‘Wow, that’s a big brute!’ Brandt said, loud enough for half the planet to hear.
‘She is gentle and kind, not a brute! She’s a Whale, that’s all,’ Bronwyn replied. ‘And she’ll give us a ride to the ship, if you’d like.’
“A ride to the ship?” Braden said, suddenly unafraid and welcoming.
Treetis yowled as Fealona ripped the crab from his face, kicking it away until it scuttled into the water. The young, orange ‘cat looked both angry and embarrassed. Fealona walked away without looking back at the wayward younger version of her mate. She saw the great creature rising from the ocean.
‘What did I miss?’ she asked. G-War looked at the Whale and imagined himself riding atop the great head.
Denon stopped, expecting the two scientists to climb down and unhook him. They were riveted to their seats, amazed at the sight before them. Dolphins and a Whale, not just any Whale either, but a massive version of an old sperm whale, the DNA having been brought on the Traveler and genetically modified for life on Vii. The same thing for the Dolphins. The scientists had read the briefing on the sea life of Vii.
“So much knowledge that we’ve lost!” lamented Patti May, a clone and survivor from Cygnus VI. She and Chrysalis, Dr. Johns’ cloned son, had volunteered to conduct research aboard the Warden. When they saw the Whales, they knew they’d made the right decision.
“I can’t wait!” Chrysalis cried, finally deciding to join the others standing near the surf.
‘Human,’ Denon started. ‘Unhook me. I need eat.’
The clones were oblivious to the Aurochs, so Braden and Micah came to his rescue, rubbing his nose as they unhooked him. The strap marks on his side suggested that he had been strapped into the harness for an extended period of time.
‘How long have you worn this harness?’ Micah asked over the mindlink, concerned about the rubbing and blisters.
‘Since home,’ the gentle creature replied simply.
‘Did you run all this way, straight through?’ Braden asked.
‘Almost.’
Micah was furious. She stalked toward the group and grabbed Chrysalis from behind, throwing him to the sand. He looked shocked and covered his face with his arms. With a handful of collar, she yanked him back to his feet and dragged him to the now-free Aurochs. Brandt was trailing close behind, snorting loudly. Micah shoved the man’s face to within a hand’s-breadth of one of the wounds on Denon’s side.
“See this! Do you see this? That’s because you never unhooked him to let him rest. What do you have to say for yourself?” Micah demanded.
“But we were behind and couldn’t miss this opportunity,” Chrysalis whimpered.
“They are our equals! Weren’t you paying attention the past couple cycles?” she screamed in his face. He tried to cover his face with his hands, but Micah reared back to punch him. Braden dove toward her, catching her arm as it was cocked for a massive blow. As he struggled with his partner, Chrysalis crawled away, only to be stopped by Brandt’s massive horns.
“Apologize to him and rub numbweed on those wounds, you idiot!” Braden advised. Brandt nudged the man while Patti May looked on, trying to look invisible. “And you help him!” Braden pointed at her without looking.
The two scientists scrambled to Denon’s side, apologizing profusely, before realizing they didn’t have any numbweed. Braden held his pouch at arm’s length for Chrysalis to take.
“Treat them with respect and we’ll treat you with respect. Treat them like they’re beneath you and you’ll get a beating you will never forget, do you understand me?” Micah growled, face to face with Chrysalis as he reached for the numbweed.
“It’s so brutish out here,” he replied meekly. “We should not be threatening to beat people, and especially not you, Master President.”
“This is the real world and the greatest insult you can make toward me is to demean any of the intelligent species of Vii. Why did you treat him like that? Look at him! You insulted me and all the creatures of Vii.” Micah inched closer, resisting the urge to twist his head toward the wounds on the young bull. With his head down, he lifted his eyes toward the injury.
“I’m sorry, Denon. We were too caught up in our own thoughts to put your needs before our own. That won’t happen again,” he said sincerely.
“And that’s all I want,” Micah stated calmly, putting her hand on his shoulder. “You’re right. I shouldn’t choose violence as my first choice. I should have simply turned you over to him.” She nodded her chin toward Brandt, who lifted his head high to look down on the humans. She laughed as she walked away.
Braden forced the numbweed into Chrysalis’ hand. “Use it generously.” He joined Micah, hand in hand, as they returned to the menagerie watching Bronwyn, the Dolphins, and the Whale frolicking beyond the surf.
‘What are their names, dear?’ Micah asked over the mindlink, with no trace of her previous anger.
‘This is my friend, Chlorophyta and her mate, Rhodophyta. I call them Chlora and Rhodi! And this, the greatest of all creatures on Vii, is Rexalita. She is magnificent and she tells me that there are very few like her close to shore as they like the deeper water,’ Bronwyn answered.
‘We are pleased to meet you, Chlora, Rhodi, and Rexalita!’ Micah said. They answered at the same time in a mass of high-pitched thought voices. Bronwyn sorted them out and guided each so only one spoke at a time. They sounded like the Rabbits and judging by Ferrer and Brigitte’s reaction, they thought so, too.
‘You said that you may be able to help us get to the ship, Rexalita?’ Micah asked.
‘Yessss,’ the Whale said, dragging out the last letter, pounding her words into the listeners’ minds. She was much louder than Brandt. ‘Inlet, that way, that’s deep enough for me to get close. You climb on and I will swim you out there. Easy for me.’
Micah squinted at the ocean, trying to figure out how Rexalita was pointing and in which direction.
‘To your right,’ Bronwyn added helpfully. ‘Not far, I think.’
“We’ll go that way right now,” Braden said out loud.
They watched as Bronwyn straddled one of the Dolphins and held tightly onto the dorsal fin while it raced along the wave-tops. The second Dolphin jumped in and out of the water beside Bronwyn, almost as if serenading the teenager. The Whale swam along behind, exuding a carefree air.
“Malo!” Braden yelled, even though the Aurochs was only a few strides away. “Could you bring the scientists’ wagon, please?” The young bull agreed and was quickly strapped in to the harness that Denon had just vacated. Braden even helped the scientists back into their wagon, although they expected subterfuge of some sort and hung on as if Braden was going to dump them on the ground.
G-War sprinted toward Brandt and with a mighty leap, landed in the middle of the King’s lowered head. Treetis came running as well, one of his lips still bleeding from where the crab’s claw had cut it. When he jumped, Brandt turned a horn into his path. The young ‘cat crashed into it, scrabbled for purchase, then slipped and fell into the sand. Fealona casually walked to Micah, who picked her up, petted her, and put her into the wagon that Brandt agreed to pull. The Queen walked ahead majestically, leading the way. The Wolfoids dispensed with the ride and dropped to all fours for a brisk run up the beach.
The Rabbits weren’t too proud. They hopped into the back of the wagon along with the Lizard Man, Pik Ha’ar. Aadi floated in and nestled against the gate.
“Aadi, you’ve been unusually quiet. Any words of wisdom as we start the next phase of this adventure?”
‘No, Master Braden. I think everything is going well. I wondered about the problem of swimming to the ship. You know that the Golden Warrior planned all along to ride on my shell to the ship, or on Skirill?’ Aadi replied.
“I knew he had something planned. He trusts me, but he trusts himself more,” Braden laughed.
‘I’m pregnant, you know,’ Aadi added.
Braden almost fell from the bench as he tur
ned to look at his old mentor. “Aadi! You carry the extra weight so well!” Micah punched him for that, recognizing the implication.
‘I know you jest, Master Braden, but the eggs are making me unusually tired. I will do my best to keep up, though.’
“Congratulations, Master Aadi! I’m so happy for you. What do we need to do?” Micah asked.
‘Warm sand closer to the end, then I’ll need some time to see them hatch and after that, I want to show them the world!’ Aadi said, excitement tinging his thought voice, which was usually calm and stately.
“You let us know and we will dig the holes for you,” Braden added.
Brandt congratulated the Tortoid, while G-War simply harrumphed, with an off-handed comment about “more children.” The others were supportive and even Bronwyn joined the chorus of well-wishers.
The group headed up the beach, running after the Queen and the Wolfoids, who were racing to an unknown inlet. Braden opened his neural implant and asked Holly for help. With a quick search using the satellite imagery, Holly identified a promontory another hour north from where they were if they maintained their current speed.
Braden couldn’t get his head wrapped around how long an hour was, but understood it to be a fairly long way. The Wolfoids finally tired and waited for the wagon so they could climb in. Brandt and Malo maintained a steady pace. The riders were pleased that the sand closer to the surf provided one of the smoothest rides they’d ever had.
The Hawkoids finished their exploration of the ship and declared it devoid of intelligent life, although the two Bots maintaining the ship chased them around until Braden contacted Holly to add the Hawkoids to the ship’s register as authorized inhabitants. That was the trick to get the doors to open when they approached. Once outside, they noticed that the ship was moving rather quickly, parallel to the wagons on the beach.
With Zeeka, they flew ahead of the ship, swooping close to the Whale and the Dolphins to greet them appropriately, before continuing to the inlet that everyone was racing toward.
Bronwyn enjoyed the ride, but was getting beaten up by the waves. She tired quickly and lost her grip, torn from the back of the Dolphin in the next swell. She went under and couldn’t right herself. Rhodi was there instantly, driving the girl to the surface. Bronwyn sputtered when she broke into the open air and gasped, trying to catch her breath. The group racing up the beach slid to a halt, as one, waiting for word on Bronwyn’s health. Once reassured, they continued, but at a much slower pace.
Rexalita dove underwater and the Dolphins swam to the side, leaving Bronwyn by herself as a great head moved in below her, gently touching her feet and lifting her out of the water. Bronwyn sat down, then laid down, spread-eagled on her stomach to maintain her balance on the Whale’s broad head. The world seemed to fly beneath her as she became one with the Whale.
G-War was envious that Bronwyn had the greatest seat on the planet.
Those on the beach knew it when they saw it: a finger of land extending into the sea, where the sheer sides of a rock formation stood high above a dark blue that suggested deep water. Braden looked at the cliffs over his head, unsure of how to get the people and equipment on top and then to the Whale.
“We really could use that hover car right about now,” Micah said. Braden looked at her oddly. “Okay, I can’t keep it a secret. I asked Holly to build a hover car for us to make these trips more quickly. There! Are you happy?” Micah snipped.
Braden knew when to discuss issues and when they were best left to later. “I didn’t say anything. I agree, a hover car would make this much easier.” He studied the landscape before him, looking for a way up.
A tidal surge threatened to swamp the group as Rexalita swam up the inlet toward them. Despite the deep water, she filled the space. She wedged herself against the shore, then leaned toward the rocky outcropping. Bronwyn effortlessly stepped across where three Hawkoids flew around her and landed nearby. She bowed to them.
Braden cupped his hands and yelled upward, “Wait right there. I have an idea!” Micah looked at him and held her hands out in a sign of surrender.
‘Thought voice, lover. There’s no need to yell,’ she said over the mindlink. The Wolfoids snickered nearby.
Damn! Braden thought to himself as he pulled a length of the Amazonian rope from the wagon. He tied a piece of driftwood to the end and tossed the rope past the young girl. She wrapped it around a rock and tied it off as she’d learned to do with the Aurochs harnesses. Braden tested it by being the first to climb up. When he reached the top, he bowed.
“Now, send up the equipment from the scientist’s wagon,” he yelled back down. Micah shook her head, resigned with the fact that her partner was fascinated with yelling.
Chrysalis waved off Micah. “We will just use our raft to get there. The equipment is sensitive and we don’t want it bouncing up those rocks. We’ll get ourselves to the ship.”
Micah clenched her fists. She’d had about enough of the scientists and the knowledge that they selectively shared. They didn’t have enough common sense to know to unhook Denon when they rested and they didn’t think it important to tell the others that they had a boat. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths until she could think without fixating on the thought of punching a scientist in the face.
“Hey, look!” Braden yelled as he pointed seaward. The ancients’ ship was slowing as it navigated the inlet toward them. It was much wider than Rexalita so it could enter only as far as the mouth, but it was within a stone’s throw. All the rigmarole with the Whale and the boat and Dolphins, when the original plan of swimming to the ship was sufficient since it rested this close to them. G-War climbed onto Aadi’s shell while Zyena offered Fea a ride. Treetis begged until Skirill landed.
The Hawkoids took a running start to get airborne, beating hard to lift above the sand and the sea, then gliding toward the wide deck of the ship. They slid to a landing, the ‘cats jumping away before touchdown and running when they hit. Aadi swam slowly through the air, while G-War crouched atop the Tortoid’s shell.
The Rabbits used their small hands to help pull them up the rope to join Braden on the outcropping. Next was Pik, an accomplished climber as all Lizard Men were. Their taloned feet found toeholds between rocks as easily as on rainforest trees. And finally the Wolfoids climbed the hill. As they stepped onto the patient Whale, a loud bugling filled the air. Brandt’s head was raised and he was bellowing his dismay.
‘What about us?’ he asked, demanding an answer.
‘Can you swim?’ Micah asked, having never seen the King of the Aurochs in water deeper than his knees. The Aurochs looked at each other and shrugged in their way, waving their horns about.
‘Never tried,’ Brandt finally answered.
Braden stepped back onto the rocks and climbed down to the sand. “Come, my friend. We’ll swim together. It’s like running, for you. Take a deep breath so you float and before you know it, we’ll be there.”
Braden and Brandt waded into the surf behind the Whale until Braden was swimming and Brandt was up to his neck, then his head. He kept walking boldly forward until he was completely underwater.
‘Braden!’ the great King cried in his booming thought voice. Braden dove under the water, but couldn’t budge the Aurochs. A massive black wall came at them, and Braden cringed as he expected the impact to be painful, the surge of water before Rexalita’s tail softened the blow as she scooped Brandt out of the water. Brandt sucked in air through an open mouth, making it look like he was screaming. The Whale backed slowly out of the inlet, wiggling as the Aurochs crouched, terrified of falling off the broad, flat tail and disappearing into the ocean’s depths. Rexalita also struggled as the Aurochs was far heavier than she imagined any of the land creatures would be.
Braden stayed back from the Whale as she created her own tidal surf that threatened to swamp him. He stroked his way wide of Rexalita’s deliberate motions while she worked to get the King of the Aurochs on board.
When the
Whale deposited Brandt on the ship’s broad flat deck, he danced away from the unguarded edge, staying as far from the ocean as possible, the whites of his eyes visible as he looked at the ocean in fear.
Braden finally made it, swam up to the deck, and climbed aboard. The deck was only slightly above sea level and had no hand rails. It was flat and wide enough to, with a long and deep keel, stabilize the ship.
‘We’ll wait here, my King, for your courageous and triumphant return,’ the Queen offered. The three remaining Aurochs stepped away from the ocean’s surf. They’d planned on swimming to the ship. Seeing that Aurochs didn’t float, they changed their plan.
The ship slowly backed out of the inlet, giving the Whale space to turn and dive until her head was even with ship’s bottom deck. One by one, they stepped onto the deck, all of them dry and thankful for the ride. Bronwyn stayed on Rexalita’s head. The others looked at the two scientists struggling to unload their gear. Braden was soaked and preparing to strip out of his wet clothes, when Micah cocked an eyebrow at him. He looked at Bronwyn, then stopped.
But that wasn’t what Micah was thinking. “The longer they take the longer it will be before we can go find my father.”
Braden walked back toward the edge of the ship and dove from the deck into the water, making sure to splash water toward G-War as Aadi finally approached. Two drops hit the ‘cat.
‘I will cut you. While you sleep, I will cut you,’ the ‘cat threatened.
‘No, you won’t, partner mine. Any time you want to board the ship, I have some loving I need to share with you,’ the white ‘cat purred.
Brandt snorted and blinked his eyes clear. No matter the danger, leave it to the ‘cats to keep life in perspective.
Braden waded ashore, growing more and more impatient with each step. He told the scientists to put their boat together while he unloaded the wagon. The Aurochs looked at him and shrugged.
No hands.
He carried each progressively heavier item to the place where Chrysalis and Patti May stood looking at a bright yellow square. Braden could tell by the expressions on their faces that they were accessing their neural implants. Holly must have given them limited access to facilitate aspects of this trip since the survivors had been blocked from direct access to Holly. As Braden thought about it, this was the first time any of the survivors from Cygnus VI had ventured beyond New Sanctuary.
Free Trader Box Set - Books 4-6: Battle for the Amazon, Free the North!, Free Trader on the High Seas Page 49