Braden dove to the side as the stampede began. Arnie was first, tearing a swath through the field as he made a beeline for the water. Soybean plants, bushes, and even a couple small trees were plowed over in his headlong rush. Brandt was close on his heels, followed by the Wolfoids, while the two women tried to keep up with the Rabbits who both bounded happily along the Aurochs’ trail of destruction.
G-War hacked up a hairball and then looked up at Braden. ‘Hungry.’
Braden and G-War first checked out the small building before joining the others. They found it to be a maintenance shed that was mostly empty. The building would eventually be used to maintain the Bots who would maintain the oasis.
Shaking his head, Braden followed the others, arriving to see a lake full of humans and creatures. Even the Rabbits and the Wolfoids were splashing around. Braden only wanted a drink, so he stripped on the run, waded in two steps, and dove into the water. He swam to the fountain in the middle and drank from the cool, fresh water as it pumped into the air. Micah and Zeller joined him, which made him wholly uncomfortable as the water was crystal clear and they were both naked. He quickly swam toward shore, shook out his signature braid, taking his time squeezing it dry, and got dressed while the women laughed.
‘It’s okay, lover, that you’ve seen her naked,’ Micah told him in her thought voice. He knew that it was just the two of them talking as she could control the link far better than he ever could. ‘Traveling as we are, it is inevitable. We have a difficult journey ahead of us. It’ll take all of us working together to succeed. I think this is the easy part. Coming south with a herd will be tough. We will travel half as fast, and keeping them together will take twice the effort. We’re always going to be short of water, hoping that we reach the next oasis before we run out. Seeing people naked isn’t important for what lies ahead of us.’
‘As always, you are right. We have a tough road ahead. Let’s focus on that and what we have to do. In the meanwhile, I think we have someone who needs to get to a Tortoise Consortium.’
“Aadi!” Braden yelled as he walked the paths of the oasis, looking for the Tortoid.
‘Here, Master Human. I was having a pleasant conversation with our host,’ Aadi said as he hovered in front of Tiskanay.
“How far do you have to go, and can we help get you there?” Braden asked.
‘Tortoids always know where they are in the Desert. I can go myself, but it is some ways, not far from where you found me.’
“And when we met, you blasted my head! I won’t forget that, Master Aadi,” Braden laughed.
‘Yes, indeed,’ Aadi answered, blinking slowly. ‘If I could impose upon one of the Aurochs to run me out closer, it would shave turns off my trip. I can contact you when we’re done and you can pick me up as you head north on the final leg of the journey through the Barren.’
“It’s a plan. I’m sure Arnie or Brandt would be more than happy to help, although I’m inclined to ask Brandt to stay here, rest and recover. I’ll have to go, too, so we can find our way back to the oasis.”
‘Why you, partner mine?’ a gentle voice chided Braden over the mindlink.
“Well, I…” he stammered.
‘That’s right, I, I, I… You’re not going. I am,’ Micah insisted.
“No, I refuse!” he said, looking for his partner.
‘You don’t get to refuse. I’m the President!’ she smoothly delivered back to him. He was flustered. He searched heartily until he found her lounging in the shade by the lake. The Wolfoids and the Rabbits were napping nearby.
“We need to talk about this,” Braden demanded.
“We already did,” Micah said, her eyes still closed. “The matter is settled. Arnie and I will take Aadi as far as we can go in half the nighttime. We will return by morning. Now, let me sleep. It’s going to be a long night.” She rolled to her side, forcing herself to relax. She tensed from Braden’s flurry of emotions bombarding her over their mindlink. From confusion to anger to worry back to anger. “Calm down, Braden. It will be okay. Whether you go or I go, we will both worry until we are back together. Relax and join me for a nap.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The air reeked of wet dog, but through it, he found Micah’s scent. It comforted him, so he joined her, relaxed, and was soon asleep.
The Tortoise Consortium
With Braden standing, hands on hips and none too happy, Micah mounted the broad back of the smaller Aurochs. Aadi grasped a rope in his beak-like mouth. Micah tied the other end to her belt. With a gentle word, Arnie jogged into the desert. They disappeared quickly into the growing darkness. Braden and Micah could always talk to each other using Holly as a go-between. He realized that he shouldn’t be too worried. Old Tech would help him to know that she was okay.
He returned to the lake. Zeller had watched her partner leave after they said their goodbyes. She retired to the wagon to sleep in padded comfort. The others were trying to stay cool. G-War had climbed a tree and sat on a low branch, his legs dangling over the side. Skirill and Zyena were near him, looking like protective statues.
Braden looked at the ‘cat, unperturbed, accepting of life as it came. “Why can’t I be more like you, G?” he asked.
‘Why would you want that?’ the ‘cat replied.
“You’re calm. You take things in stride. You know when a situation is good or bad and you do what you have to do,” Braden verbally stroked his best friend.
‘Of course, all that, but that’s a small part of your life. The humans need you. You need me, but I don’t need them. Do you follow?’ G-War was especially philosophical, probably because Aadi wasn’t there to bear the burden of mentoring Braden.
“No, I don’t really follow, but I think I get what you mean.”
‘We all do what we have to do. What I have to do is a great deal less than what you have to do. And you feel responsible for the others, too. You can’t control any of that, but think you should. That’s what makes you crazy. Stop it! You’re giving me a headache. And if you haven’t forgotten, I’m hungry. I vote we leave Aadi behind and head north now, but I already know your answer. We can pick him up on the way back, or did you forget that he spent the first two hundred cycles of his life in the Great Desert?’
“As always, G, I get insight from you. Usually it’s about my own shortcomings, but I think you might have a good idea there. The Consortium could go on for a long time and we don’t have enough meat to get us more than a few turns.”
Micah had not been gone long, so he contacted her over the mindlink. She answered instantly, as she always did, noting that she’d been listening to his conversation with G-War. She and Aadi agreed that would be best. Her impression of the people in Braden’s north would not welcome a floating tortoise. Aadi said that he’d make his way back to the oasis and meet them there, whenever they returned.
And that made the night go more quickly. They planned to depart the following evening.
At midnight, Arnie stopped running. Micah gave him water from a flask. Aadi thanked them both profusely, letting them know that he was very close to where the Tortoise Consortium gathered once every five cycles. He let go the rope, and in his Tortoid way, he slowly swam into the darkness. The First Master of the Tortoise Consortium had arrived in style. The others would be envious, Aadi thought. They had no idea what was out there, and it was his responsibility to tell them. He’d been working on his stories for the past three cycles of the seasons, and Aadi was finally ready to deliver them to the others.
And then he’d ask if any of them wanted to join him. They’d politely refuse, as Tortoids did, and they’d all go their separate ways back into the wasteland of Devaney’s Barren.
Arnie retraced his steps. The moon was bright enough for him to see the shadows of his hoofprints. He followed them without any guidance from Micah and when the false dawn lit the world around them, the oasis was on the near horizon. Arnie ran, clearly seeing his footing arriving as the first orange arcs of the new daylig
ht’s sun peeked over the horizon.
Micah jumped down, sore from riding the great creature all night. The padded seat of the wagon would be welcome for the rest of the trip. Arnie headed to the lake for a drink while Braden and Micah embraced, happy to be back together and have a plan to shorten the time they were away from their children.
Taking the Plunge
They spent the daylight gathering soybeans for the rest of the journey. According to Holly, everyone could survive off them, even the Hillcat. G-War was appalled at the idea, agreeing that if death was imminent, he’d consider eating them, but it wasn’t a given.
They ensured the water tanks on the wagon were filled, both casks and flasks were filled too, and they rested as well as they could. When the time came, leaving was easy. Brandt pulled the wagon, Arnie walked next to him, and everyone else rode inside. Without Aadi and some of their provisions, there was more room. There was no ceremony. When they were ready, even though it was still warm and the sun had yet to touch the horizon, they left.
They went at an easy pace at first to keep both Aurochs from overheating. It took a while for the air to cool, once the sun set. After that, Brandt settled into an easy jog. The wagon was no burden at all. It had been in the sun all day, letting the solar panels charge the system that propelled the wheels. The King couldn’t feel any weight from the wagon. He suggested all wagons should be built that way.
‘This is like running free, but we get old, don’t we?’ Brandt told them all with his booming thought voice. He was afraid to reinjure his leg, so was running only as fast as he could see in front of him.
“Speak for yourself, old man! I’d like to think I have a lot of good years left, assuming Androids don’t slice off any more pieces.” Micah and Zeller nodded, trying not to stare at the stumps of fingers on Braden’s left hand. He waved his hand at them and Micah batted it away.
‘After this run, my friends, I may have to settle down.’ Brandt turned serious. ‘There’s much to do with the herd, and I’d like to be the one who does it.’
“Then we’ll make sure you get what you want. You’ve earned every good thing that comes your way, Brandt Earthshaker, King of the Aurochs. We’ll do whatever you need us to do,” Braden said and Micah nodded. The King picked up his pace as the moon rose and lit their way. They rushed forward, far more quickly than Braden had done with the cart and horses. He’d planned for ten turns, but the trip had taken four because the horses pushed hard back then.
Braden accessed his neural implant, knowing that Holly would respond instantly. Holly was always awake. ‘Holly, how long do you think it will take us to clear the desert, assuming we can maintain this pace?’ Braden had an idea, but knew Holly would consider issues that the humans hadn’t taken into account.
‘Looks like three days to me, Master Human, assuming you maintain your current pace and you break before sunrise to set up the tent. I’m glad that is working for you,’ Holly stated.
‘Holly! If I didn’t know you were a computer, I’d think you were trolling for a compliment. I have to say, between the wagon and the tent, you’ve made it very easy for us to travel. So, you deserve the compliment. Well done, Holly! And thank you. I was going to ask you to dispatch a Development Unit to start building an oasis halfway between 03 and the northern border of the desert, but we found out two humans on horseback made it to Oasis 03. I think we need to wait until we can ensure the security of both the north and the south.’
‘Alarming, Master Braden. What happened to the humans?’ Holly asked.
‘They ran afoul of the Seeders and then Tiskanay the Gila Monster took care of the rest.’
‘I shall await your instructions. The Development Unit will be working diligently to clean up the carnage your caravan left behind in the fields. The Unit could be working on a fabricator, but it won’t have time now. You’ll have to bring your own food when you return, but I expect you won’t listen to me and the water buffalo will completely lay waste to the fields, destroying three years’ worth of work,’ Holly said abruptly.
‘Holly, I think you have a soft spot for the Development Unit here, in the middle of nowhere, just trying to live through each day,’ Braden laughed. ‘We’ll do what we can but you know you’re right. The water buffalo will tear through that field in short order. We won’t be at 03 long and then we’ll keep moving. It would help if the Unit could carry some feed with us half the way to 02, because there is nothing to eat there. We’ll be fine once we reach 01.’ Braden minimized the window after one last check of the map.
They made slow and steady progress through the night, stopping right before sunrise to set up the tent. They found an old river bed and Braden was able to dig out an area that was much cooler. The furred and feathered creatures nestled in tightly, forcing the humans to take turns digging spots for themselves. They drank and ate sparingly. Even with the dawn, it was still too hot to eat, although G-War disputed that. He was ready for something fresh and turned up his nose at the last bits of smoked pork. So Bounder and Gray Strider ate it without hesitation.
Then G-War wanted it. They shrugged at him and went back to the den that Braden had dug for them. It was well into the morning and the humans were exhausted from digging in the heat to create cools spots for the Aurochs to rest. Everyone wanted enough space where they weren’t touching another. Patrice and Delavigne slept apart but leaned toward each other, with only their noses touching. Braden and Micah fell asleep holding hands. Zeller snored until Micah kicked her, and she rolled over.
By the third night, the wagon riders were getting antsy. Ride, sleep when they weren’t really tired, then ride some more. The Wolfoids took to running with Brandt for brief stretches, but it was too hot for that kind of exercise. Their bodies had started shedding hair and the inside of the wagon looked a mess with the clumps of long gray Wolfoid hair intermixed with the finer white threads from the Rabbits. It was so bad that Zeller took a shirt and wiped out the wagon after the last stop. It seemed that a cloud of hair perpetually hung in the air within the wagon.
Braden saw the care that Zeller was taking of the wagon. They’d destroyed hers and weren’t working as Free Traders anymore. He hadn’t thought about what would happen with the wagon when they returned. Clearly, Zeller had. He put the issue to rest with one sentence. “We’ll do our best not to destroy your new wagon.”
She beamed in response, instantly telling Arnie the good news over their mindlink. Micah squeezed his hand. ‘What do we need it for?’ he told her over their mindlink, hoping that he was only talking with his partner.
‘We don’t. I wondered how long it was going to take you to figure it out,’ she told him. He wasn’t surprised that she was ahead of him. He didn’t think about things like that. To him, the important issue was Brandt’s knee. One destroyed wagon didn’t matter when they had everything they needed with the Old Tech wagon.
He switched to his out loud voice. “When the sun rises today, it will rise over the southern edge of the Bittner Mountains. If we haven’t already reached the green plains of the north, we will keep going until we get there. We’re close. I sense a change in the air. There’s a nice stream with a small pond where we can restock our water, hunt, and rest until the new sunrise, then we’ll go to Whitehorse and see what there is to see.” Braden sounded philosophical as he described what lay before them.
They waited for what the false dawn would show them. Later than usual since the sun was rising behind the mountains to the east, the daylight spread quickly. They had already reached the green scrub grass that bordered the Great Desert. Braden thought it had crept further south than he remembered. He pointed Brandt in the direction of the stream and pond where he kicked off his biggest adventure all those cycles ago.
Skirill and Zyena took to the sky, showing the companions that the remainder of the morning’s trip would be uneventful over fairly smooth terrain. The Hawkoids flew quickly past the pond and Skirill winked at his mate as they beat their wings hard to gain altit
ude. They turned their heads toward the high peaks where Skirill had met Teelech and Awkar. He wanted Zyena to see that other Hawkoids lived on Vii.
He didn’t know why it was important to him, but it was. He wanted to show those two upstart Hawkoids that his life with humans had been most rewarding. Maybe he’d make another pitch to them about building a stronger Hawkoid Nation, one that partnered with the humans and even traded with them.
More likely, he and Zyena would return after listening to the others’ narrow-minded answers and imminent dismissal. He started to get angry, but Zyena calmed him without effort. She told him simply that it didn’t matter. They’d say hello to the others and then they’d go their separate ways. It was nice being in the north. She looked forward to whatever Braden had in store for them, whatever Skirill could show her of his old home.
They flew onward and upward.
Brandt started running as he could see well in the morning sun. It wasn’t too hot either. Braden tried to remember what season it was. Fall, maybe? The wagon responded almost magically as the King of the Aurochs pounded toward the landmark rocks around the pond. A stand of trees stood in the background. Braden enjoyed the smell, closing his eyes to take it all in.
“Welcome to Warren Deep,” Braden said, knowing that people from the south only referred to it as the north.
G-War vibrated in anticipation. ‘Deer, very close,’ he said. Without hesitation, Braden pulled his bow from behind him and prepared to hunt. Micah also prepared her bow, which pleased Braden. He’d let her take the shot. G-War grumbled, but Braden insisted. Micah told the ‘cat that she would try not to let him down. He could only think of the debacle above White Beach where he was hungry and the humans were messing around, not shooting his dinner.
Free Trader Box Set - Books 4-6: Battle for the Amazon, Free the North!, Free Trader on the High Seas Page 31
