Free Trader Complete Omnibus

by Craig Martelle

  “Only a month, Master Braden,” Holly said soothingly. “The scientists from Cygnus VI and I have been working on it, but didn’t have a use for it before now. We simply don’t have the people to send on long voyages at this point in time.”

  “That’s not your decision!” Micah yelled, instantly furious.

  “No, Master President,” Dr. Johns said as he stepped forward. “But I made that decision and I’m sorry. I should have told you.” Micah let out the breath she was holding and shook her head.

  “I’m sorry, and no, you don’t need to tell me everything. You know that I prefer that you don’t.” She tried to smile, but couldn’t. “I want my father back.” She looked from face to face.

  “Bring the Warden to White Beach. We’ll meet it there in ten turns’ time,” Braden said, looking at his partner, then back to Holly. “Set us up, Holly. Firepower, gear, anything you can think of to help us on this one. I have no idea what we’ll need. We trust you, Holly. And you, too, Dr. Johns. We’re going after Micah’s father, and we won’t return without him.”

  ‘I hate the ocean, but I know what happens when you’re left alone, so I’ll be joining you, and Treetis, too, and Fealona,’ G-War said, inviting his favorite ‘cats to join them.

  ‘And us, too,’ Skirill added joyfully.

  ‘You all know we’re going under the water, right?’ Braden asked over the mindlink.

  ‘Of course we do,’ Aadi chimed in. ‘That’s why you need us, and Caleb and Mattie are our friends, too. We would go to the ends of Vii for our friends.’

  ‘And beyond,’ Micah added, with a sad smile as she and Braden headed for the elevator. They’d taken the companions all the way into outer space, where they had fought together.

  Braden and Micah were on their way to the armory, because Micah had just declared war on the Bots of the Western Ocean. She hoped that her father and the others from White Beach were still alive, otherwise there was no limit to what she was prepared to do. Braden had witnessed that side of her and didn’t want that person to see the light of day, but knew that he wouldn’t be able to stop her if Caleb was injured. Braden suspected that he’d probably join her in the inevitable conflagration.

  Preparing for War with an Unknown Enemy

  Once in the Armory, they stood and looked around, not sure what they should take. “Holly, do you know if they have Security Bots at the undersea laboratory?” Braden asked as he started to think about what their possible enemy might look like.

  “There is so little information available regarding the laboratory and the undersea facility that I hesitate to guess,” Holly started. Braden and Micah waited, knowing that Holly would continue. “They had everything they needed to build them, from what I can see on the manifests. Part of their equipment list included an industrial-sized fabricator along with enough Development Units to build anything else. They could have an entire city down there by this time.”

  “If they have Security Bots, how do we fight them?” Braden asked, concerned that their newest enemy was invincible.

  “I have a couple items that you may find useful. One is a field generation device. It is a little bulky, but it will disperse the defensive force field of a Security Bot. If there is no nearby field, then it will provide protection with a field of its own, just like the Bots have. The second is a device that is a power grounding unit.” Micah looked where Holly directed them to.

  “This looks like a fishing spear,” she said.

  “Once the security field is neutralized, fire the spear into the Bot, and it will ground the unit, rendering it powerless. You do not want to get into a blaster battle with a Security Bot,” Holly cautioned. “It would be best to avoid battle with the Security Bots in entirety. You must win over the intelligence that runs the undersea facility. I suspect since the Development Units are programmed not to harm people, it is most likely that you will find a thriving population in the facility on the ocean floor. I don’t know if there are ancients there or whether the computer system that is inevitably there realized sentience or not. The scientists of that era were very bright, so I suspect sentience.”

  Holly stood with his arms behind his back, trying to project calm. Even with Holly’s assurances, Braden had grown comfortable blasting things into oblivion. An undefended Security Bot would probably deliver a most gratifying explosion. Braden was more comfortable with a blaster than even his recurve bow. Still, a Security Bot would be a challenge.

  “They didn’t hurt people as they were taking them,” Braden started. “But we take no chances. We need two of everything, Holly.” Braden picked up the spear and handed it to Micah. She hefted it easily, practicing aiming it. Braden did the same with his. The field generation device was a big, heavy brick. They decided that one of those was enough, otherwise they’d be too loaded down to move.

  “And here’s something you should have with you, too. This design came from Earth, but as soon as I knew you’d be going to the Western Ocean, I had the fabricator produce a number of these, one for every member of your party.” Holly looked pleased with himself as a Server Bot approached carrying a stout box filled with strange looking contraptions. There was bar laterally across the front of what looked like a nose piece, with two round protrusions beneath and to the sides. There was a clear square pouch at the back of the strange Old Tech.

  “What do we do with these things, Holly?” Micah asked as she examined the new devices.

  “These will help you breathe underwater for a short period of time. Open the pouch at the back of the mask. It is a plastic bag that goes over your head, cinching around your neck, as tightly as possible without choking yourself, of course. Unfortunately, we don’t have any big enough for Brandt Earthshaker, King of the Aurochs.”

  “There must be twenty in here, Holly. How many people do you think are coming?” Braden asked, looking at the hologram, who shrugged in reply.

  Micah finally smiled, still angry and slightly overwhelmed, but a real smile. “Holly knows us too well.”

  “Rally the team, G. We leave as soon as we’re outside. I think Malo and Denon are grazing the fields, along with Max and Speckles. Let’s see if one of them would like to pull the cart, and then we can ride the horses,” Braden said aloud, conveying his thoughts over the mindlink as well.

  Holly nodded and raised his hand as if he wanted to speak. Braden pointed at the hologram impatiently. “We have another one of the new wagons ready, well several actually, but I know you wanted to wait to roll them out until you divulged the existence of New Sanctuary to the people, all the people.”

  Braden and Micah did not want to have that conversation again, because they knew Holly was right. Even though the Council of Elders was split on revealing the existence of the Old Tech stronghold, they both felt it was the right thing to do. Give the people hope for a better future. It would start with addressing the kidnapping of people from White Beach. The people deserved to know that Old Tech was alive and well, and that it was nothing to be feared, just something to be managed, like taking a herd of water buffalo across the Great Desert.

  “When we get back, Holly, we’ll take the kids on a tour of every village and make them all aware that the ancients are alive and well and working in the people’s best interest. When we get back, we’ll know what to say. Maybe we can leave some Old Tech at each village, a communication device to show them how Old Tech can help them? Between now and then, we have a ways to go and some work to do. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a boat, but it’ll come back to me. I was raised at sea.” Micah lost her smile as she thought about their trip ahead, into the unknown ocean to find something an interminable distance beneath them.

  “This ship won’t be like anything you’ve ever seen before. It is far more advanced than even the RV Traveler. It has living space for a crew of nearly one hundred, with all the support that would entail, including laboratories both above and below the surface,” Holly said, grinning broadly. Micah was in no mood to explore the won
ders of the ancient world.

  “I don’t care, Holly, just as long as it will get us where we need to go. It will do that, won’t it?” she asked pointedly.

  “Yes, Master President, it will do that, in style. I’ll have it waiting for you just off shore. I’m afraid it has a rather significant draft and you may have to swim for a bit to get to it. Once it’s closer, I’ll see if any of its ferries are functional. Getting on board could be hard or it could be easy. I cannot tell you which at this point.”

  “I can’t see G-War swimming into the ocean for any reason,” Braden said matter-of-factly.

  ‘Neither can I. We’re ready if you can find your way out of that place,’ the ‘cat told them over the mindlink.

  “Shall we, partner mine? Let’s see who “we” means and then let’s get down to the business of saving Caleb,” Braden stated, stepping toward the elevator. Micah joined him, wondering why she was carrying the field generator and he was carrying the box of breathing devices, which weighed nothing compared to what she was carrying.

  Once on the elevator, she gave him the stink-eye until he put the box down and took the field generator from her.

  Leaving New Sanctuary Behind

  When they arrived at the lake, the companions were gathered, waiting. Malo, one of the larger bulls from the Toromont Aurochs, stood impatiently, ready to run. He’d heard about the new wagons that didn’t seem to weigh anything, and he wanted his chance to pull one. Denon stood nearby, ready to go as well.

  The Rabbits held the children close, their ‘cats at their feet, comforting them as they knew their parents were leaving.

  The Hawkoids watched, ready to fly ahead and scout the way. Bounder and Strider confidently flexed their Wolfoid hands on the hafts of their lightning spears. Aadi floated serenely over the lake, blinking slowly and watching events unfold, as he usually did. Braden spotted Max first. Even the horses had joined the parade.

  “So, G, who’s going?” Braden asked, rather than undermine the ‘cat’s best laid plans.

  ‘Us,’ he said simply. Braden should have expected that, gritting his teeth and reviewing his mental list. Tortoid, Hawkoids, Wolfoids, ‘cats, an Aurochs, and Rabbits, but Heloysis and Luciana had come to New Sanctuary to live. They both nodded their small heads at Micah.

  ‘Not us. We will stay with these two delightful creatures. And then there’s those two,’ Luciana said, tipping her nose toward the half-Hillcats that had grown bored with comforting their humans and were now trying to hook their claws into Bounder’s tail. With a well-practiced move, he kicked the two away from him. Not to be deterred, they launched their small, furry bodies toward Strider’s tail. They crashed face first into her spear as she twisted it in front of them.

  Braden started to laugh, but Micah cuffed him across the arm.

  “If there is a garden on board that ship, Rabbits could make sure that it produced, although I hope we’re not on board long enough to see a full cycle of a crops,” Micah said.

  Dr. Johns walked up behind them with two more scientists in tow. “Can they join you, maybe permanently man the floating laboratory, the Warden? There’s so much that we don’t know about our own planet!” the old man said excitedly.

  “Do they get seasick? No matter. We’ll ask for you, Dr. Johns. You two, get your trash and meet us here. You have about thirty heartbeats,” Micah ordered, skipping introductions. She didn’t know their names, but her father needed her help, and she wasn’t getting any closer by standing there.

  “But we have all our equipment!” the middle-aged woman proclaimed.

  Micah’s eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. “We’re leaving,” she said in a low and dangerous voice. “Malo!” she yelled as she stormed away to hook the Aurochs to the wagon.

  Braden stepped close to Dr. Johns. “We’ll be taking the rainforest road. If you take Denon and head due west, past Livestel and then up the coast, you should be able to get there before we do. Load your wagon and go. If you can pick up Loper and Sunny Day, then they will make sure that you don’t have any problems. Tell them what it’s for. They will join you and help you.” Braden shook hands with all three and jogged after his partner, stopping to rub the noses of the two horses.

  “I’m sorry Max, Speckles, but we have to go fast. This isn’t a trip for you, but when we get back, all of us will go somewhere, I promise.”

  ‘They are happy to hear that, Dad, and look forward to your return.’ Ax said in his little thought voice.

  ‘And you tell Max and Speckles both that none of this would be possible without them. None of this. They are the heroes of our generation!’ Braden always liked to heap praise on the horses. They were simple creatures, but that didn’t mean he had less respect or admiration for them. They both whinnied and threw their heads as Ax relayed Braden’s positive thoughts. The horses danced away and trotted toward the fields.

  The wagon had magically appeared, undoubtedly delivered by one of Holly’s metal minions. Micah had Malo in place and was strapping him in. She stroked his nose once she finished and thanked him for helping her. He bowed deeply to her, in deference to the King of the Aurochs’ friend.

  Bounder and Strider leapt into the back, joining the two ‘cats already there. Braden looked for the noticeably absent G-War, before finding him under Malo’s nose. The two seemed to be engaged in deep conversation. Braden suspected they were negotiating the terms that would allow the ‘cat to ride on the Aurochs’ head. Malo was nowhere as big as Brandt, but he was still a large creature, dwarfing those around him. Braden turned his attention to their load out. Holly had already filled the wagon with food and water, though the field generator hadn’t made it yet. He looked back toward the lake and saw it there with Klytus sitting on top of it. Shauna was rubbing her body on the frame while the Rabbits and the twins were in the bushes looking at something. Braden chased the two ‘cats away and lugged the device to the wagon, carefully putting it inside.

  If they were to fight a Security Bot, that one device was their only way to do it. He tied it down as an added precaution.

  He looked into the trees where the Hawkoids perched, nodding to both of them. They dipped their heads in reply.

  ‘Another adventure, my friend,’ Skirill said in his thought voice. ‘Too bad we aren’t going east, where we might see our hatchlings.’

  ‘We might get to see Zeeka, who is traveling with Bronwyn and the Queen,’ Braden told them hopefully. They both ruffled their feathers at him.

  “Wagon, ho!” Braden yelled to the few remaining creatures--Denon, two Rabbits, Ax, ‘Tesh, and the ‘cats. The toddlers came running for one final moment with their parents before they left.

  “When we return, we’ll have your grandpa with us,” Micah promised her children. Braden bent down on one knee next for a group hug with the children. The Rabbits waved with the children as their parents climbed into the wagon and asked Malo to head out, best possible speed to the rainforest road.

  He tentatively stepped forward, hoping to get the feel of the wagon, but as he’d heard, it felt as if he pulled nothing. He jogged, then quickly broke into a distance-eating run. Two Hawkoids flew ahead, intertwining in an aerial dance they enjoyed when they flew freely above the planet. Micah watched them for a while, letting the wind whip past her face.

  Braden could feel her sadness and doubt, not because he sensed her emotions as she could sense his, but by her posture, the set of her jaw. He knew her well, that she felt helpless until she could face her enemy, lift her sword against them in battle. Braden felt helpless, too, but he was in no hurry to fight Bots. He caressed the blasters at his hip.

  “How many times have we left, just like this, armed to the teeth, going to war, dragging all our friends along?” Braden asked.

  Micah nodded, slowly, thinking about her mate’s question. “Too many times to count, but we’ve come home every time. So far, anyway.”

  ‘It only takes once, my friend, but that’s why we had to come with you. To make sure thi
s time is not the one,’ Aadi interjected over the mindlink.

  Braden reached into the wagon to grab the Wolfoid’s ear and give it a good scratch. “We are always happy when you join us. And this time above all others. Our family is in trouble.”

  The wagon quieted as everyone was absorbed in their own thoughts. G-War rode on Malo’s head, ears up and eyes watching the way forward as if he expected something untoward to happen at any moment.

  “And how many times have you alerted us to danger, my friend?” Braden asked the ‘cat.

  ‘More than you can count and probably more than you deserve,’ G-War said mysteriously.

  “Like when Brandt and Arnie almost tipped the wagon over up north? But we ate well that night, didn’t we, G! I like the open road,” Braden said, looking at the clouds. He stood, balancing with a wide stance. “I’m Free Trader Braden and I like being on the road!” he bellowed to the sky.

  Micah nodded. “All we have to do is throw the kids in the wagon and we’ll get back to being Free Traders. One village to the next, but we’ll carry news, news of New Sanctuary and what we’ve done to prevent a future war, how everyone can share in what the ancients left behind.”

  Braden agreed, squeezing Micah’s hand and leaning closer to her as they settled in for the long ride ahead.

  Malo ran tirelessly to the rainforest and then in, without hesitation. He didn’t run as fast as Brandt, but his pace was steady and the riders weren’t jostled as they would have been at a faster pace. The Aurochs continued to run without pause. The others ate and slept, wondering when Malo would tire, knowing that he would run himself to death because the Aurochs bulls were in a constant state of competition. They all wanted to best Brandt Earthshaker in one contest or another. It took Micah convincing G-War to get into Malo’s head and encourage him to stop.