Free Trader Complete Omnibus

by Craig Martelle

  Neeson looked from the rabbit to Young Tom to Zeller and back to the rabbit. He extended his claws and reached for his meal. Tom caught his forearm. “You heard the Free Trader.”

  The ‘cat kept his claws out as he contemplated his next move.

  People going about their business moved aside as Gailey led Micah and her group farther into the city. The Rabbits nodded and skipped, stopped and smelled flowers and grasses, then caught up again. Strider walked gracefully beside Micah. She held Ax’s hand while ‘Tesh held onto Micah. A flurry of ‘cats wove between legs and darted into the crowd, returning quickly after having gone for no apparent reason.

  “Where did you say you were from?” Gailey asked.

  “We’re from a place called Livestel, which is near New Sanctuary, the capital of Cygnus VII.”

  “I don’t know what a capital is, but it sounds different. Maybe I’ll get to visit someday. Can’t remember the last time I left Southport.”

  Micah had led a blessed life, although in her first eighteen years, she’d taken only one long trip from her home of Trent and that was the traditional pilgrimage to the ruins of Sanctuary. The view had made her respect Old Tech, not fear it as was intended. The blaster she’d taken to guarantee her freedom hung at her side, a permanent reminder of the awesome power the ancients wielded.

  The awesome power that she wielded. Use it for good, Braden had said. Always.

  But it wasn’t easy. Men had come and robbed the Wolfoids. Now they had the power, but didn’t have the friends to keep them from abusing it. Our friends. Micah saw Fea watching her.

  ‘Your thoughts are troubled because we are here, in the sunshine, are with peaceful people doing what they do, while our mates are out there, ready to fight a terrible enemy,’ Fea remarked.

  Micah nodded. There was no reply she could make. The ‘cat was right.

  ‘Would you two knuckleheads stay here?’ Fea thought-yelled. Micah didn’t have to look to see that she was talking to Klytus and Shauna.

  The small calico assumed a dignified air as she strutted, tail held high. Klytus, the half-sized orange ‘cat, acted like he hadn’t heard her. When he saw a domestic cat watching, he took off after it. The cat ran away. Klytus trotted back. Mission accomplished.

  As soon as he was within reach, Fea paw-slapped his head.

  “Stop it!” Micah shook a finger at Klytus.

  “This is quite a crew you have. Where are Doctor Johns and Doctor May?” Gailey asked.

  “They opted to remain on board as they are busy with their latest experiments.”

  “Just as well,” Gailey replied noncommittally.

  They continued until they reached a small building that looked to be from before the civil war, centuries earlier.

  Once through the door, they descended wide steps that took them deep below Southport.

  ‘Holly? Can you hear me?’ Micah asked.

  No answer.

  ‘I don’t like this,’ she shared with Fea.

  ‘I don’t feel any subterfuge from the old woman.’

  That made Micah feel better, but not about being out of contact with Holly. The AI had undoubtedly seen her vitals disappear and was pulling out all stops to recover his signal.

  “I am uncomfortable being underground,” Micah told her host. It wasn’t true in all cases, just this one. “Is it much farther?”

  “It’s right up here. This is where the town’s leaders have met for as long as there has been the town of Southport.” Gailey turned off at a landing and walked into a large area, reminiscent of the Command Center in New Sanctuary, without any of the technology.

  Two oil lamps burned on a long table around which four others were already seated. Micah and Strider stopped to study the doors and their potential for locking behind them.

  “Wait here,” Micah told the two Rabbits, who looked far more uncomfortable than Micah felt in the concrete building. There were no plants, no growth, only the stale air of an old building.

  Micah and the others continued into the room while the Rabbits blocked the doorway. Their laser pistols remained close to their small hands. Micah felt the grip of her blaster. None of the people in the room were armed. They looked afraid.

  People did weird things when they were afraid. “If you’d like to introduce us, I would like to speak and hopefully put everyone’s minds at ease.”

  Gailey sat and signaled with her hand that Micah had the floor. Strider sat at the table. The twins worked their way into her lap, the three of them squeezed into one chair. The three ‘cats leapt onto the table and sat, each wrapping their tails around their feet as they studied the older humans.

  “My name is Micah, and I’m the President of Plant Vii, also called Cygnus VII. My partner has established free trade routes throughout both the north and south. As these routes continue to expand, we’d like to include Southport. You’ll be amazed at what others in this great world of ours have to offer. I’ll admit that is not the primary reason we’re here. A number of men have raided one of our villages and stolen some very powerful weapons. We need to find them and recover our property. If they are allowed to keep it, they can use it to destroy your town and kill all its people.

  “I don’t think that’s what they’d do. It’s more likely that they’ll use the power to make slaves of everyone here. We cannot have that on Vii. I refuse to let that happen. Our partners—” Micah pointed to Strider. “—are tracking the raiders through the mountains north of here. I don’t know where they will end up. Do you know of these men and where we may find them? Where are they going? If we can get there before them, then we may be able to encourage them to do the right thing and hand the weapons back.”

  No one spoke. Gailey looked at Micah passively, blinking regularly. The elders of Southport were doing the same thing. It was as if Micah had not said a word.

  “If you can’t help us, then we’ll be on our way, but know that we’ll try to help you regardless of what you do for us. Heloysius and Luciana—” Micah pointed to the Rabbits. “—would be happy to look over your fields and make recommendations so they will grow better. I’ve asked if a small herd of Aurochs would come here to provide fertilizer for your fields, while also helping to move trade goods.”

  “We know of Aurochs. I believe there are some to the east of here,” Gailey offered.

  “What are your names?” ‘Tesh asked in her small voice.

  The elders introduced themselves one by one. Wellsbrough,

  Cassia, Michelston, and Windsmede.

  “Thank you, De’atesh. I have forgotten my manners. It is very nice to make your acquaintance. These are my and Braden’s children. ‘Tesh, and Axial. My friend Strider. And sitting on the table is Fealona, Klytus, and Shauna. Human, Wolfoid, Hillcats, and Rabbits. All equally intelligent. All with a vested interest in the future of Vii.”

  “Intelligent?” Cassia wondered aloud.

  ‘Yes, intelligent,’ Fea replied.

  “Who said that?” Cassia asked, looking around for the location of the secret voice.

  Micah snickered, remembering her parents’ reaction to hearing the ‘cat speak for the first time.

  “That would have been Fea, talking through the mindlink, a gift that they share with us.” Micah stroked the ‘cat’s white fur.

  The uncomfortable silence grew. Micah determined to wait them out. She took the last empty seat at the table and leaned back.

  “I don’t think we can help you,” the woman called Windsmede finally said.

  “With what part?” Micah asked.

  “All of it. Any of it. We’re satisfied with what we have here and don’t need anything else.”

  Micah pursed her lips and shrugged. “I guess we’ll be on our way, then.”

  She stood and helped the twins from Strider’s chair. Micah waved and headed for the door. The ‘cats jumped after her.

  “Wait,” Gailey said. “Our crops grow less with each new season. Can you really help?”

  “We do
n’t need outsiders!” Windsmede whispered harshly.

  “You know the men of Dunk’s Hollow will come here first. It’ll be exactly as she said,” Gailey shot back. Gone was the façade that they’d presented Gone was the decorum. “They are here to help and I believe them!”

  ‘Did you have anything to do with this?’ Micah asked.

  ‘All they needed was a nudge,’ Fea replied.

  “You always show up with crazy ideas!” Cassia argued, slamming his fist on the table.

  ‘Just a nudge, huh?’

  “Since when is feeding our people a crazy idea? Who cares if oversized, talking Rabbits are the ones to help or not? We don’t have a ship like they do, so maybe they’re doing something right and we’re the ones who aren’t. Did you ever think of that?” Gailey glared across the table at her counterpart.

  ‘Maybe you can dial it back a bit?’

  ‘The stallions have bolted the stable and are no longer under anyone’s control.’

  Micah sighed and watched as the elders engaged each other by bringing up perceived slights from the past fifty years. None of them noticed when Micah excused herself and ushered her group back to the outdoors.

  “I think that went well,” she said when they were back in the fresh air. The light flashed before her eye, telling her she had an urgent message. ‘Did you miss me, Holly?’

  ‘I swear that you and Braden will be the death of me,’ Holly replied.

  ‘I hope not.’ Micah shook her head to clear the thought away. ‘They have an Old Tech building with a deep basement where the elders meet. They are talking about our proposal now. In the interim, I think we’re going to go shopping, see what there is to see. I’ll be back when I have an answer from them. Have you heard from Braden?’

  ‘I have not heard from him, but I continue to track their progress and that of the Wolfoid spears. They continue through the mountains, but Braden’s group has stopped for some reason and he hasn’t answered my call to him, either. You two!’

  Micah grimaced and looked at the ground. The twins each grabbed a hand. They knew something was wrong.

  Trials

  Braden crawled carefully downward. The Wolfoid pup lay in a tangle, silent and still.

  Bounder and Cygnus remained at the top, where they tied a rope to one of Brandt’s horns.

  Skirill and Zyena had flown to the bottom of the narrow gorge and confirmed that Rainy Forest was alive, but they could do nothing for him besides pack a beakful of numbweed at a time into his visible wounds.

  He was too heavy for them. The Hawkoids couldn’t get leverage, but Braden was on his way. As was Aadi. The Tortoid was swimming through the air as quickly as possible. G-War had abandoned his efforts to stay out of the rain and raced down the trail from where they’d been watching the raiders.

  The Golden Warrior looked over the edge. He studied his path and leapt. Like a combination of a mountain goat and daredevil, he bounced and slowed, hooked a paw, dropped, jumped, and kept going, always downward. Braden watched the ‘cat race past until he was close enough to the bottom to leap. He hit the ground at a run. G-War made a tight turn and returned to the side of the injured Wolfoid.

  G-War wedged against Forest and touched his mind, easing the pain while Braden continued to navigate the cliff face. He lost his grip and started to fall. He flailed as he slid, found a projection to grab, and grunted as his body slid down the rocks and slammed to a halt. He hung there for a few moments before looking down. He was barely an arm’s length above the ground. He pushed off as he let go, falling the short distance to land on his feet.

  Blood oozed through tears in his Old Tech pants. His boots were scuffed, but still had the power if he needed to run quickly. Braden didn’t see that anywhere in their near future, but he had other concerns at the moment.

  He braced himself over top of the Wolfoid and carefully pulled him straight up to free him from where he was wedged. Braden shuffled sideways until he found a clear spot where he could put the pup. He rolled him onto his back so he could look for injuries. One ear was split in half and blood ran from the wound. A bump on his head had already swelled, giving Forest a misshapen look. Braden ran his fingers over the spot, praying that he wouldn’t find a depression or break. The pup’s skull felt solid. Braden pulled a small gob of numbweed and held it against the Wolfoid’s ear as he checked for more injuries.

  There were scrapes aplenty, but Braden determined that his four limbs were intact. With G-War’s help, the pup rose to a state of semi-consciousness.

  “Where does it hurt?” Braden asked, but Forest’s eyes rolled back in his head before he could answer.

  Braden felt along the ribcage. The pup winced at his touch. Broken ribs, Braden thought.

  A shadow descended from above. Braden ducked and covered the Wolfoid, thinking something was falling.

  ‘Just me, Master Braden,’ Aadi said. ‘How can I be of service?’

  “We need to use you like a stretcher, if you don’t mind.”

  ‘I don’t believe I’ll be able to lift the pup by myself,’ Aadi said, concerned, wanting to carry some of the burden but limited in what he could do.

  “You’ll have plenty of help, probably too much.” Braden waved at the faces he could see at the top of the cliff. “Send the rope down!”

  Braden wrapped the rope under Aadi’s shell and made a sling. “You’ll keep him from bouncing off that rock face on the way up.” Braden pointed at the cliff, but Aadi looked at the matted blood on the man’s legs. “There are some sharp rocks, you might get scraped a bit on your way up.”

  ‘As you say, Master Braden, I shall endeavor to persevere. Let us tend to Rainy Forest first and foremost.’

  Braden pulled on the rope to test his knots, then carefully cradled the pup in his arms as he arranged him as best he could on top of Aadi’s shell. Forest gasped with the pressure on his chest, even though Braden had laid him with his good ribs against Aadi’s shell.

  Braden tied the loose ends of the rope to a couple of the pup’s legs, just in case he slipped off. Braden untied those as he thought better of it. He tied the ends off between the four legs of the basket to create a loose cage in which the pup lay on top of the Tortoid’s shell.

  “Pull it up! Slowly,” Braden yelled as he started to climb. G-War vaulted upward to land on Braden’s back. He wrapped his paws around Braden’s neck and hung on.

  Braden tried to keep pace, climbing the rock face as Brandt slowly pulled with the Hawkoids watching behind, directing him down the trail. Cygnus and Bounder guided the rope as the Tortoid and Forest rose. Braden slipped once, then twice, and decided it was better to take his time than risk becoming the second casualty of their ill-fated adventure.

  G-War applauded the slower pace, even though the ‘cat had no doubt he would land on his feet should his human tumble.

  “Maybe I’m taking you with me, G,” Braden said as he pulled from one handhold to another. “We live together or we die together.”

  ‘That is what I told you, but we don’t actually die. I would be most upset if you were killed, maybe even for a whole turn of the sun. After that, I’d be on my way, places to go, ‘cats to see. It would be nice to have a little more freedom. You have seriously cramped my style.’

  “G? We’re climbing a cliff, and you aren’t making it any easier.”

  ‘It’s nothing more than a pimple on these mountains. Do you think of this as a cliff? I don’t. It’s not very cliffy as far as cliffs go. Only about five or six humans tall. That’s not a cliff.’

  Braden made it to the top and crawled over. Bounder and Cygnus had moved the pup from Aadi’s shell to the nearest tree.

  “Were you trying to distract me to make that climb easier? I love you, little man.”

  ‘Make the ugly noises stop,’ G-War said as he turned and strutted away, holding his wet rat tail in the air to show his ‘cat butt.

  Braden would have laughed at his friend, but a Wolfoid lay injured and the rain continued t
o mercilessly pummel them.

  Micah strolled through the town with her entourage. They stood out wherever they went and since Micah didn’t have anything to trade, they headed back to the ship without any prizes. Ax and ‘Tesh were disappointed.

  Fea had bitten Klytus’s ear at one point to get him in line. He walked in front of the group on their way toward the dock, his head hanging low and his tail dragging on the ground.

  That put Ax in a foul mood, even though his mother had told him that they couldn’t have the ‘cats running free throughout Southport. She held the twins’ hands and power-walked. The Rabbits hopped, stopping to sniff at anything growing. Strider strolled along majestically, even though she still felt naked without her harness or spear.

  Halfway down the dock, Micah spotted bodies on the Warden’s deck. She quickened her pace, but the twins held her back. When Strider saw them, she ran ahead, dropping to all fours to increase speed and leaping high into the air to land on the deck. She sniffed at the two.

  ‘They’re alive. Stunned, it seems,’ she reported.

  Micah slowed as the heat rose within. Why had someone tried to board the Warden? She would beat the answers out of them. No, she would talk to them first, give them a chance. The beatdown could come later if they needed it.

  Micah helped the Rabbits on board and then the twins.

  “Go inside, please,” she told them. The Rabbits weren’t sure if Micah was talking to them or the twins, but they took charge and ushered the children inside. The ‘cats hovered around the unconscious pair, a man and a woman.

  Fea sat gracefully, eyes focused on the two souls. She didn’t feel sorry for them. She accepted that they were there and when they awoke, that they would wish they weren’t. It brought the ‘cat comfort, doubly so when she saw the look on Micah’s face.

  “They came aboard unbidden and I had to shock them. I assumed you didn’t want the Wolfoids to use the lightning spear within the harbor. They may be simply curious and not have any ill intent,” Holly reported using the ship’s speakers.