Braden choked up, not knowing what to say.
G-War interrupted their thoughts by projecting an image of Treetis pawing at the fabricator and yowling.
All Ashore Who’s Going Ashore
The rest of the daylight was spent resting, eating, recovering, and preparing for the unknown. Holly had no additional information once the weather passed, even though he could see the island clearly through available sensors. He’d engaged the survivors from Cygnus VI to provide a human touch and still nothing new.
‘I think every place we’ve ever gone into, we had to rely on what we had with us. This time, there are sixteen of us, including three Hawkoids and three ‘cats! There is no one better to show us what waits beyond the next tree, over the next hill. Don’t worry, Holly, we’ll be ready,’ Braden said as he touched up his blasters, cleaning them, checking their charges, ensuring that they rested easily at his hip. Micah was doing the same thing. They were anxious, although they wouldn’t go ashore until the new daylight.
Skirill, Zyena, and Zeeka spotted the island first. Braden had anticipated something the size of New Sanctuary, but it was much larger than that. A central peak dominated the landscape. The emerald green of the foliage stood in pleasant contrast to the blue of the sea. The cover was near complete and the Hawkoids were challenged to see anything beneath the leaves and vines. Beach sand outlined the entire island, except for one point in the south where a rocky outcropping cut into the sea. One tree stood alone at its end, a rebel taunting the open ocean.
‘Don’t get too close. You remember what happened when that Security Bot took a shot at you from New Sanctuary! Nothing like the smell of scorched tail feathers to wake you up,’ Braden told the Hawkoids.
‘You never told me that you fought a Security Bot,’ Zyena accused Skirill.
‘It was nothing, my love,’ he answered bravely.
Braden and Micah laughed. Skirill had run like a rat on fire as soon as the Security Bot sent its laser beams skyward. Even G-War was impressed by Skirill’s changed history, so much so that he shared an image of the Hawkoid diving for cover, smoke trailing behind him.
Zyena flew close to her mate and cooed soothingly to him. The ‘cat was miffed by his failed attempt to poke fun at his friend. Fea had a good laugh at G-War’s expense.
“We’ll call this one a win for you, Ess!” Braden announced as the Hawkoids finished their stand-off tour of the island. Skirill led the way as they returned, in a mini V formation, flying as if on a mission. They flared as one, landing on the railing together, then turned around to face the ocean.
“Did you see room between the trees where Brandt can walk?” Braden asked.
‘Yesss,’ Zyena replied, thinking as she talked. ‘There was room. The trees are tall and have wide branches, but they aren’t too close together, not like the rainforest. There is room for all of us.’
“Bronwyn, do the Dolphins think we can take the ship close enough to walk ashore?” he followed his original question as all the companions stood on deck. Even Aadi had come outside as the ship slowed. He still held onto a rope tied fast to the sail, just in case.
‘Chlora and Rhodi will let us know. They are going to swim around the island and take a look. Rexalita will also try some of the approaches. I’d go with them, but they are going to check it out from under the water, maybe share what they can of the undersea city, but they don’t want to be seen,’ Bronwyn informed them as she watched the Dolphins swim out of the well deck and away.
Braden looked up at the massive superstructure of the ancients’ ship. If anyone on the island had been looking, the ship would have already been spotted. It cut an imposing figure against the blue sky.
The ship’s presence was no surprise, but what they brought ashore would be, because they were coming in force, ready to fight. If a Security Bot guarded the island, then they had Holly’s gear to hopefully stop it. Braden looked at the clunky objects the AI had given them, two spear guns and one heavy block of technology, and shook his head. Holly wanted them to go to war carrying a brick. And Braden would carry it, too. He wasn’t afraid of much, but the apparent invincibility of a Security Bot concerned him greatly.
“Why are you fixated on Security Bots?” Micah asked. “I didn’t get the impression they were there, only that there was a remote chance. Holly didn’t even talk about them until you asked. Don’t you think he’d see them using one of his sensors? Sure, we’ll carry that equipment, but I don’t think we’ll have to fight anyone. I think that the people he saw are our people, abandoned on the island and forgotten. Let’s collect them and leave.” Micah was confident in her assessment as she fiddled with her equipment, waiting for the Dolphins and the Whale to return.
Aadi swam slowly through the hatch and joined Braden and Micah on deck. Now that the ship wasn’t moving, the Tortoid didn’t have to worry about getting blown overboard.
“What are you thinking, old man?” Braden said kindly, but the words still earned him an elbow in the ribs from Micah.
‘What is your plan, Master Braden?’ Aadi asked.
“We go ashore, find who lives there, talk to them and get more information. We don’t know anything. There are signals from that place which Holly says indicates a presence of someone using ancients technology. Outside of that, twenty people, hundreds of animals, and those animals could be intelligent. What we don’t know far outweighs what we do know. Our goal is information, then we make a plan.”
‘An intelligent goal.’ Aadi blinked slowly as he waited. Braden didn’t know what else to say since he didn’t really have a plan. ‘We shall deal with whatever we come across, assuming that we are not in a hurry.’
Micah looked up sharply. “My father may be there and if he’s not, then someone will know where he is. We can’t delay any longer!” she said passionately.
“Aadi, what would we do without you?” Braden asked with a bow. “We have to go slowly, look around, be careful we don’t get ourselves into something we can’t get out of.” He looked pointedly at Micah before continuing.
“We have to be patient, lover,” Braden insisted. “We’ll find Caleb, in due time. That’s what we’re here for, so let’s get it right from the start. We don’t need to burn down the entire jungle on this island. Who knows? This could be another long lost colony and they found the cure for stretch marks!”
Micah launched herself at Braden and tackled him. Lying on the deck, she straddled him and pulled his face close to hers. “What are you trying to say?” she whispered.
“I’m saying that I’m the luckiest man alive and that we have to take our time on the island. That’s all. Please don’t beat me up,” he said with a smile, sticking his tongue out at her. The rest of the companions watched, hoping for a throw-down similar to the great battle of wills between Caleb and Mattie. They were disappointed when Braden surrendered so quickly.
Micah helped Braden up and they went from one companion to the next. Pik was armed with his spear and wore his skin suit. The Wolfoids carried their lightning spears, while the Rabbits had their small laser pistols on their belts.
Braden was always taken by the absurdity of a Rabbit with a weapon, but he’d seen them in action and when defending their loved ones, they were merciless. He’d talked with them and asked if they would protect Bronwyn. Braden once again built his plan based on Bronwyn’s ability to talk with all creatures. She needed to talk with the animals that they encountered. He was using the girl again, but she was old enough at fourteen to make her own decisions. She was on the road by herself, but not by herself as she’d always had the Queen by her side and Zeeka, the Hawkoid.
‘Hey, G, why didn’t a Hillcat bond with Bronwyn?’ Braden asked over the mindlink, as he couldn’t see where the ‘cats were hiding.
‘It’s the opposite. All the ‘cats wanted to bond with her. She told them unless they could work it out, she wouldn’t accept any of them. So, they’re still working it out,’ Fealona interjected. ‘While here, I will stay be
her side. I can’t trust this cretin.’ Braden suspected that she pointed to Treetis. G-War had saved Braden’s life too many times to count. Braden trusted G-War to protect them all, with his life if needed.
‘Thanks, Fea. That means a lot to us. We’ll be going slowly, so any insight you get, anything you see, please tell us. All surprises are bad, until we know otherwise,’ Braden replied over the mindlink.
“I get it. We go slowly. You lead, I’ll be right behind you,” Micah murmured. Her chest hurt because her heart threatened to pound through it. She could feel her father close by. She didn’t know if it was real or not, but sitting here next to the island was taking its toll on her patience.
With a splash, the two Dolphins frolicked their way up the well deck, stopping when they reached its end. They danced out of the water, bobbing their heads and chittering as they talked with Bronwyn. No one else could hear them as they directed their thoughts to the girl alone.
Once finished ‘talking,’ they departed with graceful backflips into the water, and a race back to the open sea. Rexalita’s massive head rose slowly from the ocean behind them. Bronwyn ran next to the well deck until she reached the point furthest aft, where she extended a hand toward the Whale, who was still too far away.
Braden ran after her to make sure she didn’t jump into the ocean.
‘This ship can park next to the rocky point. The deck will be almost on the shore,’ Rexalita’s loud voice resonated within their heads. ‘I will show you.’
Braden opened his neural implant. ‘Holly! Follow that Whale!’ he called, cutting off Holly before his usual joyous greeting.
‘Yes, Master Braden, I see where she is taking us. Once we clear this reef, I’ll get a better view with the sonar. Wait one moment,’ Holly advised.
‘Holly, half the time, I have no idea what you’re saying, but I expect it means something.’ Braden chased Bronwyn as she ran for forward to stand on what passed for a prow on the Warden. It was barely higher than the round deck that encircled the sail, but it had a small railing that they could hang onto. Bronwyn waved as the Whale’s tail rhythmically stroked the water, propelling the great beast forward and around the island to the rocky outcropping, where she swam aside the wall of stone, nearly to the white sand beach, then turned and swam back out. She waited patiently for the Warden to pass as Holly expertly guided it into the protected cove.
‘This is almost perfect. It looks like we’ll be able to anchor the ship within a few meters of the shore. Brandt will be able to wade through the water to get to the beach. The rest of you will have no problem,’ Holly said, quite pleased with himself.
‘Once we go ashore, I’ll need you to take the ship back to sea. I doubt our scientists will be able to defend it should someone not us want to get on board,’ Braden advised.
‘You are right, Master Braden, that it will be best to take the ship back to sea. I will do that. Simply call me and I’ll bring the ship back to the beach as soon as possible,’ Holly said, waiting for a reply. Braden was satisfied and without answering, closed his neural implant.
“Even you, Brandt! Holly says if you jump off the deck, you’ll be in shallow water and then can wade ashore. That’s our plan, anyway.”
‘Did you forget about us?’ G-War added. Bounder chuckled.
“Where are you?” Braden asked as the ship maneuvered into position beside the rocky point and the beach.
‘And your keen eyes are going to keep us all out of danger?’ the ‘cat answered sarcastically. Braden looked around until he spotted the three ‘cats looking through the railing from the deck above.
“Just get down here. We’re ready to go. I thought we might wait until the dawn but since we can walk ashore, we’ll see what we can see now and return to the ship by nightfall,” Braden told them all. The ‘cats meandered along the walkway above and disappeared into the galley. They soon arrived on the main deck where they joined the others.
“G, you, Pik, and I take the lead, Micah and Aadi behind us, and Ferrer, Brigitte, Bronwyn and Fea behind them. Bounder to the left of us and Strider to the right. Bringing up the rear, Brandt, I want you and Treetis to make sure no one gets behind us. Skirill, Zyena, and Zeeka, we’ll need you flying overhead, in front and to the sides, but don’t get too close. We don’t want to alarm the natives.” Braden looked from one face to another, happy that no one had been seasick for a while.
Treetis vaulted to the King’s face and ran to the top of his head, where he perched proudly. Aadi hovered closer to the deck so both G-War and Fea could climb onto his shell. He rose into the air and started swimming across the deck and over the water. Pik jumped into the ocean without hesitation, going completely underwater before bobbing back to the surface. He swam ashore with a few quick strokes.
Both the Wolfoids jumped in and dog-paddled the short distance to the shore.
The Hawkoids continued to circle back and forth over the beach, ready to give warning should any of the local fauna appear.
The Rabbits looked at Braden and Micah. “Don’t tell me. You can’t swim?” Braden asked. They both nodded, their noses twitching. The humans looked at each other as Bronwyn dove into the water and swam easily until she could stand, then she walked ashore. The ‘cats jumped from Aadi’s shell as they arrived, and they stood to either side of Bronwyn, looking warily into the trees.
Braden and Micah sat on the edge of the deck, their feet dangling in the water. “Come on, you two. Climb up here and let’s go see what this island has to offer.”
Ferrer and Brigitte both squealed as they climbed onto the humans’ backs, sharing space with backpacks and other gear. Braden grunted. Micah gasped. The Rabbits were as heavy as a human twice their size.
“You have to get off. We’ll sink to the bottom.” Braden opened his neural implant.
‘Are you seeing this, Holly? How do we get the Rabbits ashore?’
‘I didn’t want to say that I was amused by the transition from ship to shore, but there are life vests in the cabinet in the sail on the main deck.’ Braden got to his feet and went inside to find the flotation devices.
‘Holly, you mean to tell me that Bronwyn and I were out here in the storm, and these things were right here?’ Braden was angry.
‘It was all contained in the safety briefing that I sent you while you were on your way from New Sanctuary,’ Holly countered.
‘You sent me so many files I couldn’t even see them all, let alone read them. You know I didn’t read them!’ Braden shook his head and took the life vests outside to the Rabbits. He also gave them a flotation ring that they could hold onto, just in case.
Brandt stood by, in no hurry to jump into the water. He wrestled with the fear that started to grip him. Bronwyn stood on the shore, calling him to her. Chlora and Rhodi showed up and skimmed across the surf, scraping their bellies on the sand as they smacked their tails to escape the shallows of the shore. They were enjoying themselves, but they were also there to help.
Brandt pawed the deck, then started running. He leapt from the edge of the ship and cleared half the distance to the shore in one great bound. When he hit the water, he came down hard, sinking up to his knees in the soft sand. As he dipped, a mini tidal wave surged over him, peeling Treetis from his head.
When the water settled, it wasn’t even shoulder high, so Brandt strolled boldly ashore, while the young orange ‘cat swam through the surf until he reached the beach. Fea and G-War stopped their tree watching to see their adopted son overcome adversity. He shook when he made it to the dry sand, but that didn’t help. The saltwater made his skin itch, so he rolled in the sand. G-War shook his head and turned back to the trees. ‘Really? We had to pick this one out of all those who came south with us? The ‘cat nation is doomed,’ G-War said with a forlorn tone in his thought voice.
Braden and Micah jumped in and found that they had to tread water as they called the Rabbits to them. They stood with their ears drooped, arguing back and forth. Finally, Ferrer stepped to the deck�
��s edge and hugging the ring closely to him, he jumped. He hit the water with a smack, sending a shower over the two humans, but he didn’t sink past his neck. Micah grabbed his life vest and swam toward shore. Brigitte followed and soon the companions were on the beach and none the worse for wear.
The Island
As Braden had directed, each assumed their position while Skirill flew under the branches and through the trees ahead. He zigzagged with the hard flying that tight spaces demand. By the tree trunks, there were broad lanes of sand that gave way to dirt and grasses. Brandt had far more room than he needed. Skirill gave up trying to fly near the top of the canopy and flew close to the ground where he could clearly see the way ahead.
Zeeka flew near the companions, perching on branches here and there where she could see to the sides of the group as they moved ahead. Zyena flew overhead, high above the jungle.
Braden kept looking down at G-War, who walked casually, cocking an ear every now and then. He suddenly stopped and crouched, pointing into the trees to their front and left. ‘A group comes, animals and humans.’
Braden waved everyone to a stop. They crouched. The Rabbits held their laser pistols at the ready as they pressed in on both sides of the teenage girl. Fealona stood in front of them, hackles up, snarling.
The Wolfoids pointed their spears toward the trees. Zeeka took off and flew that way, but Braden yelled at her to come back. She promptly climbed into the branches, taking a position over Bounder’s head.
Bronwyn twisted her face as she looked confused. Micah went to her.
“What’s wrong? What do you hear?” she asked.
“It’s jumbled. They are all talking at the same time and none of it makes sense,” she said out loud, trying to clear her head of the noise from the approaching strangers.
Braden had never imagined what he saw as the group stepped into the open. There were a dozen beings, some animal, some human, all misshapen. From extra legs to missing legs, from slanted heads to claws for hands. They all carried weapons of some sort, mostly sharpened sticks, the rest clubs. One creature, a three-legged Wolfoid-looking beast, simply carried a big stick in its mouth.
Free Trader Box Set - Books 4-6: Battle for the Amazon, Free the North!, Free Trader on the High Seas Page 52