Free Trader Complete Omnibus

by Craig Martelle

  The companions had a good laugh at Bounder’s expense, the levity welcomed after a difficult time.

  “Monkeys,” Braden repeated. “I hate monkeys.”

  “Pik came up with the plan. He made it all work,” Micah said seriously. Braden joined Pik by the shower and they talked for a while, discussing Pik’s plan and the assumptions he’d made in building it, because it sounded exactly like the plan Braden would have developed in that situation.

  Braden made sure to join Bronwyn in the well deck where she dangled her legs in the water between Chlora and Rhodi. Braden kneeled next to the girl and thanked each of the Dolphins. Rexalita appeared behind the ship, diving and rising, blowing air and water from the breathing hole atop her head. She seemed to be enjoying herself.

  Aadi stayed low by Micah’s chair, where he could brace himself, to keep from flying away as the ship sailed out from under him. ‘Master Micah, I have good news and bad news,’ Aadi started. Micah braced herself. ‘Six of the eggs survived the encounter with the Security Bot.’ Aadi didn’t need to say anything else. He was carrying ten eggs.

  When the sun set, Holly turned on the deck lights to help people get to their beds. The weather was mild, so the Wolfoids decided to sleep in the open air by Brandt. The ‘cats went to the garden level. The humans sought their own beds, Braden helping Micah up the last flight of stairs above where the elevator ended. Pik slept standing up with the shower raining over him. He could have been asleep for a while, no one knew since he hadn’t moved. They let him go. He was as comfortable as he was going to be. Brandt lay down and relaxed, happy to have everyone back in one piece.

  Come morning, stiff people made their way to the galley for a heavy breakfast, the breakfast of the famished. The Wolfoids had taken the elevator up rather than climb the stairs. Strider was too sore to walk, as was Micah. Braden felt bad, worse when he saw Fea and the shaved spots all over her body. She walked carefully, too. Bronwyn escorted them as the elevator didn’t respond to the ‘cats, no matter how loudly Treetis yowled.

  Within a few heartbeats, Treetis was standing and pawing at the fabricator.

  “What would you like, little man?” Braden asked.

  ‘Fish. Lots of fish,’ Treetis answered. Braden ordered four servings of the salmon, knowing that the fabricator could do no more than four at once. Braden put the dishes on chair seats, the right height for a full-grown Hillcat to eat without having to bend over.

  “When do we go back?” Micah asked.

  “Today, to check things out, I think,” Braden replied. “Then as soon as you’re ready, we’ll go get Caleb and anyone else who’s ready to come along.”

  “I’m going with you,” Micah said firmly. Braden tried to argue, but she wouldn’t have it. “Just in case you already forgot. Last time I let you go in alone, look what happened.”

  Braden laughed. “Sounds good. Let’s see if we have any other volunteers.”

  Braden stood and looked at those in the galley. “We’re going ashore to check things out, see about that tunnel. Who’s coming along?”

  Bounder looked sternly at Strider. ‘I’m coming,’ he said. G-War said that he and Treetis were coming. The Rabbits both politely declined. Brandt said he was coming, too. Pik, Aadi, and Bronwyn also volunteered. The three Hawkoids rounded out the group.

  Pursing his lips, Braden walked to the outside deck. “Everyone but Strider, Fea, and the Rabbits is coming,” he said to himself, hoping that it was only going to be Bounder, him, and G-War. He went back inside to make an announcement.

  “You might as well rest then. We’ll go ashore first thing tomorrow and we go there for real. We won’t be looking around, either, we’ll be going to get our people back.” Braden headed for the stairs down. He wanted to talk with Pik and Aadi.

  The Tunnel

  Holly sailed the ship toward the rocky outcropping and into the cove beside it. Braden and the companions stood on deck, watching the island as it drew nearer. Only Bronwyn was excited to go ashore. The bad experience with the Professors tainted the others’ opinion of what should have been a pleasant island retreat.

  The Hawkoids launched themselves skyward, flying high over the trees and the island as they headed toward the tunnel into the hillside. Until they found the monkeys, they weren’t going to fly below the treetops.

  The misfit mob was on the beach jumping up and down. Bronwyn cheered and waved to them. Braden had a hard time not hating them since they’d done the Professor’s bidding. He knew they had no choice, but he still couldn’t reconcile himself with it.

  The Warden’s deck scraped against the sand and it started with Brandt running and jumping as far as he could. It wasn’t graceful, but he almost made it into the dry sand. He landed in the ankle-deep surf, frozen where he landed until he could pull his hooves free. The misshapen creatures ran into the woods in terror when the Aurochs launched himself from the deck.

  He waded back to the ship where three ‘cats, a Wolfoid, and Bronwyn climbed onto his back. He returned to the beach to safely and dryly deposit his riders. The ‘cats continued to ride on his head, while Bounder jumped off and with man-horse’s help, Bronwyn climbed down, too. Fea said she felt good enough to accompany her mate. No one was going to tell her no, so she came along. Brandt understood that if possible, she’d ride him the entire time. According to Strider and Zeeka, the tunnel was big enough for even Brandt to use.

  Bronwyn rallied the mob of the Professor’s creations and sent them toward the compound. She rode on the man-horse as the others stayed nearby, waiting to fulfill her any wish.

  Braden and Micah walked warily, each of them carrying a blaster. Braden had lost his to the Professor, so Micah shared hers. She carried her sword, but Braden didn’t think she was capable of fighting with it. She continued to move deliberately. Whatever the Security Bot shocked them with, it had not been kind to their bodies.

  They were recovering, slowly.

  When the group reached the compound, the misfit mob wanted Bronwyn to play a game with them. Braden suggested that they’d play later, but they had to go to the hill and enter the tunnel. The misfits hooted and yelled, saying that it was forbidden to enter without the Professor. They had no intention of telling the mob that the Professors were dead.

  Without waiting for them to agree, Brandt turned and took the wide path that headed west.

  Micah opened her neural implant to check in with Holly. ‘We’re heading toward the tunnel now. Do you have any final words, in case we get cut off?’

  ‘I wish we had time to study the laboratories in the underground complex. If I could get a peek at his notes and the equipment, I’d be able to tell you what he was doing. Beyond that, I hope there are signal repeaters in the tunnel so I can talk to you all the way down, assuming it goes to the undersea city. In any case, I’ll follow you for as long as I can if you minimize the window, don’t close out in entirety,’ Holly said, hoping that Micah would comply with his request.

  ‘I think we’re going to need your help. This is the land of the ancients and no one knows them better than you. It’s kind of like being back on the RV Traveler, eh, Holly?’ She minimized the window as they kept walking, eyes searching the trees for the monkeys. Bounder watched carefully, keeping his lightning spear trained on the branches that lined the path. Pik traded his trident for Strider’s spear, so he wielded firepower, too. They knew that they’d burn down the whole forest if the monkeys provoked them. Worse than that, they were good with it.

  Micah had her blaster dialed to wide flame. Braden had his set in the middle, neither a wide flame nor a narrow beam. He wanted revenge for when they had beaned him in the head with a rock.

  The first monkey appeared on the trail before them, standing with a spear held across his body, as if he could block their way. Bronwyn yelled at them to wait as the man-horse ran with an odd gait past the companions. Bronwyn slid to the sand and strolled to the monkey. It chattered at her as she kneeled and talked with it. Braden and Micah coul
dn’t hear what she said. They walked cautiously past Brandt, blasters aimed at the trees. They stopped between Brandt and Bronwyn, knowing that they were in the line of fire should the monkeys act.

  They waited while the conversation dragged on. More and more monkeys appeared in the branches on both sides of the trail. Braden and Micah stood back to back, ready to fire. Pik faced toward the trees, stoic, like a statue, with Aadi hovering behind him. On the other side, Bounder counted the heads, lining up his shots where he could get more than one monkey at a time.

  “We can go now,” Bronwyn finally said, waving to the monkey, who waved back as he headed for the trees. With a couple screeches from their leader, the monkeys melted into the jungle and disappeared.

  “What was that all about?” Micah asked, taking the teenager’s hand as they started walking down the trail. The other companions followed. Bounder had hoped there’d be a fight. He didn’t care much for the monkeys, either.

  “They are here because the Professor created them to stand watch, make sure that no one traveled this path without the Professor. Once I explained that you were the President and in charge of the Professor and the entirety of the island, they agreed to let us pass.”

  “Thank you, Bronwyn. Why did it take so long to explain that?” Braden asked.

  “They didn’t understand what a president was or how much of the world is out there. I tried to explain it, but there’s a lot.” Bronwyn smiled at her own joke. Micah stroked the girl’s long hair. She was a gift to them all. As Braden had told her long ago, they could always use more allies.

  When the trail left the jungle and turned toward the hillside, Braden and Micah got their first glimpse of the entrance. It was as large as Zeeka had tried to describe. The gate across its front was impressive.

  They walked to it as a group, the misfit mob following closely and watching everything the humans were doing. Braden was unnerved by the mob, but Bronwyn would have been angry if he said anything. He wondered how Micah felt.

  ‘Same as you,’ Micah replied. Why did he bother thinking to himself? He expected he should just say everything he thought out loud and be done with it.

  “I understand why you are afraid of them. After the Professor drugged you and the Prince, he made my friends carry you to his lab. You probably remember that and it makes you angry. They won’t do anything like that to you again,” Bronwyn told him, still holding Micah’s hand.

  When they reached the gate, the hand-pad to the side told them it was locked using Old Tech. Micah had activated the other door, so she tried. The panel flashed green and the lock released. The gates swung inward. “Why do you think those doors are working for you?” Braden asked.

  “Maybe it knows that I’m the President? Or maybe it’s just because I’m a human, through and through.” Micah shrugged.

  Braden looked back at the companions, then asked Bronwyn to tell the mob to stay outside and guard the tunnel entrance for their inevitable return. He walked through without further delay. Skirill flew past and downward. Braden’s first instinct was to stop him, but they wanted to know what was ahead.

  Skirill shared what he saw as he flew slowly down the tunnel. Zyena and Zeeka flew in before Brandt filled the entrance. The others took the hint and squeezed in front of the King of the Aurochs. Pik pulled Aadi behind him. Bounder passed them, to be closer to the action. Bronwyn walked behind Braden and Micah.

  They were bunched up. Braden liked them to be more spread out, but they were in a tunnel. Even spread out, there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The ‘cats crouched on the King’s head, barely fitting, but none of them wanted to walk when they could ride and have a great view of the minions beneath them.

  Skirill flew ahead, showing a winding passage. It turned to the right and continued for a couple hundred paces, then turned back to the left, then right, then left. Braden asked Skirill to wait for them as they continued downward. Zyena and Zeeka joined Skirill and waited at the corner, five switchbacks down, watching the way ahead. The ancients’ panels lined the roof of the tunnel, providing plenty of light.

  Micah checked in with Holly and after three turns, he was pleased that he was still able to see them. Micah looked at the tunnel, getting close to the walls so Holly could see what she saw. He suspected that the tunnel had been carved using tools that were common to the ancients. He had no other information for her, but she kept her window open to track their connectivity as they descended.

  When they were one turn away from the Hawkoids, the three took wing and continued slowly downward, zigzagging to keep their speed under control. Five more turns and they stopped. Water started to drip from the roof and the walls of the tunnel. The floor was arced, high in the middle and low against the walls, where a gutter allowed the water to run downhill.

  They followed the five switchback routine four more times before there were no more turns. The tunnel leveled out and continued straight ahead, ending at a gate, the size and style mirroring the one in the side of the hill on the island. Micah’s hand opened the gate. Braden stopped the Hawkoids from flying ahead. The humans carried the large birds so they could turn them loose the heartbeat they knew it was safe.

  Holly was still with them, which was a great relief to Micah. She didn’t know what to expect, but Holly would help them deal with the Old Tech side of it. Since the gates were locked, maybe it was as simple as finding Caleb and any others, then walking back to the surface. If someone managed to get through the gate and up the tunnel, where would they go? It was an island and everyone living there reported to the Professor. There was no escape.

  The tunnel curved upward toward a wide opening where they could see a sparkling, dark blue sky.

  A New Enemy

  They stopped at the tunnel entrance and looked, amazed at the sight. They were in the middle of a large park, well-groomed with a road that led away from the tunnel. In the other direction, there were walkways with benches and trees.

  And people.

  Braden didn’t see any Bots, so they asked the Hawkoids to give them a better view of the city. Skirill, Zyena, and Zeeka flew in three different directions, flying close to the dome itself as they looked down at a modern city, unlike anything currently on Vii. It looked like pictures that Holly had shown Braden of Sanctuary before the war.

  The dome above was mostly clear, with beams at regular intervals, wide at the base and soaring to a point above where they converged at the peak, the dome’s top. Outside, they saw schools of fish, the sun’s light sparkling through waves that were not that far above. Holly had believed the undersea facility was at the bottom of the ocean and although that was true, it wasn’t very deep below the surface.

  Inside, there even seemed to be a monorail people-mover of sorts. A sleek looking train, filled with people going somewhere. Braden and Micah walked toward a couple sitting on a bench. They didn’t look alarmed at the Wolfoid or the Lizard Man, but their eyes widened when Brandt emerged from the tunnel and into the well-lit area.

  “Excuse me,” Braden said with a smile. “Would you happen to know Caleb, a big fisherman, a little bit older?” He looked at Micah. It never hurt to get right to the point.

  “I’m sorry, I’m afraid we don’t know a Caleb,” the young woman answered, before looking away and humming to herself.

  “How many people are here?” Braden followed his first question, thinking he already knew what she was going to say.

  “I don’t know that!” she exclaimed before excusing herself. The man with her bowed slightly as he took her hand and they strolled away.

  “If everyone here came from White Beach, how come no one we see looks like they came from there? Those people were fisherman, kind of angry too, when we attempted to save them from coming to this paradise.” Braden wasn’t trying to be sarcastic, but it sounded that way. The residents had been actively hostile when Braden and Micah couldn’t feed them.

  Braden didn’t know what to do besides spread out and ask everyone they met if they k
new Caleb. “How long has it been since Caleb was taken? A moon, two moons?”

  Micah settled it by asking Holly. It had been twenty seven days, less than one moon, or one month as Holly told them, as he continued working to get them to use the ancients’ standard time system.

  “So we ask who the new people are, someone who’s been here less than a moon,” Braden suggested. Micah didn’t have anything better, but she didn’t want to split up. So they walked as a group, the oddest group to ever walk the streets of Atlantis.

  A siren began to wail. They knew the sound because it had played at New Sanctuary once when a Cygnus VI survivor started a fire in their room. The siren continued to wail, loud, soft, loud again.

  The people all stopped what they were doing and immediately headed toward the nearest doorway. Braden and Micah took the cue and ran for cover. Brandt tried to look inconspicuous as he was nearly as large as the building they ran toward.

  ‘Brandt, the tunnel for you. It’s the only place you can hide,’ Braden told the King over the mindlink. The Aurochs immediately turned and tore into the turf as he raced for the tunnel entrance.

  Braden and his companions jogged toward a building with windows facing the street. Two people had already hurried inside. Braden caught the door before it closed, holding it for Micah, then Bronwyn, Pik and Aadi, the ‘cats, and finally Bounder, who had been covering them as they entered. Braden followed them in, closing the door gently behind himself.

  “What’s that all about?” Micah asked one of the locals.

  “It’s the standard call. It means there will be a security sweep. How do you not know this? It is the first thing we learn.”