The humans had yet to recover the bodies, a task no one looked forward to. Braden was torn, furious at the loss of life and afraid for their future. He turned to the Rabbits, kneeled down, and stroked Brigitte’s neck fur as he tried to calm himself. The Rabbit leaned into his hand and flicked her ears.
Skirill and Zyena watched from a tree branch not far from G-War. They wanted to add something to the conversation but could only volunteer to fly over the attack site and try to find the victims. Braden nodded, agreeing that would be the best and quickest way to recover the bodies of the new traders.
Besides Braden and Micah, the other humans represented the four villages on the edge of the rainforest. They didn’t want to fight a war, but they didn’t want to move either. That meant they wanted and needed someone to solve the problem for them.
Aadi, First Master of the Tortoise Consortium and Braden’s mentor in diplomacy and negotiation, floated at the perimeter of the group. He asked politely if he could speak. Braden waved the Tortoid forward as he squeezed between two of the four Rabbits and buried his hands in their soft neck fur.
‘Distinguished group of the intelligent species of Planet Vii, I bid you welcome amid these turbulent times.’ Aadi paused while Bronwyn passed his thoughts directly to Akhmiyar. Aadi could talk with the Amazonians, but in a different way than the gifted young girl.
‘I think it’s clear what our goal must be. How we get there will take time and commitment. Our choice has been made for us, although saying the word ‘choice’ implies we had more than one. We did not. Whether we like it or not…’ Aadi stopped mid-sentence and swam in the air in a small circle so he could look everyone in the face, whether it was furred, feathered, human, snorting, or green. ‘This is a life and death struggle none of us asked for, but it is ours to finish. War has been thrust upon us, a war that we must win if we are to survive!’
War It Must Be
Brandt stamped and bobbed his head, slashing the air with his great horns. The other Council members moved aside to give him room. His thought voice boomed, ‘We will make them pay for destroying the peace of this world!’
Braden went to the King of the Aurochs and put his hand in the middle of the broad forehead, hoping to calm the massive creature. “They will pay, my friend. When we are ready, they’ll pay,” Braden said calmly. The Council of intelligent creatures didn’t need a fanatic leading them. They needed someone who would make the Lizard Men Overlords pay for every life they had taken.
Braden called for quiet both aloud and in his thought voice. He signaled for Aadi to continue. The Tortoid turned around, once again looking at the assembled faces, the leaders of the free south.
‘Esteemed members of the Council, I think we need to formalize a declaration of war. We need everyone to agree with what we want to accomplish.’ Aadi ended his speech by swimming to a spot outside the circle and taking his place as one of the Council members.
‘Our goal has to be to eliminate the enemy!’ Bounder offered to get the conversation started. Many shuffled uncomfortably. The Rabbits froze in place, shocked at the direction of their future.
“No, my fearless friend. I think we’re better than that, better than them,” Braden intoned. “Who is the enemy? I suggest that it is the Overlords and the Overlords alone. We eliminate them, and the others will lose the stomach for a fight.”
Zalastar, leader of the Amazonians, stood in the shade of the tree, having let Akhmiyar talk for them. Until now. Bronwyn’s head turned as the Lizard Man ‘talked’ with her and her alone. She started speaking without taking her eyes from Zalastar’s. “Honorable members of the Council of Elders, I wish for peace as much as I demand to remain free. I won’t trade the freedom of my people for peace with the Overlords. On them, we must make war. The Amazonians that they use for their army don’t know they are being manipulated. I must insist that we kill as few of my fellows as possible. They are not our enemy, although they fight against us. We must find and destroy the Overlords.” The strong and thoughtful words sounded odd in the little girl’s voice, but no one gave them less weight because of how those words were shared.
Aadi nodded slowly, agreeing completely with the leader of the Amazonians. The Rabbits started hopping excitedly from foot to foot. A war where they were saving the lives of the enemy was one the Rabbits could get behind. Even the Wolfoids agreed with Zalastar.
G-War appeared to be watching attentively, but was thinking about the last time he’d seen a lady cat. There don’t appear to be any in the south, and that is the real tragedy, is it not, he thought to himself.
The Hawkoids agreed with Zalastar as well. They wanted the war to end quickly so they could get back to their nest and start expanding their family.
The humans were relieved as well. They didn’t have enough people or supplies for a war against half the creatures living in the rainforest.
Braden walked back to the middle of the group, thanking Aadi and Zalastar for their wisdom before trying to articulate the goal of the war and maybe a way to achieve it.
“The goal is to preserve as much life as possible while finding and destroying the Overlords. I suggest the following. First, we secure the people by moving them to a location where they can be protected, like to Villages McCullough and Dwyer. Second, we use all the resources available to us to find the Overlords. Third, we take a small, select team into the rainforest to destroy them. Part of that is we’ll need our own Overlord to help us gain passage through areas held by the enemy,” he said. Many didn’t understand, but Aadi did, instantly taken back to the spaceship and Pik Ha’ar. They needed him, but he was dead.
The Androids cloned people. The Artificial Intelligence at New Sanctuary known as Holly directed the Androids.
Micah was one step ahead of Braden and was already talking with Holly via her neural implant. Holly considered the date of his death and the manner of his burial. The fact that he was put in moist ground was to their benefit, or so Holly thought. He contacted the Androids on the ship and in less time than it took to blink, had redirected a work party to collect the material necessary and start the process of cloning their Lizard Man friend.
Braden watched as Micah’s eyes refocused. “Holly has already started the process. We won’t know if they’re going to be successful for a few days. If not, we’ll have to think of something else,” she said conversationally.
“Successful at what?” Ditarod, Greentree’s Elder, asked.
They hadn’t shared with the humans that the spaceship, or even New Sanctuary, even existed, although the strange conversations that Braden and Micah had with the invisible Holly were making them wonder. If Braden wanted their complete buy-in to a war, he had to tell them the truth.
“I’m sorry, but it’s time for you to know.” He shuffled his feet, seeking the words that would help them understand without making them angry. Only the truth mattered. “We didn’t want anyone trying to find the Old Tech, take it and set the world on a new path of destruction. I know, it was selfish, but if people saw what it could do, they’d be afraid and envious. The wrong people would try to get it and we’d be at war with ourselves once again. That’s not what we want. No one can know that New Sanctuary exists and that it is thriving with ancients and Old Tech. The people aren’t ready.”
Braden looked for confirmation from the humans that they understood. Dantan, the youngest of the Elders, spoke.
“I understand, and I take no offense. Most people aren’t like you, selfless, with your companions to help keep you that way. We can barely be trusted with this revelation, but we know what it would do if others became aware. No creature will hear from me anything you say. I challenge the other human members of the Council to do the same!” He looked deliberately from face to face, waiting for a nod before moving on to the next.
Once he was satisfied that the others agreed, he sat down and motioned for Braden to continue.
“Thank you, Dantan. It started in the north after a short conversation with the Gold
en Warrior.” Braden tipped his head in the direction of the tree where G-War looked asleep. Braden resisted giving the finger as most eyes were on him and not the ‘cat. He smiled and looked at the eager faces waiting for the rest of the story. “It seems the ‘cats knew there was Old Tech down here. All we had to do was cross the Great Desert, something no one had ever done before. You know what we found there, besides our Tortoid friend, of course? An Old Tech oasis!” Braden felt his story flow as the others leaned forward, giving him their full attention.
An Old Evil Returns
Once the story was told and everyone understood the critical information that Holly provided, the Council agreed on the strategic goals of the war and their roles. The humans solemnly departed, going their separate ways to prepare their villages for the road ahead. They had to discuss a war already underway with their people and help them understand. They had to move the people from a state of fear to one of support, while preparing them to flee to a place of safety.
It was asking much, but they’d learned what it was to trust again since Braden and Micah’s arrival. The surprising strangers who gave of themselves so others could live free, live better. Everything they had was because of the two humans traveling with an ever-growing odd group of intelligent creatures. Once the wheels started turning, the move went quickly.
Brandt sent members of his herd to each of the villages pulling carts, wagons, and contraptions that dragged behind, anything to help the villagers move. From Coldstream to Greentree to Village McCullough, the wave of people, livestock, and things flowed. Half the people were to stay at McCullough and the other half would go all the way to Dwyer.
Braden, Micah, and their children moved with the others, their home in Greentree left behind. The King of the Aurochs pulled the wagon while their horses trotted along behind. They traveled comfortably with their companions riding. Sometimes, the Wolfoids would run for long stretches, keeping pace with the Aurochs. Along with G-War, Bounder and Brandt became fast friends. Three of the most dangerous creatures on all Planet Vii had banded together to help humanity.
With the twins, Axial and De’atesh, in their arms, Braden and Micah watched the group. G-War rode on Brandt’s head as usual, while Bounder and Gray Strider loped along on each side of the great creature, well clear of his massive horns. The Aurochs’ hair was growing in, leaving his numerous scars as faint memories on the landscape of his life. From the Bat-Ravens to Lizard Men spears. Brandt had been attacked on too many occasions. He shrugged it off, never showing that it bothered him.
Bronwyn would know if it did as she could see more deeply into his mind than they could, and she hadn’t said anything. They shrugged it off.
“Look at this,” Braden started, waving his arm from one side to the other, taking in the expanse of the Plains of Propiscius before them. “Did you ever think we’d be here, doing this?”
“I know you don’t mean riding in a wagon, although before I met you, I never knew such things existed,” Micah answered while she caught the back of Ax’s shirt to keep him from falling over the edge of the buckboard. “No. How could we? Your goal was always to establish trade. Negotiate, agree, deliver!” she recited the Three Laws of Trade.
“In my home village of Trent, we learned to count on ourselves, no one else. We did without because we couldn’t trade. You’ve shown us all how backwards that is. Trading makes us all stronger, better. But there’s always something in the way, isn’t there? First, the villagers themselves were afraid, then it was the distance between the villages, then the Overlords sent their minions. Each time, we’ve found a way to get past the obstacle. This is just another obstacle, but it’ll take all of us and then some, won’t it?” Micah ended with a question, but she knew the answer.
They’d moved far ahead of the walking villagers so they could set up a camp, maybe kill a deer or two, and be ready for when the tired people arrived. Ditarod walked with the villagers. As the village Elder, he wanted to make sure all his people arrived. They followed the now well-worn tracks of the trade route between the villages and could make it without having to be shown the way.
Braden smiled as he looked at the ground before and behind him. The well-worn track showed that trade was becoming commonplace. More than two cycles ago, the road hadn’t existed. It was a constant reminder of how far they’d come, a literal reminder of the distance traveled. He wanted to make a sign where they camped showing it was one day’s walk to Greentree or McCullough. It would be nice for people to know.
Bronwyn’s scream shocked him from his reverie. Micah jumped over the buckboard to join the little girl in the bed of the wagon where the Rabbits huddled, looking with concern at their new best friend.
“What is it, Bronwyn? What do you hear?” Micah spoke loudly as she held the girl firmly by her shoulders.
“The Bat-Ravens! They’ve returned,” she gasped through waves of pain splashing through her mind. Braden pushed the twins into the back to help Bronwyn. The Rabbits looked confused. Aadi let go of the rope he held in his beak-like mouth. He floated to a position above the horses, Max and Speckles, and looked skyward.
He didn’t see anything there. ‘Skirill, Zyena, can you see them?’ Braden asked the Hawkoids perched in a tree far ahead. He watched as they took to the sky and circled around the wagon, gaining altitude with each pass.
‘We see nothing, not clouds of Bat-Ravens, not even single birds. Where are they, Bronwyn? Where are they hiding?’ The last question terrified Braden. The Bat-Ravens had never hidden themselves before and that was the only reason the companions survived any of their encounters. Without the ability to blast hundreds from the sky at one time, the blaster-armed humans lost their edge. There had never been a doubt about the intelligence of the Bat-Ravens, but this was an improvement orders-of-magnitude greater than what they demonstrated before.
“They hide at the edge of the rainforest. They’re waiting, and their thoughts are black, horrible visions of shredding our flesh,” Bronwyn sobbed.
“The Overlords have a new ally,” Micah whispered.
‘The trees, Skirill, be careful. They aren’t aware that we know about their trap,’ Braden said in his thought voice. Brandt started moving again, the wagon creaking as it lurched forward. G-War was crouched on the King’s head, facing the rainforest’s edge, ready to slash should one of the mutant birds come too close.
The Wolfoids were lost until G-War shared images of the Bat-Ravens and memories of their battles with them. Bounder and Gray Strider fell back so they could better see the scars on the King of the Aurochs’ sides. They had wondered about the innumerable thin streaks across his back. Now they knew as they saw the images for themselves. Braden, Micah, G-War, and the horses all had scars from their battles with the mutant birds. The Wolfoids hefted their spears. They’d call the lightning down on the Bat-Ravens if they came too close to their new friends. Bounder and Gray Strider ran together, putting themselves between Brandt and the rainforest.
The Rabbits checked their laser pistols, finding them charged and ready. Micah helped roll up the cover over the wagon but only part way. She wanted the Rabbits to have a clear line of sight to shoot, but not give the Bat-Ravens easy access to the children.
Braden and Micah hefted their blasters, preparing to battle their greatest enemy. Skirill soared high above, sending the companions mental images of the trees where the Bat-Ravens perched. He watched with his Hawkoid eyes focused on where the evil creatures hid. He counted less than one hundred of them, tensing as his loathing bubbled within him. Zyena was overwhelmed by his feelings and started to screech as a Hawkoid does when arrowing in for the kill.
The Bat-Ravens sensed something was wrong, and they grew agitated, hopping on their branches. A couple even took flight, circling through the trees and vines of the rainforest to shortly return.
‘Calm, Zyena, calm,’ Braden urged over their mindlink as the companions carefully moved into position to ambush the ambushers. Brandt pulled the wagon off the road a
nd casually, deliberately closer to the rainforest. Braden and Micah climbed from the wagon and walked alongside the Aurochs, close enough to protect him, far enough to shoot without hitting him.
In his thought voice, Braden ran through their impromptu plan one last time. Without another word, everyone who could turned as one and fired into the rainforest, creating an avalanche of flaming branches.
Bronwyn started to sob again as the birds’ death screams rang in her head. Zyena and Skirill dove for the rainforest, staying out of the raging flames, laser beams, and lightning bolts.
A Bat-Raven appeared in the open and Zyena attacked it with a vengeance, repulsed at its appearance which fueled her furor. The Bat-Raven was dead in an instant as she caught it in her talons and twisted, ripping it in half. She dropped it and looked for her next prey.
Skirill dove into the trees as the survivors fled into the rainforest. He chased them, but they were quicker. He picked a spot where the canopy was open to the sky, giving up his chase and leaving the rainforest before they trapped him where he couldn’t maneuver.
“Bronwyn! Find in their minds where the Overlords are. Find the Overlords!” Braden shouted, not knowing if the little girl heard him or could get the information he begged for.
The Rabbits unleashed bolts from their lasers into the rainforest, but their beams were narrow and as the humans had learned, the Rabbits weren’t very good shots since they never practiced shooting, generally abhorring violence. They would defend themselves and that was the only role Braden could ask of them. Everyone had their fundamental nature. Rooting them out of that would scar their very souls.
Braden and Micah kept continuous lines of flame streaking from their blasters toward the area they’d last seen the Bat-Ravens. Lightning bolts sparked from the Wolfoid spears at regular intervals. Aadi sent a thunderclap into the trees, but he was a long way from the action. He stayed close to the horses, just in case any of the hellspawn returned. If nothing else, he could use his shell to protect their exposed backs.
Free Trader Box Set - Books 4-6: Battle for the Amazon, Free the North!, Free Trader on the High Seas Page 2