Free Trader Box Set - Books 4-6: Battle for the Amazon, Free the North!, Free Trader on the High Seas

by Craig Martelle

  He couldn’t argue with her logic, but that didn’t mean he was hiding a way to get to a ship at sea without a boat or without getting wet. There was nothing in his pouch or backpack that Holly had provided. He had a few turns to think about it, but he relied on the scientists coming from New Sanctuary to have a solution. There was no way they were swimming with their equipment. Dr. Johns was the one hiding a trick or two, he suspected.

  “We shall see,” Braden said, feeling more hopeful than he had just a few heartbeats before. Thinking of Brandt swimming with a menagerie of creatures riding him as if he were a big, brown island made him laugh. He heard the others laughing, too, over their mindlink. The King of the Aurochs didn’t think it was very funny.

  “We shall see, my large friend. No matter what the price, we’ll pay it to set Caleb free.”

  They settled in for a celebration, eating and drinking well, because with the sunrise, they’d leave. Malo said that he was coming along, too. The Queen said that wherever Bronwyn went, she would go. Micah didn’t relish taking the teenager with them into harm’s way.

  Not again, but Bronwyn wouldn’t be dissuaded. They figured if nothing else, they could leave her on White Beach with the Queen and encourage them to go back to Westerly.

  With Bronwyn in the front of the wagon with Braden and Micah, Brandt pulling, two Wolfoids, the two Rabbits Ferrer and Brigitte, a Lizard Man, and a Tortoid, another two Aurochs running behind, and two Hawkoids flying ahead, they departed Greentree. Braden understood about the twenty breathing masks.

  They hadn’t gotten as much sleep as they wanted, but that didn’t matter. Time was of the essence, and they left with the sunrise. Micah opened her neural implant to talk with Holly.

  ‘Holly, is there any vehicle of the ancients that might make this trip go faster? Once we’ve let the rest of the people know that Old Tech is alive and well, I would like to waste less time traveling when there’s an emergency,’ Micah pleaded with the AI.

  ‘Of course,’ Holly replied instantly. ‘We have everything we need to build hover cars. You could make the trip from New Sanctuary to White Beach in approximately one day using the vehicle,’ Holly informed her.

  ‘Do it,’ she ordered and closed the link. She looked away from Braden, hoping that he hadn’t seen her. She was ashamed, because she had talked Braden out of everything Old Tech, yet when it came down to it, she was the first one to give in completely.

  The potential was immense, such as Old Tech to build schools so the children could get an education above and beyond anything contemplated since the war ended over four hundred turns before. People could learn how to do more with less, how to live like the ancients, and thanks to the safety protocols they’d put in place, they wouldn’t learn how to die like the ancients. That gave Micah some comfort for what was the impending revelation that she and Braden would deliver to the people.

  Bronwyn looked at Micah closely, while Braden was lost in his own thoughts. “It’ll be okay,” the teenager whispered.

  Mature beyond your years, and yes, you are right. I think it will be okay, because it has to be, Micah thought to herself. Brandt started walking easily, but it wasn’t long before he was running, not as fast as he was capable of, but fast enough that Malo and the Queen had to work hard to keep up. He maintained that pace until midday had passed and they found themselves approaching the fields where the water buffalo grazed under the watchful eye of their Aurochs shepherds.

  They made a quick stop in Coldwater so Braden could trade for sweetened, smoked pork. Then they were off again, heading west toward the setting sun. Brandt slowed as darkness covered the Plains of Propiscius, but he didn’t stop. He kept going until almost midnight, when he finally pulled up next to a stream, drinking deeply even before the humans could unhook his harness. The other Aurochs joined Brandt muzzle-deep in the stream. Brandt suggested that Malo pull come the new daylight.

  The others climbed out of the wagon and stretched. Pik unfastened his skin suit and waded into the stream, lying down in the cool water to rehydrate the suit and himself. The rest of the companions lined up alongside the stream, drinking and refilling flasks. No one talked. They were too tired. Most of them collapsed under the wagon, some slept inside.

  And that was the routine for the next two turns until they reached River Crook. There, they stopped for nearly a full turn as the trio of Aurochs grazed and rested, even getting some special treats from the fields where a number of Rabbits were helping the harvest to greater and greater yields. It turned out that a couple of the master gardeners were Ferrer and Brigitte’s offspring. Braden could never keep them straight. There had been over one hundred Rabbits born on Vii to the few adults who transferred from the Traveler.

  Of all the souls that Braden had touched, the Rabbits were the most gentle and loving. They reminded him of Bronwyn, an entire species just like her. But the Rabbits could also be fierce in combat when they had to be, to defend their loved ones. Braden wished that more people could be like Ferrer and Brigitte, who were simply happy to be alive.

  The fireworks started when they talked with Zeller and Young Tom. They told Braden and Micah about the raiders and that Caleb had been injured. Even though it had happened nearly a full moon previously, Micah drew her sword and looked around, hoping to see her enemy. Tom’s new apprentice Darius looked shocked and then excused himself.

  ‘It was him,’ G-War told Micah. ‘He was one of the raiders, but Caleb forgave him and Tom doesn’t want you to know.’ Micah was furious and started going after Darius, who ran when he saw her.

  Braden tackled his mate and almost got a handguard to the head for his efforts.

  “It’s how Caleb wanted it!” he shouted at her. She continued to struggle, but not as vigorously.

  “Caleb convinced Zeller who convinced Neeson,” Tom said, petting the large scraggly looking ‘cat at his side. G-War looked at the young ‘cat.

  ‘There must be something you can do for him? Maybe Holly…’ G-War pleaded with Braden. He looked at the ‘cat, knowing that G never asked for anything unless it was important. Besides food, that was.

  Braden opened his neural implant and asked Holly if there was anything he could do. Holly made Braden look closely at the ‘cat’s leg, both sides, up and down, so the Artificial Intelligence could review the injury, before reaching a conclusion. ‘Yes, that can be fixed. On board the Traveler, there is everything needed to repair the ‘cat’s leg back to normal. Surgery to replace damaged bone with titanium components and cloning technology to replace the muscles, nerves, tendons, veins, and those kinds of things. Yes, that can be done and it will take approximately two weeks. The ‘cats have exceptional healing powers so it may take even less time.’

  “I think you’re going to have to take a trip, Tom, to somewhere you never imagined existed, if you want to help Neeson. He can be healed, as good as new.”

  The blacksmith started to cry as he hugged the ‘cat to him. Neeson struggled to extricate himself from the large man’s grasp. Zeller thanked Braden and Micah profusely.

  “Once we get back, we’ll make everything clear. We told you that Old Tech exists. Zeller drives an Old Tech wagon. Well, that is a drop in the bucket to what’s really out there. I’ll leave it at that. WHEN we return,” Braden made sure to emphasize the word ‘when,’ “we will help you and Neeson and for that, all we ask is that you help us get the message out when the time comes. We don’t want anyone to be afraid of Old Tech or envious of it. It is just another tool to help them live better lives, that’s all.”

  Young Tom tried to hug Braden, but settled for a handshake so they didn’t fall into a small campfire they’d made between Zeller’s wagon and their own. The Wolfoids, ‘cats, and Rabbits snuggled in close. Pik stayed farther away, because of the flames, not the heat. He liked it hot, but hot and wet. Aadi stayed close to Braden and Micah, but remained on the outside of the circle.

  The Aurochs were somewhere else. Arnie, Brandt, Malo, and the Queen were grazing
and enjoying the free flow of the river, warily because of the threat from a rare cold-water croc.

  Although Crabby and the other leaders from River Crook wanted some of Braden and Micah’s time, they let them be alone with their fellow Free Traders. With the morning, Braden and Micah would meet and greet everyone. They enjoyed the people from River Crook, and held a special place there because they’d helped the people to establish it.

  They were always happy to see Yellowfin as he grew into a strong young man, barely older than Bronwyn, who caught him glancing in her direction on more than one occasion. She found ways to steer clear of the village and stay with the intelligent creatures she considered to be her best friends.

  Once they retired for the night, Braden and Micah dropped the side of the wagon to create a bed for themselves. It was a feature of the Old Tech wagon that they appreciated and took advantage of on occasion. It came in handy when they had as many companions as currently traveled with them.

  “How do we get into these situations? If I understood Holly right, the ship might have two mini-subs, enough for four total people, if they squeeze in tightly. Yet we have a small army with us. Who chooses who goes to the undersea world?”

  “We do, as always, but I suspect there’s more that Holly isn’t telling us. I think since he allowed us to bring everyone as well as all the equipment, he knows of a way where no one is left behind. If the facility is as he expects, expanded and heavily populated with Bots and abducted humans, then we’ll need our friends if we are to win them over,” she whispered.

  Braden figured the same. There was no way Holly would encourage them to take such a broad range of species, only to leave them on the beach.

  “We’ll see what tomorrow brings,” Braden replied before kissing and hugging Micah, but going no further as Bronwyn was in the wagon, an arm-span away, along with the Wolfoids and the Lizard Man. Micah finally relaxed. If her father had forgiven Darius, then who was she to hold a grudge. And Arnie and Zeller had killed all three of the real raiders, which made Micah more accepting, too.

  Braden took it better than Micah would have expected. He was furious in the north when they were attacked while traveling the open road. The thought of the trade routes that he had pioneered being plied by raiders should have driven him into a mindless frenzy. But he listened to the story, nodded, and thanked Zeller for taking care of it.

  She had to know as his mind hadn’t been clear on what he was thinking. She perceived that he’d been happy hearing about it. “Why weren’t you angry when you heard about the raiders?”

  “What?” Braden asked, having already fallen asleep. She nudged him.

  “Angry? About the raiders?” he asked. “Zeller took care of them. That’s exactly what we tried to instill in the new Free Traders as we traveled back and forth, that they fight for themselves and for what’s right. We can’t keep bad people from raising their ugly heads, but we can make sure that the good people aren’t afraid to stop them. It is everything I hoped it would be. The south is still safer than Warren Deep was when I left the first time and when we returned. That’s because of us and what we taught. Angry? Not on your life. I’m proud of what we’ve built. You want to know what really concerns me? How do I get G-War to the ship without getting him wet and me scratched?”

  Micah’s eyes sparkled in the darkness as she appreciated her mate that much more.

  The Open Ocean

  They stood on the beach, sixteen strong, and looked at the sea. A long ways out, they could see the spire of an ancient’s dream. It looked like something from one of Holly’s projections of the future past. Although it seemed to be coming closer, no one was going to swim that far into the ocean to catch it. Skirill and Zyena flew to it and around it, sharing their view with the companions. It had decks open to the weather and enclosed spaces, too. The windows glistened and decks sparkled.

  One main structure rose into the air, a vast structure called a sail that was filled with decks, spaces, windows, furniture, and equipment. The black of solar panels graced the upper surfaces of the sail, those open to the sky. A blade turned at the top of the vertical structure.

  “There must be a Maintenance Bot or something that is on board and functional,” Micah stated. “There’s no way a ship can spend any time on the ocean and not get dirty. My father spends one day a week scrubbing the scum from his boat, making sure the keel is clean so that it travels cleanly through the water.”

  The Hawkoids circled carefully and Zyena landed on a handrail at the top of the ship, which was generally round, with the sail in the middle where the various decks above sea level were located. It arced gracefully upward from the wide base. They could see another deck just below the surface that looked to be a garden, with leaves from robust plants pressed against the glass.

  Underwater, the fore and aft sections of the ship were visible from Zyena’s perch. It was shaped roughly like one of the boats from Trent, but so much larger as to be beyond comparison. ‘You will be very comfortable once on board,’ she passed over the mindlink. ‘We cannot look inside as we don’t see a way to open the hatches and doors.’

  Braden accessed his neural implant and contacted Holly. In moments, the upper level door opened and both Zyena and Skirill landed on the deck outside, then hopped through the door before it closed behind them. Their daughter Zeeka stayed outside, just in case.

  They explored as much of the ship as they could while the rest of the companions stood on the beach and watched by way of the mindlink.

  “It looks like someone could walk through one of those doors at any moment. Are you sure there’s no one on board?” Braden asked.

  ‘No. There are no sounds of people or things. Only the mechanical noises of the ship sailing itself toward you and even those are very faint. We don’t smell anything or see any sign of a human. It is clean, but we suspect there’s a Bot in here somewhere,’ Skirill replied.

  They hopped when they had to, flew when they could, and searched the ship from the garden deck to the top of the spire, where the controls to manually drive the ship were located. Skirill wasn’t a fan of Old Tech, but he was impressed by the size and design. The top of the sail was an impressive distance from the ocean, where a non-flying creature could get a view such as the Hawkoids always had. He could see how humans could live their entire lives aboard this one ship and never be bored.

  ‘It even has a fabricator, Master Braden,’ Skirill said when he passed through the galley, which was a kitchen, and dining area.

  Braden found it hard not to smile. Micah punched him in the shoulder. “Hey! Who says we have to travel like beggars just because we are going to war?” he stated, making his point that he appreciated the finer things that Old Tech offered. Micah couldn’t disagree as she thought of the hover car that Holly was building. Then she pushed that thought to the back of her mind. Her father was somewhere under the ocean. This ship would get her closer.

  One step closer.

  ‘We have company,’ G-War told them. The others assumed fighting positions as they prepared for an unknown enemy, but all they saw was Denon running toward them from the south. He pulled an Old Tech wagon with the two scientists waving at them with broad arm motions.

  “How are we going to get them to the ship?” Braden asked rhetorically. Treetis raced up the beach toward something that moved through the sand. He pounced, then jumped back. The ‘cat circled his prey, then pounced again. When he jumped back the second time, a crab, claws gripping tightly, was attached to his ‘cat face. Treetis hopped around, pawing at the crab in a feeble attempt to make it let go.

  G-War looked at Fealona, then back at the ocean before sitting down. The female ‘cat sighed audibly before running off to fix things. ‘You two orange abominations are going to be the end of me,’ she told them all.

  ‘You wouldn’t want it any other way, partner mine,’ G-War replied.

  Bronwyn waded into the ocean, holding her hands up as if she were speaking with the clouds. Braden s
loshed into the surf after her as she went deeper and deeper, until she was swept from her feet and thrown into him. He held her up and stood there as a fin appeared in the water before them, then a second. The creature’s rounded head broke the surface and blew mist from a hole in the top of its head. The smooth gray skin glistened as its dark eyes locked with Bronwyn’s

  The creature opened its mouth and chittered with a high-pitched voice. Braden was torn. The row of sharp teeth in that mouth and the sheer size of the creatures scared him. He wanted to run from the ocean, but Bronwyn wouldn’t let him.

  “They are Dolphins!” she cried, as the two gray creatures inched closer until she could stroke their heads and snouts. They dove into the water and swam circles around Braden and Bronwyn until they leapt out of the water, smacking their tails. “I love them!”

  Braden chuckled. “Of course you do.” Bronwyn jumped into the surf and started swimming, until the Dolphins swam close, urging her to grab their dorsal fins. With one hand on each, the Dolphins, side by side, powered forward. The teenager bounced on top of the water as the Dolphins headed to sea.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t go too far out there…” Braden started.

  ‘They won’t let anything happen to me. They are so kind! We are going out to meet another friend. You said you needed help getting to the ship? I think my friends have a solution.’ Bronwyn continued seaward, far past the breakers. Braden looked back at the companions and held his hands up in a sign of helplessness.

  The Dolphins slowed, treading water with Bronwyn until a great head breached the surface of the water, lifting higher and higher, dwarfing the girl and the Dolphins. It was like a building had just appeared from the ocean and towered over the others there.

  Braden staggered back and fell as a waved rolled over him. Sputtering, he got back to his feet, then returned to the beach with the others who watched, mesmerized by the sight.