The Free Trader of Planet Vii

by Craig Martelle

  The ‘cat liked the feeling of power he had while flying high above the ground. He felt almost invincible. Until he slipped just a little, then the thought of plunging to his death took over. He tightened his grip and let Skirill know that it was time to get back on the ground. They worked out a method where Skirill would back wing just before touching down and G-War would leap in the air. He would land running forward. If they had to fly into the attack, Skirill didn’t want to land where he was most vulnerable.

  It was almost perfect, but G-War slipped a little to the side as Skirill flared short of the ground. If he hadn’t been a ‘cat, he probably would have landed on his side. But ‘cats always land on their feet. With a deft twist, he landed, running quickly to keep from planting his ‘cat face into the dirt.

  G-War was satisfied to be in one piece and was breathing heavily from his exertions. Skirill was also spent. Flying with the ‘cat on his back was as hard as flying in a storm’s wind. They would save that for dire situations only.

  G-War sat and waited for the horses. When they trotted up, he leapt gracefully to Braden’s lap, who helped steady him as they continued without stopping.

  13 – Waiting Productively

  They made camp at the edge of the rainforest, even though it was only late afternoon. Aadi wanted to go forward and meet with the Lizard Men alone. They all watched him go, not knowing if it was a good idea or not. There had to be creatures in there who thought a Tortoid would make a good meal. Once he was able to find the Lizard Men, though, they would keep him out of harm’s way.

  Until then, they waited. The ‘cat crouched low, watching the Amazon intently. Skirill picked a high branch on a tall tree to sit on, waiting for a call to action.

  Micah and Braden gathered the driest wood they could find and tried to make a fire. It wasn’t cold, but they’d need the fire to cook dinner, assuming Braden was successful. “Maybe you can hunt using your blaster?” he asked. Micah looked at him oddly. “Then you can kill it and cook it at the same time!” She shook her head as he headed toward the trees, recurve bow at the ready.

  With G-War’s help, Braden could narrow his search to a small area. There was a wild boar in there. The rainforest itself teemed with life, but it was strange and elusive. As the barren grasslands transitioned into the rainforest, there was game and the heaviest brush. He saw why villages had established themselves along the northern side of the Amazon. The edge of the rainforest provided for all.

  In short order, Braden was able to bring down a nice boar. He field dressed it and drug it back to the camp site, where they butchered and smoked it. It took well into the evening to complete their work. This also restocked their meat supply far beyond what they would need for the quick trip back to Village McCullough, assuming that Master Aadi didn’t stir up the Lizard Men.

  14 – A Missing Tortoid

  “Have you heard anything from Master Aadi?” Braden asked G-War.

  ‘No. But I would know if anything bad happened. Aadi is simply silent. Maybe he has not yet been successful in his search for the Lizard Men.’

  “I don’t think so. I expect that they saw him the heartbeat he entered the rainforest. I think we’re being watched right now,” Braden said, confident that he was right.

  “I don’t think we should enter until Master Aadi returns,” Micah added.

  He looked at her, then addressed the ‘cat and the Hawkoid, “My thoughts exactly. Get comfortable, boys, it could be a long wait.”

  Night fell. They slept, but didn’t get any rest. Having one of their own missing was upsetting. G-War remained alert through to sunrise. No news.

  “We need to think about how we go in after Master Aadi,” Braden said to Micah. She agreed, but had no ideas. Braden didn’t either. The only thing he could think to do was to walk in and hope to meet a Lizard Man who recognized them.

  Hope was a lousy plan.

  They waited.

  They spent the day taking turns hunting. Micah used string to set snares on game trails. Braden tried to bag a quail, but never got close enough. He was happy that he didn’t. He wasn’t sure how Skirill would react if they ate a bird.

  G-War maintained his silent vigil. It seemed that the ‘cat had formed a close bond with the Tortoid. Well, the rest of them had too.

  As the sun was setting a second time since Master Aadi had departed, G-War spoke. ‘He returns.’

  15 – The Lizard Men Trade

  Master Aadi found the Lizard Men right away. They led him back to their camp where they shared a small meal of freshly caught fish. The Lizard Men wanted to share their history with the Tortoid in the only way they could. They told it to him. Once started, they could not stop. That took the rest of the night and half the next daylight.

  The Lizard Men were a product of the ancients, just like every mutated animal. The Tortoid, the Hawkoid, and the Hillcats were all examples of engineered creatures. The ancients had designed each animal for a specific purpose. The Lizard Men were created to work within the rainforest where swamp and rain were constant obstacles.

  The Lizard Men built the original roads through the Amazon. They maintained the roads. They held nature at bay so the ancients could travel without any problems. The ancients were masters of the air, but the heavy materials traveled overland. Once the quarries supporting Sanctuary were exhausted, they dug new quarries north of the rainforest. Those ores moved overland to the massive factories around Sanctuary.

  Once the war started, all technology became targets as the ancients fought for control. The Lizard Men retreated deep into the rainforest and waited. One day, there were no more sounds from air vehicles, from the land trains, or from humanity.

  When the Lizard Men left the shelter of the deep rainforest, they found that Sanctuary and the surrounding lands had been destroyed. The first ones to observe the destruction died hideous deaths as their bodies wasted away from the radiation. Only in the last hundred cycles had Lizard Men been able to venture to the southern edge of the Amazon without being affected.

  The Lizard Men flourished over time. There were now thousands of them scattered throughout the rainforest. They had a number of villages and even a rudimentary government. The Lizard Man that they met on the road, Zalastar, was their senior leader. Once he guaranteed their safety, every Lizard Man was obligated to comply. The Lizard Men would protect the companions, because their leader directed them to.

  The Lizard Men told a detailed story of their lineage, which they considered a key element of their history. Aadi listened attentively and remembered the ancestry of the Lizard Men leaders. The companions politely declined hearing the specifics from Master Aadi.

  After Aadi shared his story, Braden only had one question. “What about trade?”

  ‘Yes, of course. They don’t make anything extra, but they could if we found something the humans needed. Do you know what that would be?’ Aadi asked innocently.

  “I have no idea. What do they make?” Braden parried.

  ‘Maybe it’s more like what they grow. They harvest a particular mushroom that they carry when they travel. It sustains them as if it were the best meat.’

  “Do you know what it tastes like?” Micah asked.

  ‘Master Human… I don’t think you want my opinion of how something tastes. I thought it was delightful, but you should judge for yourselves.’

  “Sounds interesting,” Braden replied. “It would be good to have an alternative to meat, especially if it keeps without spoiling. I think that settles it. First thing tomorrow, we’re going north. If you would be so kind as to arrange a meeting with the Lizard Men, Master Aadi, then we’ll talk about what trade with Village McCullough could look like.” Braden was pleased that the Lizard Men had thought about something to trade. It always started with one thing until the people learned more about each other, then it expanded.

  They only needed to get the humans past their distrust of anything mutant. They’d made progress with Village McCullough because of his companions, bu
t would they accept the Lizard Men?

  Micah saw the excitement on Braden’s face as Master Aadi talked about the mushrooms. He had sold her on his vision of a world where all creatures shared the things they produced for the things they wanted. She could see her village drying fish to bring inland for those who had no access to the sea. And from them, they could get greens, vegetables, maybe even fresh red meat. She rubbed Braden’s shoulders as they both thought about the possibilities.

  “Trade. So much better than war to get what you want,” she said. “Why do men choose war?” It was a rhetorical question. No one knew why people chose the road to violence. She put her hand on the blaster. Maybe it was more about power. She wondered how the village of Cornwall was doing without the power of the blaster? Did they go to war with Trent?

  Maybe by taking the blaster, she’d prevented war.

  16 - Zalastar

  Braden and Micah slept close that night. They were both relieved that Aadi was back, and they celebrated as a young couple does.

  G-War and Skirill slept like the dead. They had been successful hunting, although Braden found it hard to believe that the ‘cat was physically capable of eating one more bite after gorging at the oasis.

  Aadi thought nothing of it all. He did what he had to do, as he had done for the past two hundred cycles.

  When the sun rose, they left their camp. The only sign they’d stayed was dirt kicked over the place where their fire had been.

  They set a good pace as they followed the ruins of the ancients’ road north. Once in the Amazon, the air thickened with moisture and rain threatened to fall. The sun disappeared somewhere above the green canopy of tree limbs and vines. On their first trip through the rainforest, Braden and Micah had been consumed by the perpetual gloom and unknown beings that surrounded them.

  Everything was different now. The rainforest was vibrant with innumerable shades of green and brown. Everything was alive. From the vines to the trees to the undergrowth to the animal life. Leaves and bushes rustled as unknown creatures fled from the caravan, forever remaining unseen.

  It was almost mid-day of travel before they met a Lizard Man. Aadi was immediately excited and swam forward when they stopped the horses. They couldn’t hear him when he communicated with the Lizard Men, so they had to wait, but not for long.

  ‘Zalastar gives his warmest greetings to his friends! They have prepared a celebration in your honor.’ Braden and Micah got down from their horses so they could greet the leader of the Lizard Men.

  “Master Aadi, is there any way we can talk with him directly?”

  ‘I’m sorry, no. Even the Golden Warrior cannot talk with the Lizard Men. Odd. I’ll pass on what you say. It is my pleasure to do so.’

  “Thanks, Master Aadi,” Braden said to the Tortoid before turning to the Lizard Man towering over him. “Zalastar. It is good to see you again, my friend. Your offer of a celebration in our honor is humbling. I suggest we make it a celebration of a long future together as friends.”

  It took Aadi much longer to relay that and get a response. Their communication method was frustrating.

  ‘The celebration will be on the road ahead, so all companions may attend. Zalastar appreciates your friendship. With it, he sees a future for his people where they are no longer constrained to the swamps of the rainforest.’

  “Trade it is, my good man. Trade it is.” Braden reached up to slap Zalastar on the shoulder, then thought better of it. “Aadi. What is a way that I can show gratitude directly? I don’t see a hug in our future, but maybe a handshake?”

  After a short pause, Aadi chuckled in his thought voice. ‘Very funny, Master Braden. Zalastar finds the human need for touch quite humorous. The Lizard Men never touch as their skin protects them from the harsh elements where they live. They suspect they are poisonous to pinkies, that is, you and your soft flesh.

  ‘A sign of respect is to simply bow your head. Others will go to one knee, but those are from the lowest order, which you most assuredly are not.’ Braden and Micah both bowed their heads to Zalastar. Braden raised his hand, palm toward the Lizard Man.

  “Tell him this is how we’ll greet him. It shows we have no weapon in our hand and that we place trust in the one to whom we wave.”

  After Aadi shared that with Zalastar, he promptly dropped his spear and raised his hand. Braden and Micah waved back. Zalastar picked up his spear and waved it over his head as he turned and headed down the road.

  Braden and Micah smiled at each other as they returned to their horses, hand in hand. “A leg up, partner mine?” he asked as she stepped into his cupped hands to get back into the saddle.

  17 – Another Celebration

  The celebration was more tame than the previous one. Without the cold-water croc episode firing the emotions, it didn’t have the pizzazz. There were fewer Lizard Men around this time, as this was far from their homes, wherever those were, whatever those were.

  There were plenty of fish, even deer, but as the Lizard Men did, all of it was raw. Skirill made the biggest splash by flying around the gathering, then gracefully landing in the middle of the road. One of the children, demonstrating what it meant to be fearless, ran to the Hawkoid with a fish, while his parent chased after him. Skirill gently took the fish from the lad and bowed his head in appreciation. Silent cheers filled the area; the child positively beamed.

  G-War took it all in. It seemed that he was less than amused that he could not talk directly with the Lizard Men. Braden took it for granted the ‘cat could talk with any creature. It was refreshing to see he had limits, although it would have been nice to converse with the Lizard Men without an intermediary.

  Micah appreciated what they had accomplished. She felt that she was a part of something much bigger than herself. She was at the beginning of a movement that, if successful, could mean an era of peace and cooperation. The days of submitting to the strongest needed to be behind them.

  She and her partner were creating an entirely new world.

  Braden’s thoughts were simpler. He liked how trade was conducted in the north. That’s all he wanted. Safe roads leading to market squares filled with people looking to buy. When he left, the north was going in a direction he didn’t like. When he got back there, he would have to make changes. No one could be allowed to destroy trade.

  No one.

  18 – ‘shrooms

  Micah and Braden each held one of the mushrooms, looking carefully at them. They were dark with specks that looked hideous. Despite rinsing them off with water from a flask, they still did not look very tasty. Zalastar stood patiently, watching the humans. It was good that he didn’t understand human body language.

  “We don’t know if these are poisonous, although I suspect not. No need for both of us to try it. I’ll take a bite and you watch me to see if anything changes.” He hesitated as he tried to decide which side of the mushroom to try. In that moment, Micah calmly lifter the mushroom to her mouth and took a big bite. Braden’s mouth fell open and he sputtered, trying to come up with the words.

  “I swore to protect you,” Micah started. “This is part of that. I swore first, so that means I take the risk. By the way, it tastes a lot better than it looks, maybe like a piece of overcooked quail.” Braden was angry, but he shouldn’t have been. One of them needed to try it. It wasn’t his place to decide for them both. As it was, he made her the President, and maybe that was his last major decision. Some day he would reconcile himself with that. But not today.

  “You shouldn’t have tried it. It was my responsibility.”

  “I’m sorry, lover, too late. For what it’s worth, I feel fine. Why don’t you take a bite?” Not to be outdone, he bit his mushroom in half, filling his mouth completely. It had a texture like leather, and Micah was right, it tasted like overcooked quail. It wasn’t bad. He ate the rest of it, chewing slowly. It was a little dry, so he had to wash it down with a healthy swig of water.

  He handed the flask to Micah. She thanked him for it and c
hased her mushroom with the remainder of the water.

  “Once you get past how it looks, it’s not bad. This could be something of great value.” He pulled Micah to him for a long hug. He wanted to tell her not to do that again, but knew she wouldn’t listen. She took her role as his protector seriously. He wouldn’t take that lightly, so he settled for, “I don’t want to lose you.”

  Micah knew what he meant. Maybe she had acted rashly, but she trusted Master Aadi. If it hadn’t been poisonous for him, she assumed that it wouldn’t hurt her or Braden.

  She wanted him to know that their relationship was an equal partnership. Besides bringing trade to her world, she wanted to bring equality to his. Half the people weren’t less than the other half. She couldn’t have it that way. Braden’s actions at Village McCullough suggested he thought the same way. Everything revolved around trade. Who conducted the trade was immaterial.

  She couldn’t wait to get back to McCullough and see how Braden was going to work the trade between the village women and the Lizard Men. It would be interesting to say the least. She also wanted to show off their partnership. If those two little girls came sniffing around Braden, she’d slap the snot out of them.

  Now where had that come from?

  19 – Setting Up the Trade

  The remainder of the trip to Village McCullough was uneventful. They carried with them double saddle bags filled with mushrooms. They set a date, four sleeps after they left the rainforest, to meet at the point where the road enters the Amazon in the north. They could travel that distance from the village in a single morning.

  Having neutral trade sites was a less common practice in the north because every town or village had a market square. But when trust was lacking, neutral sites provided a way for trade to continue.