Free Trader Complete Omnibus

by Craig Martelle

  I wish I would have thought of that. Braden wondered if the ‘cat shared his thought voice with the other humans or if it was solely for Braden’s benefit. The humans seemed calmer, whatever the reason.

  “I’m Free Trader Braden, Caretaker Braden. We wish to pass through your area on our journey beyond this…this…this area.” He didn’t know what to call it. They may not know they lived between Decks on a spaceship. They watched him oddly, cocking their heads like dogs as they looked at him in wonder.

  ‘Are there any more of them around?’ Braden asked the ‘cat.

  ‘Yes. Many more humans and animals. They are on both sides of the hallway, but ahead is relatively clear.’ G-War was more candid than usual. He probably wanted to get past this group and didn’t have the patience for the usual twenty questions.

  ‘Define relatively?’ Braden asked.

  ‘A few humans, some animals, the usual.’

  “So nothing dangerous as far as you can see. Don’t kill anything in here, G. We don’t want to wear out our welcome.” Braden talked out loud, but it didn’t appear these humans understood him.

  ‘Come on through, everybody,’ Braden passed over the mindlink.

  After a short delay, he heard the muted sounds of chopping. They grew louder and louder until the last of the brush was hewn and fell at his feet. Micah’s chest heaved with her efforts. She stepped through as the humans looked at the sword in her hand. They dropped to their knees before her.

  “Just like you did when you first met me,” she said, taking a deep breath.

  “Something like that.” He put his hand on her shoulder and they moved aside as Pik stepped from the heavy foliage, followed shortly by Aadi with the two Hawkoids standing on his armored shell. The strange humans remained prostrate. “I guess we can go now. Micah, why don’t you lead with G-War. It seems that you influence them better than I do. Just in case we run across more of them.”

  “Goes without saying. I think you just want me to hack down the forest. It’s been a while since I’ve done anything physical. It feels good.” She leaned toward the humans. “It was nice meeting you, but we have to go.”

  She continued past, followed closely by Pik and Aadi. Braden nodded to G-War, who caught up with her. Braden watched over the humans until the way forward was clear. He backed into the tunnel that Micah had made. After tripping once, he turned and watched his footing. In front of him, Zyena looked backward so he didn’t have to.

  ‘Thanks, Zee, for making sure no one sneaks up on me.’

  ‘It is the least I can do. No, I’m not sure I can do less. When will we see the open sky again?’ Zyena asked.

  ‘Not soon enough, Zee. Not soon enough.’

  47 – Devolved

  The deference wore off quickly, because the humans came after them.

  Braden checked in with Holly, who was surprised that the laboratory deck and the bioengineering facility had developed less capable humans and no other mutants. Braden let that go for now. He had other things to worry about.

  Like devolved humans armed with short carbon fiber spears and slings. Braden hadn’t seen any rocks lying around, but he knew better than to assume they didn’t have things to throw at him. He was surprised to find they had voices. They yelled, unintelligibly, but with a great deal of enthusiasm.

  ‘Aadi, if you would be so kind, can you drop that group behind us?’ Braden said over the mindlink. He wasn’t going fast, but was breathing hard from picking his way through the undergrowth.

  ‘I’m sorry, Master Braden, but I can’t turn around.’ Aadi’s thought voice forlorn as he struggled to move forward.

  Braden pulled his blaster and stopped. He didn’t think he’d start a fire because it was unnaturally wet on this subdeck, but he dialed for a narrow short burst and pulled the trigger. The beam hit in front of the lead human, flashing and creating a small cloud of steam. That’ll slow them down, Braden thought.

  It made them angrier, which Braden realized when a number of projectiles flew his way through the steam. One hit the armor of his shoulder, and it felt like he’d been hit with an arrow from a fully drawn bow. He saw a manmade projectile as it bounced away into the brush. He thought the others flew past harmlessly.

  Until he heard Zyena’s cry. She’d been hit in the chest with one of the thrown objects. She wore no armor. Braden hoped no bones were broken, but didn’t want the humans to get a second chance. He stood tall with his arms out, blocking her with his body. The humans were moving again and ready to let loose with another volley.

  He took careful aim and fired at the lead human. The beam reflected off his chest and into the trees beside Braden.

  “We have a problem!” Braden yelled as he holstered his blaster and pulled his shortsword.

  ‘I think there’s an opening up ahead. If I can get to it, we can turn around,’ Micah said. In the back of his mind, he heard her hacking furiously at the foliage, working to create a way ahead, a sanctuary for the companions.

  Braden chose to stand in a narrow gap. Two heavy trees were on either side of him. He waved his sword before him, knowing that the humans had the advantage with their spears.

  They moved toward him, staying out of sword range as they unleashed one last volley from their slings. At that range, they couldn’t miss.

  At the last second, Braden threw his left arm over his face, continuing to use his body to block the tunnel that led to the companions behind him. He gasped in pain as the projectiles drove into him. His leg threatened to give out from the impact on his shin, but worst was the shot to the groin.

  He fell backward and rolled his knees to his chest. His shortsword lay forgotten in the undergrowth beside him. He cringed, expecting a spear point to drive through his armor.

  But killing him wasn’t their goal. They pinned him to the ground with their spears, while a smaller human unholstered his blasters. They took both of them and backed away. Braden tried to get up, but the pain held him back. His ankle started hurting again. The Android’s laser line across his arm burned afresh. Even the scar across his ribs from the Amazonian spear attack ached.

  The group of humans looked at him oddly. He couldn’t move. The pain was overwhelming. He rolled to the side and retched, then held himself tightly as he lay there in the fetal position, whimpering like an infant.

  The humans stopped pointing their spears at him. Whether it was pity or that their job was done, he wouldn’t know. They turned and walked away. He watched through tear-filled eyes as they receded into the foliage that seemed to fill in the gap as they passed.

  The further they got from him, the less he felt the pain. His body returned to him along with a feeling of exhaustion, so tired he couldn’t move a finger. He closed his eyes and slept.

  48 – Alone and Afraid

  “Braden. Braden?” The voice sounded familiar. Where had he been? It was dark. Were his eyes closed? He tried to raise a hand to wipe the sleep from his eyes, but his arm refused to move. He tried to move his head, but it felt too heavy.

  “Come on back. Come on back to me, lover.” Thick cobwebs kept him from waking. He struggled, but each time he approached the dawn, night dragged him back. He was too tired. He surrendered to the night.

  Until the dawn approached again. He felt stronger. He took a deep breath and his chest responded, expanding with the refreshing air. His mind cleared as he stretched his neck. He opened his eyes to the darkness. He tried to raise his hand and it responded. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and opened them again.

  Still dark.

  ‘He’s awake,’ spoke a voice from within his mind. The familiar voice of an old friend.

  “G-War? Is that you? Why can’t I see you?” He heard boots splashing through puddles, brush being shoved aside as a light appeared and shone toward him.

  “Braden! You’re awake.” A dark figure stood behind the beam as the light shone in his face. He waved a hand, trying to push the light away. It dropped toward his chest as a hand reached out to cup
his face. It was tender, a familiar touch. He pushed the light upward until Micah’s relieved expression smiled back at him.

  “Micah. What happened?” He caressed her face, bathing in her warmth.

  “I broke through into an open area, then Pik and I came back. We found you curled up, vines and trees starting to grow over you. We cut them away, but they fought back. Pik pulled on you while I cut the growth away, until he was finally able to carry you. The path I’d cut was growing in. Crazy how fast it grew. We had to crawl the last few strides to the open area, dragging you between us. That was two turns ago.”

  “Two turns?” Braden said for himself. It all came back to him. The humans with their short spears and their slings. The pain! Was it real? “They got my blasters.”

  “It’s okay. They were coded for our hands, so they can’t use them. We will make do.” She breathed a sigh of relief. G-War rubbed his furry ‘cat body against Braden’s face.

  “You smell, G.” Braden’s revelation did nothing to dampen G-War’s spirit. He purred as he walked across Braden’s chest to rub the other side of his human’s head.

  “That’s probably me,” Micah said. “I think we need to get moving. Holly was able to speed up the transfer. He estimates that the first group from Cygnus VI will be here in a turn. We won’t be there, but at least we’ll be moving again.”

  “The Androids?” Braden asked cautiously.

  “Holly says the activity on subdeck 7 has picked up. As Holly controls more and more of the ship’s systems, the Android’s are attacking him.”

  “How does that work? Androids can attack a hologram?” Braden was confused. The fog was working its way back into his brain.

  “He called them cyberattacks. Something about sending programs through the computer systems and the programs fight each other to gain or retain access. These battles aren’t fought in a world we can see. Holly assured me that he’s winning, but I didn’t like the sound of it. I think if we see an Android, we need to kill it.”

  Braden shook his head, but the movement hurt, so he stopped. Micah handed him a flask and he drank it all. She handed him something dark. He sniffed it. Meat. He took a tentative bite. It was tough and dry, but he chewed it and ate the rest. She handed him an energy bar from her pack. He ate that, too. Then he drank more water.

  His head cleared, and he felt like a new man. He stood, a little shaky at first, until his muscles cooperated. Then he stretched out. He was stiff, but felt unharmed. His ankle no longer hurt, but he felt the bruises where the projectiles had hit. He ran his hands over the marks while Micah shined the flashlight on him. She held a metal object in her other palm.

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s what they were throwing with the slings. Holly called it a nut.” She wrinkled her nose.

  “It doesn’t look like a nut. Although one hit pretty close to one, huh?” He laughed at his own joke. She didn’t get it. Then he remembered why he stood tall, letting himself get hit with these nuts. “How’s Zyena?”

  “She’s fine, just bruised, like you. There’s still no space for them to fly, so they’ve been standing on the ground and exercising their wings. They’ll be ready whenever we can get out of this god-forsaken area and into one of the real Decks.” Micah’s discomfort was obvious.

  He pulled her close and held her. She thought she’d lost him, and then she thought they were trapped. The companions kept her company, but they could do nothing to assuage her fears. When the mutant humans left, they took the light with them. Micah and the companions carried Braden, in the dark, with the growth of the subdeck attempting to seal them in.

  She had talked with Bronwyn and the twins, but all she managed to do was make them afraid that their parents wouldn’t return.

  That’s enough, he thought. ‘Holly, find us an elevator to a subdeck that isn’t blocked, and do it right now!’

  ‘Master Braden! It’s so nice to have you back with us. There is an elevator thirty meters aft. Take it to Subdeck 1. This is a maintenance area only. There will be piping, conduits, machinery, and Maintenance Bots. There may be Androids, but nothing like on Subdeck 7.’ 24:57. Without responding, Braden closed the window.

  “Elevator. Thirty strides that way. Subdeck 1 awaits. We’ll fight our way aft. We go and we go fast.” Braden picked up his gear and arranged it properly around his body. Pik approached and they grasped hands. Aadi swam close, too, and was rewarded with a hearty neck rub. The Hawkoids hopped into the small room that had been Braden’s home for the past two turns. He gave each of them a scratch on their neck feathers. Micah watched, smiling.

  She’d already found the elevator and cleared it. She was only waiting for Braden to return to health before they tried a different subdeck. She felt a surge of energy that mirrored her reinvigorated mate. She agreed; it was time to go, and she was ready.

  49 – Maintenance Subdeck

  When the elevator door opened onto the well-lit subdeck, Braden walked out with his bow held firmly and an arrow nocked. He turned quickly one way, then the other, as he looked down the shaft of his arrow for targets. It looked similar to the factory level at New Sanctuary. The walls were clearly marked with frame numbers. They entered at Frame 8300. The aft bulkhead was near Frame 6000.

  They’d only moved two and a half kilometers aft in the past four turns. According to the map provided by his neural implant, they had triple that distance to go before arriving at the aft bulkhead of the forward core section. His head hurt thinking about it.

  Micah took the lead, with one blaster in hand, and started jogging, watching the frame numbers get smaller as she passed. Aadi held on to a rope tied to her pack, while Pik shambled after her, pushing Aadi as necessary to keep them moving forward at a quick pace.

  Braden felt free as he jogged behind. G-War stayed with him, keeping him company.

  Keeping him safe.

  They passed Maintenance Bots doing routine work on mechanical systems. They passed open areas where large machines churned out new piping and new parts. They watched as materials moved around the deck on self-guided carts. Everything operated efficiently. There was no human intervention.

  Holly was pleased with the operation on this subdeck. It gave him hope that the ship would remain functional for the foreseeable future. It fit into his long-term plan for the Cygnus system, a plan that Holly had not shared with the President or Braden. He didn’t think they were ready for it. The survivors from Cygnus VI would figure prominently, especially with their new space travel technology. The time would come soon when they had to talk. He wanted the humans to agree with his plan, but conceded that he would do as the President ordered.

  It would not be like last time. Holly could not let the humans destroy themselves. There was far too much work to do. He had the infinite patience of an inanimate object, but he also preferred keeping to his timeline.

  He would continue to earn their trust and then make his well-reasoned argument for space exploration when the time came. He allowed a window of five years to broach the subject. First, he needed to see the humans survive the Traveler. Those pesky Androids were taking more and more of his resources. He needed the companions to find their central nexus and destroy it.

  So he directed them closer with each step they took.

  According to Holly’s timer, the companions covered the next two and a half kilometers in thirty minutes.

  They found a break area that hadn’t been used since the ancients left the ship. They refilled their flasks after running water to clear the pipes. Despite that, everything worked like it was supposed to, the benefits of being on the Maintenance Subdeck. There was a fabricator in the break room, so Braden tried it. He was dying for a brownie. He ordered two, because Micah liked them as well.

  They tasted funny, but were good enough. If they ordered another twenty, then maybe the system would purge itself like the water pipes had, but Braden wasn’t willing to waste the time. They geared up and prepared to run the rest of the way, committing t
o stopping only when they reached the aft bulkhead.

  The first laser beam hit Micah’s armor two steps outside the door to the break room. She dodged right, covering her head with her arm, and pulled her blaster as she dove for cover. Pik was only one step behind Micah when the lasers hit him. The laser beams burned through this soft skin and into his body, as he wore no armor. His momentum carried him forward as he crumpled to the deck.

  Skirill launched himself from Aadi’s back, flying left, away from the Androids that stood in the passageway before them. He flew under and around pipes, putting metal between him and the laser beams. Zyena followed him closely in an impressive display of aerobatic flying.

  Braden leaned out the door with his bow fully drawn as he looked for a target, quickly finding one. The arrow seemed to launch itself as it flew tightly, drifting slightly off line because of the ship’s rotation. It hit the Android outside the eye socket, viciously twisting the thing’s head.

  It turned back, showing the scar along the metal and synthetic skin of its temple. Braden’s second arrow was already on its way. He compensated for the drift and the arrow drove deep into the Android’s head. It fell over backwards, out of commission.

  Braden ducked behind the door, joining G-War still in the room. His two shots took less than two heartbeats. Laser beams danced on the door frame, where he had been moments before. Micah’s blaster responded with short controlled bursts.

  ‘How many are there?’ Braden asked over the mindlink.

  ‘I see four remaining,’ Skirill responded. The Hawkoids maneuvered to get behind the Androids.

  Aadi stopped trying to move. He tucked his head and legs in and floated with his side to the Androids, hoping his armor would protect him. If Aadi turned to use his focused thunderclap, the Androids would have a clean shot at his head. He couldn’t attack them until they were distracted and firing elsewhere. But they didn’t need his thunderclap as the humans had things under control.