Free Trader Complete Omnibus

by Craig Martelle

  Braden’s blaster tore a scar across the closer Android as it started to move when he fired. He couldn’t hold the beam in one place. The Android pushed toward him. Braden let the trigger go briefly as he re-aimed and fired a beam into the rapidly approaching forehead. Braden saw the light go from the thing’s eye. It crashed into him, dead, but tore him from his perch.

  With one hand he pulled himself back upright to find the other Android on him. One hand pointed at his chest, unleashing a tight green beam. Braden’s clothes smoked but his protective armor kept the beam from burning through. He swung himself forward, leading with his feet and kicking the Android in the chest.

  The laser beam skipped away from his body and over his arm as the Android lost its aim. With its second hand, it grabbed Braden’s foot in its mechanically augmented grip. He yelped with pain, before aiming at the thing’s head and killing it.

  Aadi swam toward the furthest Android, which was actively doing something on its terminal. It stopped mid-stroke when Aadi’s thunderclap exploded its chest.

  Phil released himself from his chair and bent his legs for a powerful thrust toward Micah. Pik was ready for this and pushed forward. When the human’s muscles tensed, Pik drove his spear through the man’s back. Phil screamed and tried to free himself. Blood streamed into the air, floating in dark red globules. Pik watched as Phil’s struggles died down. He died quickly. Pik tried to pull his spear out but lacked leverage, until he lifted his feet and kicked Phil away from him. More blood flowed from the gaping wound into a puddle that floated with Phil’s dead body.

  Skirill made his presence known by flying across the sphere of the Bridge toward one of the remaining Androids. He crashed into the machine claws first, hoping to lift him away from his terminal. The Android stayed solid and grabbed one of the Hawkoid’s legs. He flung Skirill away as if he were a dead chicken. Feathers flew and Skirill tumbled against the screen that surrounded the Bridge. He pulled himself together as he sought a hand grip to hold.

  A screech from the hatch announced Zyena’s displeasure with the handling of her mate. She pushed off and flew toward the same Android. Micah reached out a hand and pushed the female Hawkoid off her line of travel as she passed. The Hawkoids were ineffective against the Androids, and Micah didn’t want Zyena to get hurt for no reason.

  G-War pulled himself along the handholds until he was close to the command chair. With one last pull, he floated into the Captain’s chest, where he embedded three claws and raised the fourth, threatening to slice the Captain’s throat. Treecia relaxed against the restraints holding him in the seat.

  Micah pushed off toward Skirill’s Android. Shooting her blaster as she flew in a line toward the machine. “Shoot like this--the aim holds true,” she yelled to Braden. He tried to follow her lead. When he pushed off, his ankle hurt more than he realized. His push went crooked. He caught a handhold and tried again, pushing with one leg. As he flew straight, the Android fired its laser beam at the same time Braden pulled the trigger. His beam hit the Android in the forehead. Its laser hit Braden’s hand, the one he used to stabilize the weapon. He flinched at the searing pain, pulled his aim down the Android’s face. He let up on the trigger just before the beam left the Android’s body. The damage was done.

  To both of them.

  The Android floated free. When Braden looked down, only stubs remained of the last two fingers on his left hand. The laser had burned through them both at the first knuckle.

  He kept looking at his hand, until he ran into a floating body. He stopped himself and looked around. The last Android was feverishly making hand motions and tapping the workstation screen. Aadi attacked him with the last of his focused thunderclaps. The thing bulged, but didn’t split. Its eyes went blank and it started drifting.

  Gill was free from his restraints and seemed ready to push off somewhere, but Micah froze him in place with her stare.

  She shook her head and he buckled himself back in.

  ‘Holly, I’m sorry to say that we were unable to capture any of the Androids. The good news is the Bridge is secure with no damage to critical systems.’ She looked around. ‘No damage to any of the systems. Now tell us what we need to do to get this thing aligned. Let’s go save some people.’

  37 – Controlling the Bridge

  “We’re going to align the ship and then we’re going to put it right back here, so you can continue your dismal existence doing nothing.” Braden looked hard at the old Captain Atwood. G-War continued to hang onto the oldster.

  “If you are willing to help, this will go so much better. Your Android masters are no more, so you’re in charge. You have to be in charge. So help us!” Braden wasn’t asking a question. He was in no mood for more intransigence. He watched the old man slump against his restraints.

  “I don’t know how. None of us know how. The Androids never taught us what this stuff does. They took care of everything.”

  Micah opened her neural implant and asked Holly what she needed to do so everyone could hear him. He told her that it was easier than that. The Bridge on the RV Traveler had a functioning holographic projection system. All she needed to do was type in the commands to give his program access.

  She powered up the system, typed the commands, and watched as Holly appeared, smiling and looking confident.

  “Good morning, everyone. You can call me Holly. I’m going to guide you through the steps you need to align the ship with Cygnus VI so we can activate the matter transfer system. I am quite well practiced with these maneuvers. I have the technical knowledge of the designers and the updates through the flight practices of the Traveler’s three millennia-long journey. Have no fear. We will do this without any issues.” Holly smiled broadly.

  Braden held a rag against the stumps of his fingers. G-War floated over and hooked a claw into Braden’s clothing. He rubbed against Braden’s face and purred. Braden tried to pet him, until he floated free, then frantically grabbed for the handhold.

  Skirill was fine. He lost a couple feathers, which Zyena treated as if he were near death. Pik held vigil by the hatch. He liked being closer to a place where he could put his feet on the ground. The corridor led to the magic room they called an elevator. And that took him to a place he liked.

  Aadi swam around, looking at things. The workstation of the last Android killed scrolled rapidly. ‘Master Braden, there seems to be something going on here.’

  “Holly? Can you look into that?” Braden stayed where he was, holding his hand. The pain was immense and he was sick to his stomach. He thought if he moved, he’d throw up.

  Holly disappeared from where he was and reappeared in front of the terminal. “I’m afraid I’ll need someone to take this terminal off line. Right now please!” he shouted.

  Pik pushed toward Holly, spear in front of him. As he got close he readied his thrust and drove it with all his upper body strength into the box that Holly was pointing at. It popped and sparked. The screen went blank. Pik held himself in place with his spear, looking closely at Holly. He looked one way, then the next. Finally, he reached out a green hand and put it through the hologram. He struggled to pull out his spear, standing on the box and launching himself toward the window screens when it came free. He found a handhold and starting pulling himself back toward his place by the hatch, keeping one of his large eyes always focused on Holly.

  Micah laughed softly. “That’s just Holly. He’s okay. He’s our friend. He doesn’t really have a body, though. You’ll get used to him, Pik.” The Lizard Man nodded noncommittally.

  Holly reappeared next to Gill and started giving him instructions on piloting the Traveler.

  Micah took the opportunity to join her partner. She looked over Braden’s hand, then applied the numbweed she always carried with her. He kept her from floating away as she slathered it on his fingers, then wrapped the bandage more tightly. The relief was instantaneous. G-War flew off, bouncing haphazardly off things as he slowly propelled himself around the Bridge.

&nb
sp; Micah gave Braden a long, slow kiss that promised more, then pulled herself toward the Captain.

  “We didn’t want to kill the Androids, but we prefer people over things. Those are the tough decisions you have to make when you’re President. Or you could have convinced them that we needed to do this to save twenty-three lives.” Micah tried to make her points calmly, but she could see Treecia’s growing agitation.

  “What about the thousands and thousands of lives aboard this ship? And what about us? Without the Androids, when we die, there will be no one to take our places. The ship is doomed, thanks to you.”

  “I think you underestimate Holly and the desire of humanity to carry on. Since you’ve told us that you serve no useful purpose here…” She let that linger. He immediately glanced at her holstered blaster, looking at it like it would jump out of its own volition.

  “Get something to capture Phil’s blood before it spatters everything and then gather up those bodies and wedge them somewhere.” He stayed where he was, making no move to follow her orders. As she balled her fist, Braden flew in and crashed into the Captain. With his good hand, he grasped the man’s collar and pulled himself in close.

  “I think the President told you to do something,” he growled. Treecia slowly undid his restraints and with well-practiced movements, pulled himself toward the rear bulkhead. He opened a panel, under Braden’s watchful eye, and pulled out a bag and a towel. He launched himself lightly toward the blood, which had consolidated itself into a single pool. As he slowly floated past, he wrapped the bag around the blood until it splashed into the bottom. The clone retched, thankfully into the bag. The remains of his vegetable omelet, hash browns, and wine splashed into the blood. He tied off the bag while gagging. Braden looked satisfied.

  The Captain looked daggers at Micah, who held her hands out as a way of saying sorry. Braden shrugged, feeling almost normal since the pain in his fingers was gone. The Captain could help clean up the bridge until the ship started moving. They’d take turns standing watch over the other humans until the transfer was complete, or Holly confirmed that he had full control.

  The ‘cat was playing with something at a distant console. With a back claw hooked into a chair, he batted something back and forth, then launched it toward Braden, floating after it as he flailed for more speed. Braden pushed away from a handhold, heading to intercept G-War’s new toy. The ‘cat’s eyes went wide, his legs splayed, paws spread with claws out as he floated through the open space. Braden locked his eyes on the object of G-War’s affection. He caught a handhold, then let it float to him. He was instantly disgusted. “Hey! This is one of my fingers. Is this a bite mark, G?” He gagged, bile rising into the back of his throat. “Were you trying to eat my finger?”

  The ‘cat hooked a claw into Braden’s clothing as he passed and pulled himself back to his human. ‘Of course not. Now give it back to me. I found it.’

  “No.” Braden stuffed it into his belt pouch. The stumps of his fingers started hurting again. He undid the bandage and rubbed on more numbweed. The pain didn’t go away. It must be in my head, he thought. He looked at the ‘cat’s big eyes as he floated there. ‘Damn, G! You are such a ‘cat.’

  G-War’s pupils grew large and his look softened into that of a lost kitten. ‘Stop it. I know you better than that,’ Braden said in his thought voice.

  ‘It was worth a try. So, what’s next?’

  They wanted to be at the aft end of the ship and ready to go when the time came. It had taken four full turns to get to the Bridge, and Braden suspected it would take as long to get back, unless they could transit using the pods and tubes that traveled not only between the core modules, but between the decks too.

  They’d check on that later. In the meantime, they had a lot of buttons to push since Holly, like the ‘cat, didn’t have fingers.

  38 – Taking Control of the Ship

  “Holly, do you know what that last Android was doing?”

  “I’m afraid I do, Braden. He was deleting commands and protocols to operate the ship. I will have to reload them before we can proceed.”

  “Do you have that stuff?” Braden asked. On Vii, when something complex was destroyed, it wasn’t easily replaced.

  “I can reconstruct the information. Do not worry. I will not move the ship until I know that it is under my complete control. There were multiple redundancies built into the control systems of the RV Traveler. I will trace them all and build a new primary control. It will have one less redundancy which leaves us with an acceptable risk of .oo31 percent.”

  “What’s that mean, Holly?” Micah asked, getting interested in the hologram’s repairs.

  “It means that we will accomplish this maneuver flawlessly, nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine times out of ten thousand.” Holly made hand gestures that didn’t mean anything to Braden or Micah. They both shrugged. It sounded like he knew what he was doing.

  “At each work station, as you help me gain access, I’m expanding my control over the ship. I’m now in a position to share my consciousness with the Resettlement Vessel. The Androids purged most of the old system. They made themselves critical to the continued functioning of the ship. With a planned three millennia journey, there is very little on this ship that isn’t automated. I will return it to that condition. Too bad that all Androids will have to be destroyed. It would be easiest if you could capture one so I can figure out how to get into their systems. Then their imminent demise may not be so imminent. I can enlist their help to return the ship to full functionality.”

  “You know, Holly, I’m not sure what you said, but it sounds positive, like things will go well here. Maybe you can fix some of the decks that have gone astray, too. That Deck 3 tried to kill us. It serves no useful purpose. Besides all that, it sounds like we’re on an Android hunt,” Braden said.

  Micah nodded. They didn’t need to recharge their blasters. They’d only taken a few short bursts. She thought of their next steps.

  Holly needed time to work with the ship. Gill was cooperating fully. As long as Aadi and Pik stood guard, he would continue to cooperate. Skirill and Zyena were better suited in the open air of the core decks. G-War needed to feel the ground under his furry paws. Even Pik would be better on solid ground, but someone needed to watch Aadi’s back, especially since he’d used his thunderclap twice, so he was spent. The humans didn’t know that and neither did Pik, but as long as Pik Ha’ar stood guard, the humans wouldn’t do anything untoward. Holly would know if they tried to sabotage any systems, but Braden didn’t think they had the knowledge to do it.

  “We’ll get you back to the Aviary soon, my friend, where you can hunt, fish, catch something fresh.” The Lizard Man nodded to Braden.

  They continued to make entries on various workstations. They jumped from one to the other, inputting access codes and helping Holly interface to take over each of the ship’s critical systems. At the same time, Holly was drilling Gill on flying the ship should something go wrong, because Holly hadn’t ruled out Android interference. With Gill, they set up a failsafe to fly the ship away from the planet. Once away from the planet’s gravity, they could fix critical systems, make adjustments, and return to orbit. If they failed the other way, everyone died.

  Once they’d activated enough systems, they sat back. Holly was starting to bog down. They couldn’t imagine the effort it took to fly a ship this large. In space, between a moon and a planet. Doing it all from thousands of kilometers away.

  39 – Hunting an Android

  They opened their neural implant windows together. ‘Holly, where do you suggest we go to find an Android?’

  ‘The Maintenance and Service spaces appear to be a good place to start. The elevator that opens into the corridor is on the center axis of the ship. The elevator can go any radial direction. Simply tell it which radial you want. The radial you’ve been using has been established as the default. It is the 185 degree radial. There are Maintenance and Service spaces starting at zero and ever
y five degrees after that. Tell the elevator which radial you want and it will take you there, to Deck 2, Deck 3, Deck 4, Deck 5, and the cryo shell. You can go between decks if you wish. All you have to do is tell it.’

  ‘Thanks for all that, Holly. Why don’t you just upload the more detailed map to our neural implants? We’ve only been using the general maps. Why didn’t you give us the more detailed maps?’ Braden was losing patience. He heard the words but couldn’t visualize what Holly was talking about. He needed to see it.

  Without further discussion, Holly started uploading the maps. They were highly detailed and it took Braden a great deal of shrinking, expanding, and panning in order to find where he was and where he wanted to go.

  “I see why Holly didn’t give these to us before. They’re a bit of a handful, aren’t they?” Micah said aloud. Braden crossed his eyes as he tried to make sense of them. Micah did the same. They both closed their windows when the headaches became too intense. They drank from their flasks, hoping the water would refresh them.

  They only needed one Android intact. In the closet where Treecia had gotten the bag, they found plastic zip ties. Holly considered these to be strong enough to restrain an Android. They took all of them.

  The question was, were Braden and Micah strong enough to restrain an Android while putting the zip ties on?

  They’d soon find out. They decided to start at zero, or straight up as the map showed.

  “Mister Elevator, Radial zero, Maintenance and Service space, please.” The elevator rotated slowly in place, then accelerated away from the central hub. “I expect there are crew quarters and all kinds of things on these radials. The map looks like it’s filled.”