Free the North! (Free Trader Series Book 5)

by Craig Martelle

  As they approached the first Seeder, Aadi floated upward and Micah ducked beneath him. She crawled forward until she had a clear shot, then she lit up the plant. They didn’t know how, but the plant screeched like a wounded animal. The others covered their ears as Micah shot it a second time. The hideous noise stopped as the flames consumed the Seeder. Aadi waited until the heat died down before continuing.

  They did the next two the same way. Braden pushed them forward, wanting to get it over with. He asked Micah to dial the widest setting and fire up the last five all at the same time. As they approached the lake, the Seeders were screaming and flailing about. Braden pulled Micah back as a Seeder launched a seed high. It bounced off the top of Aadi’s shell, falling harmlessly to the ground.

  “I’ve never seen one do that before. Everybody back!” Braden ordered. Aadi floated forward trying to draw the Seeders out, but they wouldn’t launch their deadly projectiles at him.

  “They seem to have gotten smarter in the past three cycles. I believe they are all connected somehow. I bet Bronwyn would be able to talk with them, and now, I’m not sure we should kill them,” Braden thought out loud. Micah hung her head, hearing the screams of the creatures reverberate in her mind.

  ‘I’m sorry, Master Human. It doesn’t seem to be working,’ Aadi said sadly.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Braden told Micah. She shook her head vigorously. He looked to the Wolfoids, but they shook their shaggy heads and shrugged. G-War laid down and closed his eyes, waiting for the humans to do something. The Rabbits and the Aurochs were in the fields, away from the danger.

  Braden opened his neural implant. ‘Holly, got a bit of a situation here. Can you see the Seeders? Yes? Good. They shoot seed pods into living creatures. The plant grows, killing the host, and becomes a new Seeder. Well, we killed three of them, but they screamed and the other five are out of control. I think they might be intelligent. They are blocking our access to the lake. We need the water, but none of us want to sacrifice our body to become a Seeder, if you know what I mean. Any ideas?’

  ‘Let me review the data,’ Holly said, returning after only a heartbeat. ‘I have no information on these creations. The plant mutations that you’ve discussed with me don’t exist anywhere except in the north. I suspect they were created by Doctor Warren after he split from Sanctuary. I’m not surprised that the Seeders found a home in the oasis. They will eventually make their way south, but that could take a millennium. In any case, they are plants. They could be intelligent, but what do you do with a plant when you want to keep it but don’t like where it is?’

  ‘I’m sorry, what? Do you have any ideas or not?’ Braden was quickly frustrated. There was a huge obstacle between him, the companions, and the lake.

  ‘I’ll dispatch the Development Unit to transplant the Seeders, as you called them, to a spot away from the lake, but still within the oasis. It is an area that you’ll have to keep everyone from going into. After that, you will be safe.’ Holly stayed on the link, but the Development Unit had already arrived and immediately started digging with a combination of a tentacle and its energy shield. In short order, it had the first two Seeders dug up. It carefully carried them around the lake and into a dense patch of trees. It reversed the process, digging a hole and putting them in. It then snaked a small hose to the lake to give the plants a good drink. Braden hadn’t seen the tentacle or hose before, but he hadn’t paid attention when the Development Units went about their business.

  The older Seeders were larger and the Unit could only move one at a time. Instead of waiting, the companions retreated back to the wagon, where they drank deeply from their flasks. They walked to the fields to join the Rabbits and the Aurochs. Holly said that the only crop in that field was soybeans. The others seemed to enjoy them, but Braden tried a few and didn’t like them. G-War didn’t bother. He was holding out for venison.

  Braden watched over the others as they walked through the fields as if relaxing in an over-sized garden. The sun was high in the sky and the desert shimmered, but where the plants grew, it was cooler and the sun didn’t seem as harsh. Braden looked at his partner as she and Zeller walked together, talking about the oasis and Old Tech. At this point, the choice to use or not use Old Tech was well past. It was an inextricable part of their modern world.

  He ran his hand along the curve of his bow, feeling it as he used to. It had brought him comfort, before he met Micah. As they got closer to the north, he expected that he’d need it again to hold off whatever darkness was falling over his homeland. Why had men followed his tracks into the Great Desert? What would entice them to do that? How had they known what they needed to make it all the way to the oasis? But they did make it, only to succumb to the Seeders and the Gila Monster.

  Braden wanted to talk with the others. It helped him think through problems by saying them out loud. The input of the companions was always better than what he came up with on his own. He was an expert at seeing a problem. The others were experts in helping to fix them.

  Micah still held her blaster as she and Zeller walked. It seemed a natural part of her hand. Old Tech.

  His neural implant blinked so he opened the window. Holly confirmed that the Seeders had been relocated and the lake was theirs. Braden didn’t know why, but he asked if the Seeders would be okay where they were. Holly had the utmost confidence in the Development Unit’s ability to ensure that the plants would survive. Holly had no doubt that they would be well taken care of. The Unit had added them to its routine for care.

  “The lake awaits!” Braden announced. “Just stay clear of that side over there, where the trees and bushes are heaviest,” he pointed out. Braden thought the others would casually find their way to the lake, but they’d done an incredible job of hiding their impatience.

  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 daylight’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 yo
u 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.