The Great Cat Rebellion (Free Trader Series Book 8)

by Craig Martelle

  “You still love me!” Braden called, while Micah shook her head.

  “You just proved his point. Your thought voice. Does that ring a bell?”

  “Damn ‘cat! But he still loves me.” Braden tried to look smug.

  “We all love you, dear.” Micah wrapped Braden in a hug. “We’ll have to use the shower in the room. The lake is a mess.”

  ***

  On the fifth morning after the reunion, a single set of hooves pounded into the oasis and headed straight for the lake, plowing past the other Aurochs. Once they saw who it was, they fell over themselves to get out of the way.

  Two Wolfoids had slipped from the King’s back and staggered toward the lake. Braden and Micah rushed to help their friends.

  ‘Why would you think you would do this without us?’ Bounder asked, judgment tinging his thought voice.

  “I didn’t know about all of this,” Braden said defensively. “I only wanted to find G-War and make amends.”

  The scarred, orange and black ‘cat appeared with the white and black Fealona beside him. Bounder and Gray Strider stuffed their muzzles into the lake and drank heavily. The fountain wasn’t as powerful as it had been because of the sand blocking the solar panels. The water level had dropped, too, but bots were hard at work removing the debris.

  Every time they cleared an area, an Aurochs waded in and drank.

  “Attention, everyone!” Braden called. “Please give the bots a chance to clear the lake bottom so the pump can operate more efficiently to refill the water. Thank you!”

  ‘Stay out of the lake until those things leave,’ G-War interpreted. He looked at Braden out the side of his eye. ‘You’re welcome.’

  Braden rubbed his arm where pink skin was establishing a foothold across the deep gouge.

  “What would I ever do without you?”

  ‘I don’t know. It looks like I can’t get rid of you no matter how hard I try.’

  “You weren’t trying very hard,” Braden suggested.

  After drinking their fill, they both dove into the water, splashed about, and returned to the shore. Braden, Micah, G-War, and Fea started to run before the Wolfoids shook themselves out.

  The Aurochs didn’t bother to move before or after getting doused.

  After the shakes were complete, the four returned, selected a spot at the edge of the small beach, and sat down. G-War and Fea sprawled between Braden and Micah. Braden stroked the ‘cat’s fur, but not mindlessly. He watched himself do it, tracing the scars with one finger, feeling the rough hair beneath.

  Micah petted Fealona. The female ‘cat had thick, soft hair and was unscarred, standing in stark contrast to her mate. Micah looked from G-War’s scars to Braden’s, stark reminders that torn flesh did not equal a torn soul. They remained undeterred in their personal missions to keep the peace on Vii.

  “Which of you will decide what we do next?” Micah asked.

  Braden pointed to the Golden Warrior.

  ‘We go north to the next oasis and then the next, keep going until we escape the Great Desert. Then we will go to Ankhmar and we will talk with the ‘cats about what they must do.’

  Braden accessed his neural implant. ‘Holly, what is the status of the oases in the Great Desert, I’m sorry, I mean Devaney’s Barren?’

  ‘There is little food at the next oasis, and no animals. The carnivores will have to go without until they reach Oasis Zero Three. Zero Four has a lake and growth has begun. There is no food at Zero Four. The carnivores will have to go approximately one week without food while the vegetarians will have long stretches with only water available. I’ve completed the construction of the shaped barrels and harnesses.’

  “Gonna be a tough one, G. Holly says there is no meat until the land beyond the Great Desert. But there is water at three more points between here and there.”

  ‘How fast does your thing go?’ Fea asked.

  “The hovercar? Really fast, especially across the open desert. It’s powered by the sun, so it seems to do well in the desert.”

  ‘Holly,’ Micah started, ‘at maximum speed, how long will it take to get to an area where we can take down a deer or two?’

  ‘If you left at first light, you would arrive by nightfall, as long as you take a direct course, which I do not advise. In case there is a problem with the hovercar, you would have to walk to the nearest oasis.’

  ‘Then plot a course where we loop closer to the oases without going too far out of our way. It’s okay if we arrive after dusk,’ Micah replied.

  Micah told Braden and the others what she learned.

  “We can be back in two turns, two days.” Braden waited for G-War.

  ‘You can meet us at each oasis with food.’

  Braden understood the implication. They’d be running back and forth, but the trips would get shorter each time as they stayed in front of the herd. “We can do that, but we won’t be able to carry anything for the Aurochs.”

  ‘They will have water. It will suffice, they assure me. With Brandt, they will have the leadership they need to persevere.’

  “A philosophical ‘cat. Klytus was right. You sound like me.”

  ‘Don’t make me claw you,’ G-War cautioned.

  Micah started to laugh and stopped herself when G-War stared at her without blinking. Aadi floated overhead. The Wolfoids squeezed into the area.

  Braden wouldn’t say that the smell of wet Wolfoid rivaled the worst of wet dog. He fought his way through it.

  “We leave first thing in the morning and will meet you at Oasis Zero Two after two nights. We’ll be there, waiting for you. If something happens to us, go to Zero Three and then Zero Four. You were going to cross without us anyway, which meant you were going to be hungry. If everything goes right, at least the ‘cats won’t lose any weight on this journey.”

  “We could stay in touch if I go with the Aurochs and the ‘cats,” Micah offered.

  Braden furled his brow. He knew what was coming next.

  ‘And us, too. We want to stay with the ‘cats,’ ‘Tesh interjected.

  ‘It’s best if you go with your father. It’ll be safer.’

  ‘All of our friends will be out there watching over us.’

  Micah turned to Braden. “It’s hard to argue with that. If the hovercar breaks down, I shudder to think what your chances will be."

  “You want me to travel alone?”

  ‘We’ll come with you. Wolfoids were never meant to ride an Aurochs,’ Bounder replied.

  ‘Or to run with one,’ Strider added.

  ‘I too shall ride with you, if you’ll have me,’ Aadi suggested.

  “I guess you’ve decided,” Braden said, hanging his head. His family was going to ride an Aurochs through the Great Desert. “You’ll be able to keep them on track. Maybe Skirill and Zyena want a ride, too. We have air conditioning.”

  ‘That sounds like a wonderful idea,’ Zyena replied before Skirill could suggest something different. ‘We will remain in the north and wait for the herd. Maybe we can meet others of our race.’

  “That’s it then. I better get some rest. I’m off tomorrow morning and you guys are out tomorrow evening. How are we going to get the barrels on the Aurochs?”

  “Bots,” Micah said with a dismissive wave.

  Conquering the Beast

  As Braden was packing food that he’d stockpiled from the fabricator, the rumble of hooves shook the clearing. Braden hopped in the hovercar and quickly moved it out of the way. Together, he, Micah, the twins, and their ‘cat companions ran to the edge of the oasis to watch the Aurochs coming toward them. On the head of the lead bull sat an orange cat with a large scar on its side.

  ‘Treetis, welcome,’ G-War said so all could hear. ‘I am glad you made it and with so many more than I thought.’

  Micah tried to count, but gave up because of the dust obscuring those behind the leaders. Neeson stood on the Aurochs next to the one Treetis rode.

  “It’s good to see you see whole again, N
eeson. And always a pleasure to see you, Treetis,” Braden yelled.

  G-War repeated what he said using the mindlink. Micah laughed at Braden’s preference for yelling. The children giggled.

  They cleared the way for the Aurochs to go to the lake and drink their fill. The bots had been successful in clearing the solar panels, which helped to clean and refill the lake. The new herd of roughly forty waded in together. ‘Cats jumped to the sand and crouched beside and between the great creatures of the plains.

  Treetis was first to finish. ‘Go with him. He needs your help,’ G-War told the younger ‘cat.

  ‘Why aren’t you going with him?’ Treetis asked, bowing his head respectfully to the prince.

  ‘Thank you for bringing the others, but it is my responsibility to get them to the north and then Ankhmar. Fea and I will stay with the other ‘cats. Your task will be equally challenging. Drink your fill and go.’

  Treetis blinked twice and returned to the lake.

  “Equally challenging?” Braden asked. “He’ll be riding in air conditioning.”

  “With two Wolfoids, two Hawkoids, and a Tortoid. I don’t envy any of you.” Micah emphasized her point with raised eyebrows.

  “I don’t even have something funny to say about that. You’re making me rethink my decision. Are you sure...”

  Micah cut him off. “I’m not doing it.”

  Braden kissed her gently on the cheek, meeting her smiling eyes as he moved away. They pointed to each other and said at the same time, “I’m glad I’m not you.”

  “Hey!” Braden said. He knew she could hear his thoughts. He couldn’t argue with her. They were both right. Neither was in an enviable position. “You leave tonight. Get some rest and stay sharp.”

  The twins nodded and hugged their father. The ‘cats milled about, rubbing their bodies against their humans, except for the Golden Warrior. He sat back and watched the others until Braden refused to let him be. He held his scarred arm before the ‘cat’s face. “I won’t soon forget this!”

  G-War yawned and looked away. Braden laughed and kissed the top of the ‘cat’s head. G-War immediately licked a paw and started grooming from his ear to his nose.

  ‘I love you, G,’ Braden said in his thought voice and turned away as he started to tear up. His family was standing there. “I love you, too.”

  “Uh huh,” Micah mumbled.

  “Everybody in!” Braden had to chase Treetis from the driver’s seat. The ‘cat yowled and moved out of the way. Bounder was in the front seat. When he turned to look out the window, his nose left a long smear. Somebody pecked him in the back of the head. Aadi’s face was close. The Tortoid blinked slowly as he took in everything around him. Braden closed his door, started the vehicle, and slowly maneuvered past Aurochs, palm trees, and into the desert. Once clear, he told Holly to take over.

  The hovercar accelerated due north. Treetis was already asleep, curled up between Strider and Zyena, who was crouched to keep Aadi’s stubby tail out of her face with her tail feathers wrapped to the side. Skirill was facing backward, leaning against the door.

  Braden took stock of his surroundings. Someone had stepped on the bag of food on the floor before the front seat.

  Aadi leaned close to Braden. ‘Are we there yet?’

  ***

  When the sun hung low on the western horizon, the herd of Aurochs, eighty strong, forty Hillcats, three humans, and ninety-six barrels of water headed into the desert. The cows and bulls started to run, taking it easy until the sun set.

  ‘The moon will cast good light through most of the night, and that is when the herd needs to run their fastest,’ Holly advised. Micah acknowledged him and closed the window before her eye.

  The twins were on Bandria with their ‘cats, and Micah rode Brandt with G-War and Fea. The rest of the Hillcats were spread out, resting on heads or in between barrels. No one was comfortable, but it didn’t matter.

  G-War had declared that all the ‘cats were going. As much as they wanted to do their own thing, he was still Prince Axial De’atesh, so they rode the Aurochs in unhappy silence, their eyes wide to see through the darkness.

  ‘What do you hope to accomplish?’ Micah asked.

  G-War crouched low, riding atop the great king’s head as he usually did, with Fea at his side. They were little more than shadows between the Aurochs’ ears.

  ‘I want people to be decent to each other, to assume the best and not the worst. I want a world where you don’t have to carry weapons. ‘Cats can help us get there.’

  ‘You know how much I want that, too,’ Micah replied. Her mind drifted to the times she bared her sword. Too often, it had bathed in blood. ‘Freedom of choice and the free will of man will always lead to disputes. Maybe we need to find a way for amicable resolution. Braden talked about the trader’s guild back in the day and the power they had to enforce the trade. It kept the world calmer.’

  ‘But it didn’t solve the problem of the few with the power over many.’

  Micah shook her head. G-War didn’t have to watch to know her reply. They continued in silence as the Aurochs ran on, following the tracks that the wagon and the herd of water buffalo had made a few years earlier.

  ***

  The hovercar slowed, turning hard to one side and then back in the original direction. Braden blinked himself awake. Before him was the green grasses of the Bittner Mountain foothills, the light forest where he hoped they’d find game, and the creek and small pond where he’d spent many days.

  The vehicle stopped and the doors popped open. Bounder tumbled onto the grass, bouncing up with a snarl.

  ‘Hey! We’re here already,’ Treetis said happily.

  Aadi’s eyes were closed, and Braden thought he might have been dead. He rubbed the Tortoid’s neck, feeling for a sign of life. Aadi opened his mouth and took a long breath.

  ‘I’m up,’ he said, not sounding like he was happy about it.

  Gray Strider jumped out and stretched. Treetis squeezed under Aadi to claw his way across Braden’s lap and get outside. Braden pointed to the empty space where Strider had been—the way was open. He could have simply walked out.

  A thump signaled Skirill’s departure from the hovercar, followed by a second thump as Zyena joined him outside. They both stretched their wings and shook out their feathers. ‘I may never fly again,’ Skirill declared while twisting his head as far as it would go.

  Zyena hopped twice and jumped into the air. With a down stroke that brushed the ground, she started to rise. She continued to beat her wings as she soared skyward. ‘Speak for yourself! I feel like I’m home!’

  “You’re up, little man. Find us some deer,” Braden said as he took his recurve bow from the small storage compartment of the hovercar.

  Bounder and Strider loped into the nearby woods. Treetis watched them go.

  “Well?” Braden asked.

  Treetis casually lapped water from the pond.

  “Treetis?”

  ‘Yes?’ The ‘cat finished and looked up at him.

  “Can you tell me where the deer are? I have to get enough meat to feed your people. Two should do it, so chop, chop.”

  ‘The Wolfoids are on it. They’ll bring you what you need. Maybe you should relax a bit. Dip your feet in the water,’ Aadi said as he swam serenely above the lake.

  “Dip my feet in the water?” Braden walked to the pond and looked into the crystal clear water. He took a knee and scooped a handful of water. He closed his eyes as he drank. “That’s good, but we have work to do.”

  ‘We are doing the work. Look.’ Treetis tipped his chin skyward where the Hawkoids were gliding over the forest. A throaty Wolfoid growl signaled the strike.

  ‘‘We’ doesn’t mean just you. You got us here in that Old Tech of yours. Now, it’s our turn to work.’

  “I feel like I should be doing something. Maybe I’ll build a smoker.” Braden sat on a jumble of rocks where he removed his Old Tech boots and dangled his feet in the water. He accessed
his neural implant and opened the window before his eye

  ‘Holly, can you drive the hovercar through the night to get to Oasis Zero Two?’

  ‘Of course,’ Holly replied.

  ‘If I strap two carcasses on the outside of the hovercar, would that be okay?’

  ‘Although the night is cooler, it is not cool. There will be some degeneration of the meat in the eight-hour transit, but the ‘cats have strong stomachs. It won’t affect them, and you know how they detest smoked meat.’

  ‘Better rotten than smoked, eh, Holly? That’s our friends. I’ll try to smoke some for Micah and the kids, but then we’ll get back on the road.’

  “Looks like we have a plan, boys,” Braden said. “As soon as the Wolfoids get back, we’re going to smoke a little of the venison and then get going.”

  ‘We?’ Treetis asked.

  “I’ll take care of preparing the meat, but we will travel back into the desert.”

  ‘We?’ Treetis repeated.

  “You don’t want to go?”

  ‘I have to admit that it wouldn’t bother me not to be inside that box of yours for a while. I think I would like to stay here. You’ll be back within a turn, and the herd and ‘cats will eventually show up as well.’

  “Yes. All of that. I’ll ask Bounder and Strider when they return.” Braden rubbed his chin as he contemplated what the next few days would bring.

  ‘You guys want to stay here while the human carries your kills to the overlords?’ Treetis asked.

  ‘Yes, I think we’ll stay here in the good company of yourself and my fine Wolfoid friends,’ Aadi replied.

  ‘We will go see our people and ask them if they will support the Golden Warrior’s noble mission,’ Skirill added.

  ‘I wish you the best. Maybe stay here for a while? I don’t want to see you fly away, if I don’t have to. You two mean a lot to me.’

  ‘We will wait,’ was Skirill’s reply while he circled and watched Braden collect firewood.

  Desert Dust

  ‘Please run a little closer to Bandria,’ Micah urged. Brandt, King of the Aurochs, casually closed in. Ax waved when the two were nearly touching. The ‘cats seemed to be sleeping, which demonstrated a superior feat of dexterity while on the running cow.