let these four go.’

  Micah looked at the Aurochs as if he had grown a third horn from the middle of his forehead.

  ‘We have fewer allies than you realize. If you consider New Sanctuary important and you want to see it again, you’
ll let these four go.’

  “I look forward to hearing more of that story, don’t you, Micah?” Braden asked, voice barely above a whisper. She took a deep breath and made a show of putting her sword away. “Help me up and let’s get out of here. Brandt needs some attention, too. Hey! Grab that numbweed bush, too.” Braden pointed with his right hand, still holding his side tightly with his left.

  That’s when Micah knew that Braden would be all right. He left a great deal of blood behind, but none of it was the dark blood of a deep wound. She got down on a knee so Braden could get his arm over her shoulder. They stood up together, Braden grimacing in pain, gasping for breath

  She kept him from falling down. She dropped the bush at the edge of the rainforest as she needed both hands to steady Braden. He seemed to be getting weaker with each step. ‘Skirill, can you bring the horses back?’ she asked in her thought voice. They’d run off during the fight. Skirill immediately took wing and flew toward the grasslands. Speckles was pulling the cart, so he wouldn’t be far.

  She put Braden against a lone tree away from the rainforest. G-War settled in next to his nearly unconscious human. Micah wanted to get him further away from the rainforest and their potential enemies. She needed the cart.

  Brandt stopped menacing the Amazonians and joined the humans by the tree. The Aurochs bled from numerous wounds on his sides, but none of them were deep. Some painful, but not life-threatening.

  Her neural implant pinged incessantly. While she waited for the cart, she maintained pressure on Braden’s wounds and opened the window. Holly sent a note saying that Braden’s life signs were alarming. She responded to him sarcastically, then simplified it to say that she was doing what she could.

  Holly used her view to assess the wound. He then recommended giving Braden water, as much as he could hold, then lay him down and keep him that way. Then she could close the wound. Holly recommended firing short bursts from her blaster at her sword, then use the heated metal on the cut. After that, she wouldn’t need to sew. She remembered that Braden had run out of thread earlier, sewing up the cow Aurochs. She couldn’t sew up the wound, no matter how much she wanted or needed to.