“I think they’ve set up camp,” he said. “This might be a great time to surprise them. They’ve been running for eighteen hours. They have to be exhausted.”
‘As have we,’ Aadi replied. ‘But they don’t have the benefit of an Old Tech wagon and the King of the Aurochs.’
They were already moving slowly when Holly advised Braden to stop. “This is it. Unhook the wagon, and we’ll continue on foot.” Bounder and the pups helped Braden remove Brandt’s harness. Once free, the King followed at the rear of a single file line, with Bounder up front, on all fours, sniffing and trailing.
Braden carried G-War, covered with a coat to keep him dry, at least for the moment. They both sniffed the air. Wet Wolfoid, more pungent than any wet dog. Braden wondered if the men ahead could smell them.
***
“Next stop, a natural harbor with a town wrapped around it.” Holly had shown the satellite image of the port on the screen by the captain’s chair. Micah had studied it, but that didn’t give her the answers she wanted. “We’ll get there tomorrow, and we can’t waste any time.”
‘It is a challenge,’ Strider said. ‘I fear that I won’t be any help, just like when we went to the north.’
“I know. I think I’ll go in first with the twins and ‘cats. Maybe you can go disguised as a pet dog. We’ll need all the eyes, ears, and noses we can get.”
‘A pet dog. That’s funny. Sure. I’ll do it and leave the pups to defend the ship, keep the curious away. What about the two scientists? Maybe they can help.’
Micah leaned against the window on the fifth deck above the ocean—the bridge where a captain from long ago had guided the Warden around the western sea. Now, Holly drove the ship. Maybe he did back then, too. Micah wasn’t sure.
Ax and ‘Tesh ran up the stairs and stomped onto the bridge.
“Whatcha looking at?” ‘Tesh asked, lifting her arms to be picked up so she could see.
Strider picked up Ax and held him next to his sister where they could both look out the windows. “There’s Rex!” Ax exclaimed and started to wriggle to be put down. Once his feet hit the floor, he was off like a shot.
“Just the ocean and my favorite Whale,” ‘Tesh said, glancing back and forth between the view outside and the stairs where her brother disappeared. Micah put her down and she raced away.
Klytus and Shauna hadn’t made the climb. Fea was curled up in the captain’s chair. Treetis was probably wreaking havoc on the garden level. He loved to torment the Rabbits, despite everyone telling him that he shouldn’t. They carried laser pistols and weren’t afraid to use them, especially if they thought a crop was threatened.
“I could use a chocolate shake,” Micah told the Wolfoid. Holly had called it a comfort food after encouraging her to limit her intake of them. She ignored him.
Braden was heading into the mountains after a pack of raiders armed with lightning spears while she was on a tropical cruise. Of course she was worried.
And that called for ice cream.
***
Brandt tiptoed, if such a thing was a thing for a great creature like the King of the Aurochs, but he didn’t want to be left behind. The others moved silently up a narrow trail, Bounder in the lead with Braden close behind. Cygnus Standing stayed close to keep him on the trail while he constantly watched the window before his eye, courtesy of his neural implant.
“Hold up,” Braden whispered into the driving rain. Bounder kept moving. Braden spoke in a normal voice. “Hold up.”
Cygnus gripped his side as he limped forward to poke Bounder in the back. The alpha shook his head as he snapped back to the present. ‘I think I fell asleep.’
‘I’m with you,’ Braden replied using the mindlink. ‘I’m one tired puppy, but now is our best opportunity since this all started. We’re getting close, and I think it’s time to unleash our secret weapons.’
‘You mean Aadi and the Golden Warrior?’
Braden opened his jacket, allowing the raindrops to pepper the head of one very unhappy ‘cat. Aadi swam forward until he was beside Braden and Bounder. G-War jumped into a puddle on the trail and hurried under the natural umbrella of the Tortoid’s shell. Aadi descended until he was right above the ‘cat. G-War looked at Braden through narrow eyes beneath a wet brow.
‘No one wants to get this over with more than I,’ G-War told the group.
Aadi blinked, bowing his head slightly. He reveled in the rain running from him. His shell was heavily scarred and repaired, colored to match, but that was for others. Everyone knew of the Tortoid’s injuries. It had taken him a while to recover, but he had. The power of his mind had overcome the challenges of his body.
And then he had children.
‘Don’t take any unnecessary risks,’ Braden advised. ‘Your family is counting on me to bring you home, so let’s make me look like a hero, okay?’
‘That was my greatest concern, Master Braden,’ Aadi said with mirth in his thought voice.
‘I think I’ll sharpen my claws on your pants, just because,’ G-War added.
‘You’re mad because Fea isn’t here. Admit it. You’re a family man now.’
‘I am, and I’m very good at it. What’s your excuse?’
‘I knew I would pay for that brief lapse for the rest of my life, the minor issue that resulted in you naming my children.’
‘Brief lapse? You were passed out on the floor!’ G-War shared the image from his mind with the group. Cygnus Standing chuckled and Brandt snorted.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Braden said aloud.
‘We all have places to go, Master Braden, journeys to take. We are happy to be on this one with you. My furry friend and I shall reconnoiter the enemy and report back. We shall remain invisible to them. If need be, I can run away.’
“Was that a joke, Aadi? Nice one. You two stay together, watch out for each other. G-War will know where the men are. Trust his instincts. Now go, before we fall asleep.” Braden tapped on Aadi’s shell as he swam away, his motions strangely appropriate for movement through the rain. G-War lost his struggle to stay out of the rain with each step.
‘I hate being wet,’ were his final words as they disappeared into the darkness.
Southport
The Warden cruised into the harbor like it owned it. Small boats with one or two-person crews hurried out of the path of the technological wonder. Everyone looked but no one stared, as if the Warden had been there before.
That clinched it for Micah. She headed downstairs, below sea level, on her way to the laboratories where she hoped to find the scientists.
“What do you think, Fea?” Micah asked. Treetis bolted past as if he was on fire. Both watched him, neither noted anything out of the ordinary.
‘About what?’
“Do you think we’ll be able to convince them to play nice?”
‘I heard you punched one of them in the face.’
“I did. That was me. I apologized, but I wasn’t really sorry, and they have long memories.”
‘Then we shall have to convince them that it is in the best interest of Vii, although they haven’t shown any concern about the planet besides their small part of it. That’s it! You can make the pitch that New Sanctuary will fall and we’ll be forced to sleep on the ground, roughing it until we can retake the Command Center.’
Micah stopped and looked down at the white ‘cat with her black spots. Fea didn’t mince words. She said what had to be said.
“You think the Command Center could fall?”
‘It is possible, but the Security Bots will make short work of men unfamiliar with such combat.’
“You sound like Braden.”
‘I think I should be insulted,’ Fea said, chuckling in the back of her mind. ‘He knows what he’s talking about.’
“Only because he detests war so learns everything he can to help him avoid it. And if he can’t, he wants to end it as quickly as possible, so he can get back to trading. After all, he is the Free Trader.”
‘We are better because of it, too, all of us.’
Micah nodded and continued on her way to the laboratory deck to talk with the scientists. It was her responsibility to convince them to introduce her to the important people of the town.
She found Chrysalis in the lab and Patti in one of the observation chambers. Micah approached the young Doctor Johns first.
“Holly has brought us into a port town, and I was hoping that you would come with us, maybe introduce us to some people. We’re trying to get to the bottom of who raided Livestel.”
“I doubt the people of Southport had anything to do with the attack on the Wolfoids,” Chrysalis said dismissively.
“Southport? That’s not very imaginative,” Micah blurted as the anger rose within. She unclenched the fist she hadn’t realized she’d made.
He looked up from his computer, rolling his eyes. “That’s what they call it, so what else matters? Now if you’ll leave me alone, I have work to do.”
“And so do we. The entirety of Vii needs your help to make this go well, but you probably made enemies when you were here and that’s why you don’t want to go ashore. You’re not very nice, Doctor Johns. I am sorry to have bothered you. Talking with you always upsets me, I’ll have you know, so don’t show your face on deck. You may find a fist headed toward it.”
Micah stormed off. Fea remained behind.
‘You are here because of her and Braden and the sacrifices they made for you. If you want to live in constant fear of being killed in your sleep, then continue being an ass.’ Fea strolled away. ‘Treetis, I have a job for you…’
Fea found Micah standing on the deck waving to the onlookers. They waved back. “I don’t need him. We’ll find our own way using our winning personalities.”
Micah smiled broadly at the ‘cat before returning her attention to the port and the people on a long dock that Holly was easing toward.
Strider loped out on all fours. Her harness and spear were gone. A pup stood out of sight behind the door. He held the spear tightly, embracing the task that Strider had given him. He felt like a new Wolfoid as the perpetual motion of the ship stopped.
‘I hate this,’ Strider said.
‘I know. People should accept you for who you are. In due time, after we get the information that we need, we’ll show them the truth.’
‘I look forward to it,’ Strider replied as she walked at Micah’s side. The twins bounced with excitement.
‘Look at the people!’ Ax said over the mindlink. The children were most comfortable using their thought voices.
‘Can we go shopping?’ ‘Tesh asked.
‘Are you looking for anything in particular?’ Micah asked.
‘I won’t know until I see it. Shauna agrees.’ The small calico turned to her human and stared. ‘You do!’
“Ahoy!” Micah called as the Warden butted up against the dock with only the slightest bump. She led the group from the ship, stepping lightly onto the dock. She reached back, but the twins jumped effortlessly, then the ‘cats, finally a large, shaggy gray wolf. As they walked down the dock, people backed away.
Micah held out her hands for calm. Strider strolled up next to her and sat down. Micah rested her hand on Strider’s head before scratching her behind her ears. Strider leaned into it when Micah hit a good spot.
The people relaxed.
“Greetings from the north, good people of Southport. Do you have a mayor or town leader I could talk to? We’ve had something come up in Livestel and could use your help.”
“I dunno. No one here like that,” a gruff man said before working his way past the group and heading toward the end of the dock. Micah watched him to make sure he didn’t try to board the Warden. He walked past.
Two Rabbits appeared on deck. Micah hadn’t told them to stay below because she hadn’t seen them. They hopped toward the edge and jumped to the dock.
‘Can I stand up now?’ Strider asked.
‘No. Maybe no one saw them.’ Micah turned to find half the town watching the Rabbits hop happily down the dock.
“Hey guys, what brings you out here?”
‘We smell the most delightful smells. And fish, which isn’t delightful at all mind you, but beneath it, a kelp, tuber, and vegetable stew. Yum!’
“Why?” Micah asked the sky. When she lowered her head, Strider was standing on two feet next to her. “Or should I say, why not?”
Micah led the way down the dock toward the small group of people, probably far less than half the town, but they were mesmerized by the parade of creatures headed their way. The Rabbits bowed to the humans. Some of them bowed back.
The Rabbits skipped happily in the direction of what they thought was a vegetable stew. Micah stopped at the first person she met on shore. “I’d like to talk with someone in charge, please. We may need help from the good people of Southport.”
A young woman pointed to the gruff old man fishing off the end of the pier. “He’s the mayor. You’ll want to talk with him. What are you?”
“Rabbits, ‘cats, a Wolfoid, and me, I’m the President of Cygnus VII.”
The woman’s expression didn’t change. None of the words meant anything to her.
“We are weary travelers in search of a kind word,” Micah said philosophically, putting her hand over her heart.
“Then he’s not the one you want to talk to,” the young woman corrected herself. She pointed along the beach. “She’s the nice one.”
An older woman worked slowly with a large fishing net.
Micah thanked the young woman and stepped onto the shore. ‘Heloysius and Luciana? Could you come back to the dock, please? I don’t want anyone to get into trouble.’
‘I’ll bring them back,’ Fea said. She darted into the small crowd and was gone.
Klytus and Shauna looked like they wanted to go after her. “Don’t you dare,” Micah told them. She turned back to find the woman right there, watching the twins with a grandmotherly smile.
“What are your names?” she asked.
“I’m Ax and this is ‘Tesh,” the young boy said, before adding helpfully, “she’s my twin sister.”
“Nice to meet you, and what is your name?” ‘Tesh asked.
“I’m Gailey, little sweetheart. My! Aren’t you precious, and you have cats?”
“Yes, we do, and they talk to us!” ‘Tesh shared.
“I’m sure they do.” The old woman looked at Micah expectantly.
“One of our towns up north was raided by twenty-five men and they stole some Old Tech. It could have grave complications for everyone in the south. If you know of anyone who would do such a thing, that would be a great help.” Micah didn’t want to waste any more time.
“We have a great number of needs as well. Groups from the east have been more aggressive, because our fields aren’t producing what they used to. They come closer and closer to us. Maybe we need your help.”
Micah smiled and held out her hand to shake with the old woman. “I think we can talk.” The Rabbits hopped up, their whiskers twitching as Fea sauntered in behind them.
“Oh my!” Gailey exclaimed. “They’ll clean out our fields, worse than those little ones!”
Fea’s ears perked up at the thought of an overabundance of domestic rabbits. Klytus and Shauna started to slink away.
“Hang on!” Micah cautioned the ‘cats. “I think we can help you with that, too. We would have helped with all of that regardless. Maybe some Aurochs can set up outside Southport to provide fertilizer, best on Vii. The Rabbits can help manage your crops so you get the highest yield, and our furry friends here—” Micah waved her arm to take in Strider as well as the Hillcats. “—can do something about your rabbit problem.”
Luciana harrumphed, but stayed quiet.
“How can they do all that?” Gailey asked.
“They’re intelligent, smarter than us. We’re all on Vii together doing the best we can to get along.” Gailey waved for them to follow as she headed of
f the beach and into town.
Micah accessed her neural implant. ‘Holly, can you contact Bronwyn and see if she can find some volunteers to help the good people of Southport?’
‘I can. How are you sure they are good? According to my data, you’ve only been ashore for a few minutes.’
‘Yeah, yeah, I got you. I don’t see any aggression from this group. I think they are vulnerable, if anything. Seeing where they are in a prime location, I don’t see any reason why they aren’t a trading powerhouse.’
‘That is something worthy of supporting. Braden would be proud of you, Master President.’
‘I try,’ Micah replied. ‘Now get a hold of her and see if you can convince her to come down here.’
***
Dawn found Aadi and G-War hiding high in a tree overlooking the raiders’ rough camp. The men had not all been asleep. Every other man had been awake and watching while their fellows slept. G-War didn’t need the rain to cover his approach.
He was a ‘cat and stealth was one of the many weapons at his command. Aadi moved soundlessly through the air, less so when rain splattered off his shell, but the sound was natural and no cause for alarm from the unsuspecting. When G-War and Aadi closed on the raiders’ position, they’d found enough men alert that they didn’t try to get inside the perimeter. They opted to observe from a nearby tree, taking a position that a Hawkoid would have occupied had one been able to fly at night and in a downpour.
The torrent continued. G-War huddled next to the trunk, but it provided little shelter. He watched the men, using his more senses than just his eyes. He could see in the dark, but he couldn’t see through the rain. Aadi had wedged himself into the tree beside the ‘cat.
Aadi was more likely to be seen than the Golden Warrior. Despite looking like a drowned rat, he blended with the tree. The Tortoid? If the rain stopped and any of the men looked up, they would have seen his shell in all its glory, looking like a large turtle trapped in a tree.
They may not have believed what their eyes told them, but the Tortoid had to rethink his strategy when first light arrived.
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