Free Trader Complete Omnibus

by Craig Martelle

“Pik, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that you are spending too much time contemplating your wet navel,” Braden replied. Pik’s expression was unreadable, but Braden thought he saw a slight cock of his head. Maybe he was rubbing off on the Lizard Man.

  Micah lifted the clan from the wagon so everyone could stand in the rain. Despite not being able to read the expressions on their faces, Pik’s and Dal’s joy at seeing the twins was obvious as they picked them up and held them while the group talked. Two small ‘cats rubbed against the Lizard Men’s legs and two Rabbits, heads thigh high, leaned against the humans.

  The group talked about things past and present. They talked about everything and nothing as friends do after a long absence. The companions made camp, sleeping in a pile under the cart in the middle of the road where the ground was least wet, while the Lizard Men stood watch over them. When they awoke, more refreshed than usual when sleeping in the rain, Pik and Dal had a small fire going under the large branch of a nearby tree where they cooked a large lizard that they’d killed nearby.

  Braden looked at Micah. She shrugged and shook her head. They had both spent a full moon in the rainforest and didn’t know such lizards existed.

  No one seemed to care that it was a lizard as everyone happily dug into the strips of cooked meat. G-War avoided it entirely, and his furry children followed their father’s lead in turning up their noses. The Rabbits shied away too, never eating meat. The Hawkoids were happy to try the lizard and enjoyed it, then scoffed at G-War’s refusal.

  Even Aadi tried some. Despite the rain and the damp of the rainforest, good friends always bring sunshine.

  Pik, Dal, and Akhmiyar were traveling back and forth between all the villages along the rainforest road to help them integrate the Overlords’ warriors back under Zalastar’s leadership. It required their constant attention to prevent violence by one Amazonian against another.

  Another thing they were doing was taking a census, getting an idea of how many Amazonians there were. From Pik’s initial counts, he suggested that there could be five thousand Lizard Men scattered throughout the Amazon, most of whom avoided contact with others.

  Maybe someday they’d let themselves be seen and join the community of their brothers. Pik was singularly focused on one nation of Lizard Men, working as he’d never done before, to unite his people, as Braden had done with the humans and all intelligent creatures. Pik exuded hope in his mission to improve all their lives.

  Reunion at New Sanctuary

  The rain accompanied the caravan the rest of the way through the rainforest, and that was the extent of the excitement. It took five turns to complete their drive, before they saw the sunshine again. Max and Speckles couldn’t pull as fast as an Aurochs, unfortunately.

  They were surprised that no other Amazonians made an appearance. Akhmiyar suggested that some would like to greet Aadi and his companions, practice trading, and get used to interacting with the other intelligent creatures of Vii.

  Pik had told them it was their destiny to be equals with the humans. To help themselves, they needed to show they weren’t afraid. Braden told him that they were already equals, which Pik agreed with, but said they the Amazonians were holding themselves back. They all laughed when Pik suggested to Brandt that he try to look less intimidating, although Pik knew the source of the Lizard Men’s angst. They were created by the humans to do their bidding.

  It seemed that they weren’t quite over their innate mistrust and fear of the humans.

  Braden shook it off. Pik would keep at it and eventually, they’d overcome their hesitation. Then they would truly be equal.

  The companions were always overjoyed when the rain stopped. It meant they were close to leaving the confines of the rainforest. It was also the point when the Hawkoids flew the green tunnel to the freedom of the open skies.

  Even Max and Speckles hurried toward the sunshine ahead. Brandt ran at full speed, pounding away from the caravan until he basked in the bright light of day, stinking as only a wet Aurochs could.

  As the cart raced onto the rolling plains leading to the Sanctuary ruins, the twins politely asked Speckles to stop so everyone could dry out. Braden and Micah appreciated the break as they were soaked to the skin. Ax and ‘Tesh started taking off their clothes before they were helped down from the cart. G-War took Shauna and Klytus hunting, insisting that each of them get a squirrel before they could return.

  Braden and Micah stripped bare, knowing that before long the children would be too old for such displays. But until then, they did as they always had.

  The Rabbits bounded into the plentiful greenery that existed at the edge of the rainforest, looking for anything fresh to eat. The Amazon’s torrential rains were always such a trial for any of the Rabbits. Ferrer and Brigitte were already legends among the Rabbit population for their exploits in the rainforest during the War for the Amazon, being able to survive for a full moon, keeping the child Bronwyn safe, and returning without a scratch.

  They stretched while Brandt dug into the foliage, competing with the Rabbits for the choicest bits, although he was letting them win while they raced to and fro.

  The Hawkoids danced in the sky far overhead.

  The twins screamed and started running toward the cart as fast as their little legs could carry them. Braden and Micah turned and bolted as one to intercept Ax and ‘Tesh. A loud snort came from the underbrush as something heavy crashed through. A wild boar, larger than normal, appeared in the bushes, running parallel to the plains. It continued to run, crazed by the pain from the claws and fangs of two small Hillcats clinging to its back.

  G-War vaulted into the open and ran to get in front of the boar before disappearing back into the greenery. A horrible squeal soon followed.

  The wild boar ripped back through the bushes and into the open. It now had three ‘cats hanging from it. The large orange one wrapped tightly around its neck was rapidly delivering its death slashes. The boar staggered from the loss of blood, wedging into the ground as it fell. All three ‘cats jumped, landing gracefully on their feet. Klytus sprinted back to the attack, slashing the dead creature further. Shauna immediately started cleaning her face as ‘Tesh ran toward her, ready to comfort her little princess.

  G-War nodded toward the adults, requesting that they clean the animal and prepare it for the evening meal. Braden looked at his naked partner, wondering if she would be the first to go back to the cart for her knife.

  “You know I can hear you, right?” Micah told him.

  “Crap! Okay, I’ll get them,” Braden conceded. Their clothes were far too wet to put back on. “This will be a first.”

  G-War hauled his son off the carcass, dragging him to the side. ‘You have to go for the neck. You see what happens when you jump on their back! I thought I taught you better than that,’ he scolded in a gentle thought voice.

  Ax had picked up a stick and was heading for the boar. Braden was back at the cart digging out the knives and Micah was with ‘Tesh. As fast as the toddler could run, holding his stick like a spear, he barreled into the downed boar. The stick broke apart and the Ax’s momentum carried him face first into the carcass. He rolled over the top and lay in the grass, naked and crying.

  Klytus was there in a heartbeat to help his bonded human. They’d both failed that day in the hunt. Ax pulled the half-Hillcat to him in a comforting hug.

  “Did you do that with G, when he was a little kitten?” Micah purred.

  “He was never a kitten. Here,” Braden said brusquely as he handed Micah her knife, feeling the warmth of the sunshine and his family.

  Aadi watched it all from the shade of the rainforest, studying and learning as each parent took pride in their children.

  A New Plan

  They spent the rest of that daylight on the edge of the Amazon, letting their clothes dry while smoking the remainder of the pork for future travel or even for trade.

  Braden’s caravan arrived at New Sanctuary around midday on the next turn after a quick run f
rom where they’d camped. They were dry and well rested. The Security Bot met the visitors as usual, scanning them to confirm their identities and welcoming them to New Sanctuary. Brandt ran toward the fields, telling the others he’d meet them at the lake after a good feeding.

  They arrived to cheers from the Cygnus VI survivors, New Sanctuary’s resident humans, although all of them except one were clones. Braden was instantly ecstatic, raising his hands in victory for the twenty cheering people as they stopped on the edge of the oasis. The survivors weren’t looking for a speech, just to show they were happy with the return of the people who saved their lives. Braden and Micah waved back, greeted a few by name, and then the people drifted away, back indoors where they were most comfortable.

  Braden and Micah unhooked the horses and turned them loose. Heloysis and Luciana jumped from the cart and bounded away toward the fields. The Hillcats joined the Hawkoids in relaxing near the lake. Skirill and Zyena were fishing, waiting for one of the lake’s inhabitants to get too close to the top of the water so one of them could swoop down and seize it. They were having no luck as they tried different angles from the sun. G-War had learned where the fish food was and was dropping pellets into the water from the small dock. Klytus and Shauna crouched next to him waiting for the fish to appear.

  The twins were headed toward the dock to join their furry friends. Braden stayed nearby in case one of them fell into the water, which wouldn’t have been the first time.

  ‘May I join you?’ Aadi asked politely. Micah patted his shell and smiled.

  “Of course, Aadi. You are always welcome and your input always valued,” Micah told him as he blinked his eyes rapidly and nodded.

  “So what do we do now?” Braden asked as he basked in the sunshine, enjoying its reflection from the clear water of the oasis lake.

  “I’d like to see Bounder and Gray Strider. I’m sure their home is something to behold.” She looked at the ground while Braden kept his focus on the gathering perched precariously on the edge of the dock. He took an inadvertent step closer, ready to sprint. “I think I want to go back to the ocean, to Trent, see my folks.”

  “Sounds good,” Braden said, distracted. He couldn’t take it anymore and headed for the dock. As soon as he yelled for them to step away from the edge, the first one went into the water, followed closely by a second. Braden was only a few steps away as he plowed in after them.

  Klytus popped to the surface and started dog-paddling toward the shore. Ax hadn’t completely gone under. He rolled to his back as he floated, kicking his feet and casually propelling himself after Klytus. Braden backed up toward the sand and waited. Micah stood on the shore, unworried. The children had been swimming since they were babies.

  G-War and Shauna were snickering at Klytus’ drowned-rat look as he walked out of the water and shook, spraying water everywhere. Micah yelled at a nearby Server Bot to bring two towels. It rolled away quickly toward the maintenance shed, returning shortly. Micah tried to corral the ‘cat to dry him off, but he didn’t like the attention. She held him down as she would have done with her own children as he tried to contort a paw to scratch her leg.

  ‘Take it like a man!’ G-War howled over the mindlink.

  “Where were we?” Micah asked Braden once she had his attention.

  “We’re going to Livestel to see the Wolfoids and then to Trent.” Micah looked disgusted. “What? Isn’t that what you said?”

  “You asked what I’d like. We were talking about it. I was not deciding for us,” she said coldly.

  Braden held up his hands in surrender. “I only want to give you everything you want.” He smiled, then added, “Then, I’d like to go back to the north and get some livestock, maybe a few more horses, some settlers. Maybe even see if a few Hillcats would like to resettle down here.”

  ‘That’s a good plan,’ G-War said over the mindlink, instantly interested in the conversation after giving the fish he caught to Shauna and Klytus. ‘That means turns and turns in the desert, doesn’t it?’

  “And it means a return trip with heads of water buffalo. I wonder if Holly has any ideas?” Braden looked ashamed. He didn’t have to say it. Micah knew what he was thinking. He wanted his neural implant and Old Tech to make the trip easier.

  The Call of Old Tech

  “You know we can’t wear our blasters up there?” Braden asked. Micah nodded, caressing the grip of the weapon she’d taken from the village chief so long ago. She’d used it a great deal since then, fighting her enemies.

  “I know, but I feel naked without it, going into the unknown and all,” she answered tentatively.

  Braden laughed, putting his hand on her shoulder. “It’s the north! It’s not unknown. They have real trade routes up there. G-War and I survived our whole lives without a blaster. We’ll have our recurve bows and Old Tech arrows. That will give us an edge, but I don’t think we’ll need it. We have platinum and gold, thanks to Holly. We’ll go in, buy what we need, and return. Easy as that,” Braden said confidently. “We have our companions. They will give us an edge.”

  “So we stroll into this town where they tried to steal your saffrimander, accompanied by our menagerie, and we throw our coins around. That won’t attract unwanted attention?” Micah countered. Braden pursed his lips. Every other time he entered a northern town, it was only he and G-War. Lighting up the place with the firepower of blasters wouldn’t be the answer, although once they returned through the Great Desert, no one would follow them.

  He wondered about rethinking his tactics. Maybe he’d treat it like a jail break, taking what he wanted and then running back south.

  Even thinking that way made his stomach churn. It was counter to the precepts of free trade. “I am Free Trader Braden!” he yelled toward the sky. Micah looked at him oddly. She could hear his thoughts as he worked through the problem. She understood that he wanted to keep the north as part of the trade route. She was willing to go there once. They hadn’t agreed on anything besides this one trip. Maybe that was what caused him so much grief.

  “Braden, relax. We’ll try it your way first, but we’ll keep our blasters close by. They’re coded to our palms, so no one will be able to use them, but I don’t want to leave any Old Tech behind. From what you’ve said, they aren’t ready,” Micah argued.

  Braden held up his hands in surrender and smiled at his partner. He knew that if she pressed hard enough, he’d give in. They shared the same goals, and there were always different ways to get there. She had his back, always. She was in his mind, always.

  He could ask for nothing more than that. “We need to work on your Free Trader negotiation skills. I’m not sure, ‘accept this fair trade or I’ll beat you up’ approach will always work, although if they see you in action, you’ll probably get what you want,” he said slyly, trying to goad her into one of their rather gratifying play-fights.

  “I know what you’re trying to do, lover, and it’s not going to work,” she parried with a grin. “I’ll follow the Free Trader’s lead. We’ll make the trades, handshakes all the way around, and we will go on our merry way.”

  “That’s the plan exactly.” Braden reached out to shake on the deal. Micah grabbed his arm, pulled him close, and started unfastening his shirt.

  ‘You two! Again? Let’s think about the trip to find Hillcats,’ G-War interjected.

  In the end, Braden got what he wanted without having to resort to any tricks. It turned out that Micah got what she wanted, too.

  Holly had to wait for Braden and Micah to make their way to the Command Center before he could try to convince them to replace their neural implants. Braden was susceptible. Micah tried to steer him away from Dr. Johns and the other survivors from Cygnus VI, but in the end, it was inevitable.

  Once there, they reviewed images of the entire route, including the new Oasis 03, with expanding fields and one new building. Oasis 02 also had a small lake, filled with life-giving water and the first hints of vegetation.

  If they could e
stablish Oasis 04 as the ancients had planned, then the trip would be less hazardous, almost to the point of being a pleasant journey. Braden told Holly to add that to the list of developments. Micah shook her head. She wasn’t sure they wanted to take the plunge to establish full relations with the north yet. She didn’t know what the people there were like. She ordered Holly to wait until they returned.

  Holly suggested he wouldn’t have to wait if they informed him by way of their neural implants. They could make their way unerringly through the desert, Devanney’s Barren, with the locational ability of the devices. He could also track them to ensure they were okay. If necessary, he could have a Security Bot standing by.

  Braden argued strongly against that. Even the hint of a Bot would drive the northern residents into a frenzy. They’d start a war in no time, and Braden and Micah would be powerless to stop it. The allure of Old Tech was legendary in the north. Braden and Micah intended to keep their Old Tech hidden, while using it to help themselves.

  Holly suggested once again that he could replace Braden’s missing fingers, but Braden refused. The neural implant was one thing, but Old Tech fingers was something completely different. Holly said that it wasn’t, both were products of well-researched medical science. Braden turned down the fingers, but the neural implant…

  There was no argument at all. The technology’s attraction was too strong and their need too great. Both Braden and Micah agreed to have the implants reinstalled. They went straight to the Med Lab for the procedure, where Holly walked them through everything that would happen. None of it was new.

  They awoke to the strange yet familiar sensation of a constant presence in their heads. They were surprised to find that there was no disorientation this time. Braden checked his medical vitals in the window before his eye, pleased with what he saw. He opened a few folders, found Dr. Johns, and sent him a short message, to which the doctor quickly replied.