Free Trader Complete Omnibus

by Craig Martelle

  ‘Once I heard of their existence, I could think of nothing else. I saw Aurochs from one horizon to the other, striking fear into the hearts of their enemies and sharing a nice vegetable patch with their friends. But then we get here…’ His thoughts drifted away.

  ‘Sometimes wanting isn’t as good as having, my large friend,’ G-War jumped in. ‘I think we will not see one of the original Earthshaker Herd pulling a wagon again. These newcomers must earn their way to something better, will they not?’

  Brandt looked back to see the progress selecting the three strong young backs who would take over the wagon-pulling duties.

  The Queen trotted around the group, chasing many back to grazing before arriving at the three young bulls who had tried to challenge the King. She selected them as the volunteers to accompany Brandt. You will work hard and I will teach you, then you will pass the work to someone else, who will learn and become something more, Brandt thought to himself.

  ‘My small orange friend. You are right, and I will say that I was wrong. Everyone must contribute, everyone must know what it’s like to carry the load for the others, whether it is pulling a wagon, or standing on my back to protect me from the Bat-Ravens. I think that makes us different. Not because we were born better, but because we worked to be better. We helped others, not to get something for ourselves, but because it was the right thing to do. And that is today’s lesson. I didn’t want to challenge the bull to lead this herd, but I had to. We are more than just creatures who graze an open field.’ They left Brandt to his thoughts as he watched them all. The tall grass was over the twins’ heads as they waded through, suddenly taken with climbing on Brandt’s head and swinging from his horns.

  ‘We are all children, you said,’ Brandt repeated back to Micah, seeing the deeper meaning.

  ‘We may be children, but we really want to hunt a water buffalo,’ Bounder said to anyone who would listen.

  Recovery

  The Rabbits had to be carried back into the wagon after feasting on the lush grasses of the southern plain, or as Holly called it, Toromont’s Run. The horses also grew lethargic after eating the grass. Brandt finally settled into grazing and realized that it wasn’t from overeating. The grasses were different.

  Before he became too addled, he begged Braden and Micah to lead them away from that place. With Brandt’s direction, they tightened the harness on one of the young bulls as much as they could. Braden didn’t think it was tight enough, as it hung loosely on the small body. In Brandt’s mind, it was good enough. He directed the newcomer until he was facing north, keeping the other two close, and they started moving from the plains with the overly green grass. Brandt jogged to get the blood flowing and that helped clear his head.

  Max and Speckles fell behind, no matter how much Braden and Micah prodded them. They walked as if half-asleep. The newcomers seemed clearheaded, but they’d been eating the grass their whole lives. Braden wondered if that was the reason they were smaller and didn’t appear to be as intelligent as Brandt and those from his herd.

  The Wolfoids had been running all morning, so they were riding with the sleeping rabbits and the active children. G-War was also in the cart in case Brandt had to deliver a lesson to one of the other Aurochs. The ‘cat didn’t want to be riding on Brandt’s head if he locked horns with one of the younger and smaller beasts.

  Aadi had wedged himself into the wagon as usual and the Hawkoids flew ahead. It took a great deal of urging to get out of the tall grasses of Toromont’s Run. Once in the shorter, brown grasses of the foothills, Braden called a stop. They made camp so everyone could rest and those who had eaten the grass could try to recover, get back to being their old selves. Braden was angry at the effect it had on his friends. It was almost like they’d eaten numbweed.

  “All is not as it seems, eh?” he asked Micah. She shook her head while making sure the Rabbits were comfortable. The horses laid down as soon their riders were off. Brandt stomped around until his head cleared. He headed for a nearby stream that the Hawkoids had pointed out, taking the other Aurochs with him. He drank heartily from it, encouraging the others to drink as well. They said in their simple way that they rarely drank from open water sources as the grasses gave them all they needed.

  Brandt told them that the grasses were holding them back. Once their heads cleared, he looked forward to seeing them change. Although maybe they wouldn’t because they were born and raised on the grasses. Brandt suspected the damage could be permanent. He determined that future generations needed to be raised somewhere other than Toromont’s Run.

  Braden knew where to go to forestall future meltdowns. “G, next time you let us know if someone is having a hard time. We’re all friends here,” Braden scolded the scruffy-looking Hillcat.

  ‘It’s good that you recognize I know everything, but everyone gets their privacy, too. Everyone except you, that is. It is my distinct pleasure to share your discomfort as widely as possible. I met a squirrel the other day who was particularly interested in how you passed out during the birth of your children,’ G-War taunted.

  Micah snickered and then nodded, understanding how astutely G-War had made his point. If Braden wanted to know, he had to be more observant and ask better questions of each of the companions.

  Or Micah could help him. Most of the time he was a visionary, motivating others to incredible feats. And there were times where he was dense as a post, like the fact that he hadn’t noticed for moons that she was pregnant.

  ‘I will be his eyes and ears in matters of emotion, Prince Axial De’atesh. If you were closer, I’d rub your belly.’ Micah was better equipped to thrust and parry in verbal jousts with the ‘cat.

  While Brandt talked with his three apprentices, everyone else waited on those sleeping. Braden wondered what was in the grass that affected the companions in such a way. He searched through the back of the wagon and found some remnants that had fallen from the Rabbits’ mouths. He collected these and folded them into a leaf, then stuffed that into his pouch. Holly would be able to analyze it for him.

  The horses were first to awaken, followed much later by the Rabbits. The twins could feel the angst of their white furry friends, so they stayed close to them, helping them stagger to the stream for fresh water. Micah watched Ax and ‘Tesh, outweighed five-fold by the Rabbits, trying to help them walk. The horses stumbled their way to the stream and shamelessly stood within its cool waters while dunking their noses deeply when they drank.

  Since nightfall approached and they were already camped, Braden built a fire to keep them warm. There was nothing nearby to hunt, according to G-War, so they ate of smoked venison and the last of the wild green beans.

  “We’ll find something next turn and if we don’t, hey, we’re only four or five turns from New Sanctuary, if we go fast.” Braden smiled at his own joke. Micah gave him a stern look, knowing that she wouldn’t let the twins go that long without eating. She’d let them gnaw parts off their father while he was sleeping if he kept up the suffering traveler routine.

  “I heard that,” Braden said, proud of himself that he heard her thoughts clearly without trying. Then he realized that he’d been manipulated by a master.

  “Okay, I hear everyone loud and clear! Tomorrow, we find more food, good food that doesn’t knock people off their feet. We hunt and we cook a good meal,” he said to all creatures, great and small. “We leave at first light.”

  The Road to Sanctuary

  A good night’s rest helped them to better welcome a new day. The twins ate the remaining food, softened for them by their mother.. When their parents weren’t around, the toddlers drank Aurochs milk. That wasn’t an option here as only bulls traveled with the group.

  There was no food for the adults. The Aurochs and the Rabbits scrounged some short grass, but they remained wholly unsatisfied. The Rabbits laughed about it, saying they could stand to lose some weight, but Braden suspected that they were more fuzzy than fat.

  The Hawkoids caught field mice and we
re pleased at being the best hunters in the group, if only for a brief time. Neither Aadi nor G-War had to eat every day. They could go without for days, if need be. The Wolfoids were hungry, just like the humans.

  They left at a quicker pace than normal as they sought the hills where trees grew and they hoped deer would be plentiful. The Wolfoids loped alongside the wagon, but ran out of energy not long after the sun started its climb. They leapt into the back of the wagon while it was slowly rumbling upward.

  The young Aurochs was not anywhere near as strong as Brandt, but he knew that and that’s why he asked for three of the smaller Aurochs to fill in for him. They would get stronger as they went as long as they were able to feed. By midday, the third young Aurochs was strapped into the harness and pulling for all he was worth. Brandt stopped the group. He talked with the young bulls about how to keep the wagon moving with the least effort.

  ‘We pull shorter time,’ the one called Denon offered.

  ‘Two pull,’ Lomen suggested. ‘Need more harness.’

  ‘We only have what we have. What else can we do?’ Brandt asked, a twinkle in his eye. The humans watched, wondering what his teaching point was.

  ‘One pull, two push,’ said Malo, the young bull that was last to face Brandt in the challenge to lead the herd. Brandt nodded approvingly. Maybe the effects of the strange grass weren’t permanent.

  ‘Let’s try one pushing to start off, just to be sure it can work,’ Brandt said, directing Malo to push first. The King suspected the young bull would learn more quickly than the other two and be able to help them learn.

  The caravan resumed its journey as one bull pulled and one gently pushed. They made better progress and quickly gained elevation. They entered the edge of the forested area, but kept going at G-War’s urging. The Hawkoids flew overhead, searching for anything that looked edible. They saw squirrels and wild rabbits but nothing that looked fit for the Aurochs or the Rabbits.

  When the ‘cat told them to stop and which way to go, the Wolfoids were out of the back and off like an arrow speeding toward its target. Braden had just gotten down from Max and was readying his bow when the Wolfoid howls signaled the kill had been made. Micah looked at him and shrugged, pulling out her knife so they could clean their dinner.

  The Rabbits hopped into the trees to search for something they could eat and maybe add to the meal for the others. The Aurochs walked along the ditches on the side of the road, eating the sparse but healthy grasses. Aadi swam in the Aurochs’ wake, eating bugs of various sorts that were exposed after their hooves tore up the grass and dirt. G-War simply waited for the food to be brought to him. He kept an eye on the twins while all the others worked.

  That meant he played catch-the-‘cat, running around and over them while they tried to grab his tail. In the end, it turned out that he expended more energy than the rest of the companions. The Rabbits made multiple trips back and forth between the forest and the wagon, bringing spinach by the armloads, beets, radishes, leaks, and even a couple squash. After they’d picked two days’ worth of meals, they told Brandt where they had gone. The four Aurochs happily cleaned out what remained, leaving nothing for the horses. The Rabbits shook their heads, ears flapping, and they hand-fed the horses spinach and beets. If Bronwyn were there, she would have heard Max’s and Speckles’ express their gratitude.

  They feasted that night, celebrating life and friendship. They welcomed the three young Aurochs who knew of nothing beyond the green plains where they were born and raised. Brandt had thrown their world into chaos. They also looked at the world through clear eyes for the first time in their lives. They found that they liked it.

  They liked it all.

  New Sanctuary

  Braden’s caravan continued through the hills. With the push-pull effort for the cart, they never struggled to keep it moving. Being well-fed gave them the energy to move quickly. Braden looked at their location using his neural implant. They didn’t have much farther to go before they’d arrive on the outskirts of the destroyed city and factories previously known as Sanctuary.

  “You walked this when you were little?” Braden asked when he remembered that Micah had told him she’d seen the city for herself before she took him there.

  “Yes, it took us most of a moon’s cycle to get there and back home. We walked and hunted, scrounged vegetables. The usual. I have to say that I am traveling in comfort now. It seemed an impossible distance back then,” Micah answered.

  “But why? Why would your family bring the youngsters from the village all the way to Sanctuary? Couldn’t they just share the story of the destroyed city?”

  “Once every ten cycles, they go. It is part of who we are to understand where we came from. You saw how Trent thrived while Cornwall suffered. Trent has the stronger culture, but one piece of Old Tech gave Cornwall the advantage that they held over us. The trip to Sanctuary reinforced the evil of Old Tech and the ancients.” She laughed and patted her blaster. “And here we are, carrying Old Tech and working with the equipment the ancients left behind.”

  “Evil isn’t things. Only people do evil. Machines are just machines,” Braden said, emphasizing his philosophy that evil exists.

  “One word,” Micah countered. “Androids.”

  “Okay! You got me there. The Androids were evil until Holly made them un-evil? Evil-less? Evil-free? Is there a word for that?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think of them as good. I don’t know how much control Holly has over them. They still give me the willies. I hope I never see another one. As a matter of fact, let me ask about my personal Android.” Micah’s eyes unfocused as she opened her neural implant to talk with Holly.

  He answered right away as he always did. ‘You said something about an Android assistant for the President? If you’re working on that, stop. I don’t want one.’

  ‘Yes, Master President, you told me that before, when you were still on the ship. I heard you loudly and clearly. There is no Android assistant in the works for you,’ Holly said joyfully. ‘Before you sign off, Master President, please share with Braden that Pik Ha’ar’s clone will reach full maturity in another four days. After that, it would be best if you met him on the ship and escorted him to the planet. The transition from the ship will be less traumatic that way. A new clone is fragile for the first few weeks after their release from the tank.’

  Micah hung her head, taking long, slow breaths. Braden lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes, learn what was wrong.

  “I could really use a brownie,” she said. He waited. “And Holly says we have to go to the ship and personally escort Pik Ha’ar back here.”

  “Oh, what the crap? We don’t have to move the ship or anything, do we? Just go up there, puke our guts out, twist ourselves sideways while we walk, and then meet the Androids who tried to kill us but since have resurrected our friend, who may not recognize us. What is he not telling us?”

  “I guarantee he’s not telling us something, but we won’t figure that out until we get there,” Micah snorted, continuing to shake her head.

  “Nope. I don’t want to go there either, but we have to do everything we can to win this war. Pik will give us an edge, an edge that we need. HOLLY! You are such a butthole!” Braden bellowed. The children stopped to watch him, then continued playing patty-cake with the Rabbits.

  On the fourth sunrise after leaving Toromont’s Run, the broad expanse of the destroyed city of Sanctuary lay before them. The eastern road entered the valley over a small rise, showing them most of the area. They looked north to where they could see the tops of the rainforest’s trees, but not the gap where the road could be found. It would take at least another turn before they arrived at New Sanctuary.

  They had much to discuss with Holly and the survivors from Cygnus VI before departing for the ship. The Wolfoids would want them to bring more of their people back. The Rabbits would want more of their people, too. Maybe even Pik Ha’ar would want to bring someone. They knew for sure they wouldn’t
bring any of the Androids to Vii. What would happen if Holly lost control of them there? Braden shuddered to think about it.

  He slept poorly that night and the next.

  When they finally arrived at New Sanctuary, they were all tired and hungry, but New Sanctuary could always provide food and a place to rest. Once Micah had the three additional Aurochs accepted into the database by the Security Bots, they entered the oasis and each went their own way. Everyone had their favorite. A Development Unit chased after the Aurochs to limit their damage, while the Rabbits scooted in behind to help themselves to the choicest fresh vegetables.

  Braden and Micah took the twins to the Presidential Suite, waving at the other humans as they passed. Once inside with the door closed, they stripped out of their old clothes and went swimming in the pool. Braden ordered up three brownies while Micah held the children on her chest as she floated around. When the brownies arrived, she balanced them on the edge of the pool and they all enjoyed the treats. The children wanted more, but their mother wouldn’t let them gorge on the good stuff without eating a proper meal first. She fed them while the adults ate their favorite, cheese omelets with hash browns.

  After dinner, they realized they were exhausted from traveling. They could accomplish nothing that night, so they prepared to put the twins to bed, but the children started making a fuss. Neither G-War nor the rabbits were there. They never slept by themselves and with the mindlink, they were never alone. They always had the comforting thoughts of the companions. Micah looked longingly at the big, soft bed, grabbed the pillow, and wrapped her robe tightly around herself. Braden did the same and they headed into the hallway, up the stairs, and outside.