Free Trader Complete Omnibus

by Craig Martelle

  They stopped the wagon well out of sight of the outpost. Braden asked Micah if he could go with G-War and the Wolfoids to take the one man prisoner. She appreciated that he asked and was good with it. The ‘cat and the Wolfoids would keep her mate from coming to harm.

  Braden ran with the Wolfoids, counting on the boost from the Old Tech boots to help him keep pace. He was still winded when they arrived east of the shack. They checked out the tent, seeing how it was set up for sleeping and eating, but no one was there. No horses were left in the corral area either.

  They all knew what that meant. One of the two men had ridden to Jefferson City to inform the Governor. He’d be ready for them.

  G-War confirmed that there was only one human in the area. He also noted there were deer nearby, if anyone was interested.

  “Who wants to be the bait?” Braden asked. Bounder looked at Gray Strider and she shook her head. He conceded. Bounder would do it. While the others snuck up behind the shed, Bounder would run past, drawing the man from his post. As soon as he was outside the building, they’d disarm him and question him. With G-War’s help, it wouldn’t take long.

  They discovered that the shack had windows on all sides, a fact that the Hawkoids had shared that Braden had missed. They abandoned their plan. They used the cover of the woods to get as close as possible. When there were no trees left to hide behind, they broke from cover and ran as fast as they could to the shack.

  The man saw them coming but there was nothing he could do. He dropped his sword and held his hands up as Braden and the others slid to a stop. He walked out without any additional encouragement, much to G-War’s disappointment.

  “How long ago did the rider go to Jefferson City to tell them we were coming?” Braden asked. The man tilted his chin up in defiance while keeping a wary eye on the Wolfoids.

  ‘He left at the same time as those who ambushed us,’ G-War told them.

  “Half the morning then. He’s probably most of the way there by now. Skirill? Zyena? Can you get a look and see where he is? If he’s still far enough away, maybe you can encourage the horse to throw its rider…” The Hawkoids drove hard to fly north and catch the rider. They were like two brown and white arrows as they raced into the distance, flying for all they were worth, still looking for redemption from their earlier miscue.

  “What?” the man asked, thinking that he may have spoken out loud when he didn’t intend to.

  “What is he going to tell them when he gets there?” Braden continued. G-War nodded. “How many people will Governor Anderle bring out to fight us?” G-War shrugged.

  ‘The rider will tell them the same thing we heard from the other. The Governor can bring a rather substantial force to bear against us. This man doesn’t know how many archers there are.’

  “So, what are we going to do with you?” Braden asked. He heard the wagon approach. Arnie was running even though they told him not to. Brandt was running alongside, giving the younger Aurochs an earful. Braden shook his head as he watched the free-for-all.

  Their prisoner looked at the Aurochs and the wagon. He could see the Rabbits’ ears sticking up between the humans sitting on the front bench.

  “So it’s all true?” the man had the courage to ask.

  “What’s true?” Braden prodded.

  “That you and your mutants are going after the Provincial Government,” the man said simply.

  “And what else did you hear, that we were killing every representative from the government?” The man nodded. “That’s not quite true, is it? You’re not dead, and I have no intention of killing you. It doesn’t mean that I won’t let him do it, though, if you lie or stand in our way.” Braden nodded to the ‘cat who was calmly biting at the extended claws of his left paw.

  “Yes. We are going to restore trade to the good people of the north. To do that, the Provincial Government has to go. Right now, you’re the only official I see, so here’s what we’re going to do. Come with me.” Braden picked the man up roughly and guided him to a point in front of Brandt where he was forced to his knees again. The King of the Aurochs towered over their prisoner and snorted in the man’s face for effect. The man’s fear was palpable. Braden pulled his blaster, dialed the flame setting, and torched the outpost. He jogged into the trees and soon, the smoke from the burning tent rose into the air. Braden left nothing behind.

  Nerise watched with wide eyes. Pony pranced at the end of the rope tying him to the back of the wagon.

  “I ask again, what are we going to do with you?” Braden asked after returning from his government facility eradication efforts.

  “I swear allegiance to you!” the man blurted out. G-War shook his head.

  “Remember that part where I said I’d kill you if you lied to me? You just did. I don’t want to hear anything else come out of your mouth, so stand up, take off all your clothes, and then walk that way,” Braden commanded. The man stood up and tried to take a swing. Before he could even cock his arm, Bounder smacked him across the head with his spear. The man fell to the ground.

  Bounder prodded him until he did as he was told. The women turned away as the naked man walked cautiously to the south, past the wagon, and then started running. Braden fired one last blast at the man’s clothes.

  “By the time he’s dressed again, I expect all of this to be over,” Braden told the others. With all of them back in the wagon, Arnie swung the wagon wide around the burning shack and they continued north.

  Skirill checked in, disappointed that they had not caught up with the man riding north. They started to see people tending the fields and herds grazing nearby. They’d reached the outskirts of Jefferson City.

  It was too late. Governor Anderle knew they were coming.

  The Dark Clouds of War

  ‘Holly, we’re heading toward Jefferson City and expect to get a warm welcome. We don’t want to hurt anyone we don’t have to. Any advice?’ Braden asked over his neural implant, having already gotten input from the companions.

  ‘Looking at the imagery of the city, I suggest you don’t use the flame setting on your blasters or any lightning from the Wolfoids’ spears, to minimize a fire that would quickly grow out of control. I fear there is no firefighting capability in Jefferson City. On a different note, if you can approach from the east, you’ll probably encounter less resistance as they are expecting you from the south. Besides that, I can offer no other insights,’ Holly finished and held the link open, waiting to see if Braden had anything else. He didn’t.

  “He suggests that we approach from the east,” Braden said matter-of-factly. They’d already reached that conclusion based on the hasty barricade erected south of the city boundary that the Hawkoids had shown them. There was no wall surrounding the city, no fortifications. Only buildings and wide roadways as it had been the center of trade for the known world, that was known to people like Braden and the Caravan Guild. To the north, the towns of Seinhold and Breston counted on trade from Jefferson City.

  Anger seized Braden again. It was time to cut the weeds out of the garden.

  “We’ll head east on a trail that’s coming up soon, ditch the wagon, and then we go in. All of us, including Nerise, especially Nerise. For her future and all those of her generation, we have to restore trade. They need to have the chance to grow up with the opportunities that they carve out for themselves, not what the Provincial Government rations back to them. The government–take away from the people and then give it back. No one should work like that. No one…” The others listened to Braden, more thinking out loud than lecturing.

  Braden would always be the Free Trader. That persona was just below the surface at all times, ready to come out when the situation warranted. It bothered him immensely that in three short cycles, all trading had ceased in the north. With one final battle, they could restore it. He hoped the leaders of the Caravan Guild were still alive, but he was skeptical. The Provincial Government had shown itself to be ruthless toward anyone who didn’t share their beliefs.


  Although he didn’t want to, he had to. Braden asked Arnie to run along the trail east. Braden wanted to put as much distance as possible between where the government thought they were and where they actually were. It pained Braden to see the Aurochs’ injuries start leaking again. Zeller started to cry as she shared her friend’s pain, although he reassured her that the numbweed was still working and he felt no pain.

  Brandt hung his head in dismay, hoping that this was the worst sacrifice they’d have to make. In reality, he knew that they faced a difficult enemy in a location that did not favor Braden and his companions.

  ‘I expect we have the people on our side, Master Braden,’ Brandt said in his booming thought voice. ‘If we can win them over early, they can help us keep it from becoming a full fight. I don’t think we can win a shootout. There is no place for us to run or hide. Arnie and I will be killed.’

  The breath caught in Zeller’s throat at such a candid assessment of their future.

  Braden thought about it. The Aurochs were too big to move within the city. He wanted them there to celebrate the victory, but the risk was too great.

  “Will you protect Nerise?” he asked his large friend.

  ‘To my last breath,’ Brandt answered.

  “No!” the little girl cried. “I want to go with you. I have to go with you.”

  “Why?” Micah asked.

  “To see why. To see what it was all about and why I have a new family now.” Braden’s insides churned. He pinched his eyes closed, the image of the fat man, Nerise’s father, choking out the last of his life at Braden’s feet threatened to overwhelm him. A hand gently squeezed his shoulder. With a heavy exhale, he composed himself.

  “Okay. You come with us, but you have to stay with Patrice and Delavigne. Deal?” Braden choked and held out his hand. Nerise had been too young when the last trades happened in Cameron. She didn’t remember what the handshake was for. “We shake hands to seal the deal, to finalize the trade. We negotiate, agree, and then deliver. That’s all there is to it, and that’s what makes the trade great,” Braden said, feeling hollow reciting the laws of trade, while at the same time embracing the foundation it gave him.

  She slapped her little hand into Braden’s and they shook. He pulled her to him and hugged her fiercely. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. Before she stood up straight, she wiped her face with the back of her hand, then joined the Rabbits in the back.

  “Are you okay with waiting with the wagon, Arnie? Brandt? We’ll stay in touch and if we need you to run down any mobs, we’ll call for help. Skirill and Zyena will show you where we are.” The Aurochs agreed because they had no choice. Although the injury to his knee was fully healed, Brandt had realized his mortality. In the city, he was afraid that he’d be trapped and killed like a piece of livestock. He wasn’t ready to die and more so in an effort where he couldn’t contribute. He’d be a distraction and the companions couldn’t afford that.

  ‘We’ll stay with the wagon, but we’ll be ready if you need us,’ the King of the Aurochs told them.

  The trail led past small farms and fields. One had livestock and a large field of green grass. Braden asked Arnie to stop by the small home. A man, walking in from the pasture, stopped and looked at them, uncertain of what he was seeing. Braden waved and jumped down, walking boldly to the rancher.

  “Greetings, good sir! I am Free Trader Braden and I would like to trade for access to your field for my two good friends here, Arnie and Brandt, and temporary storage for our wagon.”

  “What are they?” the rancher finally asked after squinting to see everything better and looking them over carefully.

  “They are Aurochs, distant cousins of the water buffalo. But these two are intelligent, smarter than you or me. I am willing to pay two pieces of gold for them to have access to the field, but they need to be able to leave whenever they want. They can’t be fenced it.”

  “Two gold? You have gold?” the rancher wondered. Braden shook his head before producing two gold pieces from his pouch.

  “A steep price to be sure, but these are uncertain times, are they not?” Braden held out his hand. They shook and Braden turned the gold over to the rancher.

  “Makes no difference to me. Those provincial types will show up and take the gold from me anyway and probably your friends, too.”

  “I think not, Master Rancher. When the sun sets, you will be living in a new world, much like the old world where you set your price and trade appropriately. I say, welcome back to the way things should be.”

  The rancher narrowed his eyes at them, looking from face to face. “As I said, makes no difference to me…” He drifted away and went back into the small building he called his home.

  Brandt and Arnie headed into the field, not feeling hungry. They watched the companions get ready for the coming battle. Braden and Micah prepared their bows, made sure their quivers had their remaining arrows, checked their blasters, just in case, and loosened their swords in the scabbards. They waved to the Aurochs, who dipped their horns in reply.

  Braden stepped away smartly. He wanted this to be over with. Skirill and Zyena continued to scout the path in front of them. The group walked past small farms and houses outside the city, noting how the quality of the buildings changed the closer they got to Jefferson City. With more modern structures came a decrease in the amount of space people had.

  Surprised citizens watched as they passed. No one looked happy. No one cheered. No one asked questions. Many ran back inside, away from those who would flaunt the law against people carrying weapons.

  A hastily formed group of soldiers raced toward them along the street ahead. They stopped, stood at attention, then lowered spears with shiny metal points. One man, armed with a sword, stood to the side and yelled at the companions to stop. Braden figured they were close enough, so they spread out. Bounder stood next to Micah with his lightning spear ready, although he would only use it as a last resort. Gray Strider stood next to Braden, protecting him. The Rabbits stood with their laser pistols out, Nerise positioned tightly between them. G-War was nowhere to be seen, which Braden expected and counted on.

  “You will surrender to proper authority!” the man yelled. Braden nodded to Micah and they both nocked arrows. “Your weapons are illegal here,” the man resorted to a useless statement with a made-up law that Braden and the companions refused to recognize.

  ‘You take the big mouth and I’ll take one of the spearmen. Maybe we can convince the others to put their weapons down,’ Braden told Micah over the mindlink. ‘Be ready. If they charge, we’ll need to break it before they get too close. Don’t start a fire, please.’ Braden smiled at his good manners as the first shots of the final battle were about to be fired.

  Micah loosed her arrow unerringly into the chest of the sword-bearing leader. Braden’s hit at nearly the same time, taking out a spearman in the middle of the line. They both re-nocked and fired a second arrow before anyone moved. Their targets were in the middle of the left and right ranks of those holding spears. They picked the men who would be seen by most of their fellows. Too many men found the nerve to start running toward the companions. Braden and Micah dropped the first two and the others hesitated. They killed the next two and nocked new arrows.

  Bullies, Braden thought to himself. No stomach for a real fight. Their spirit broken, they sought to run, but Braden shot the one who was in front of the growing retreat. “STOP!” he commanded in his best Free Trader voice.

  The companions ran forward, hoping to disarm the men. Braden didn’t want to have to fight anyone twice. One man turned and looked with disdain at Gray Strider. He leveled his spear and advanced. Bounder was incensed and raced in front of his mate to take on the smaller human. He parried the man’s spear in a motion too quick to follow and drove the point of his lightning weapon so far through the man he had difficulty removing it. Gray Strider covered her mate while he held the dead man down with a back paw and yanked his spear free.

  The other
s gave up after Zeller made a show of cutting a spear in half with an angry slash of her sword. The rest threw their spears to the ground.

  “So what do we do with the six of you?” Braden asked the men as he approached them. Micah checked with Skirill and Zyena. No one else approached, but the men who’d been south of the city were starting to stream back toward it.

  “We’d better hurry,” she said.

  “I don’t want any lip or garbage from any of you. Take off all your clothes and run that way.” Micah looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “Okay! Keep your shorts on. Now hurry up!” He prodded one with his bow. They stripped and started jogging. Gray Strider caught up to them quickly and swinging her spear like club, she smacked two of the men across the back of their legs. This added greatly to their momentum and the men ran from the city in a headlong panic. She chuckled to herself while Bounder shook his shaggy head.

  Zyena urged haste. The armed men were starting to fill the street as they consolidated their force, heading toward the largest building in town. With Skirill’s help, Braden and the others were guided through the streets as they ran, trying to get in front of the approaching army.

  “Stone buildings!” Braden shouted as they ran.

  “What?” Micah yelled back. She was less winded than Braden.

  “We can use our blasters, but we need to get there first!” He started to sprint, gulping in as much air as he could between steps. Their Old Tech boots seem to be little help in letting them keep pace with the fired-up Wolfoids. The Rabbits and Nerise had fallen behind, but Braden wasn’t worried, knowing that they could catch up and that there weren’t any enemies following them. Not at the moment anyway.

  Braden, Micah, and the Wolfoids broke into an open area facing the wide road that led south. They pulled their blasters as the first of the armed men appeared. They both dialed a narrow beam. Bounder and Gray Strider crouched as they held their spears ready to fire into the approaching group. Four ranks across and countless deep, the men approached. Braden had heard of how a militia drilled and fought, but he’d never seen it until that moment. He saw how the discipline could strike fear into a disorganized enemy.