The Great Cat Rebellion (Free Trader Series Book 8) Read online

  The Great Cat Rebellion

  Free Trader Series

  Book 8

  By Craig Martelle

  Copyright © 2018 Craig Martelle

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN 10:

  ISBN 13:

  ASIN:

  Cover Illustration © Tom Edwards

  www.Tom EdwardsDesign.com

  Typography & formatting by James Baldwin - www.jamesosiris.com

  Editing services provided by LKJ Bookmakers – www.lkjbooks.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  The Free Trader series is inspired by the work of the magnificent James M. Ward, the mastermind behind Gamma World, Metamorphosis Alpha, and with Gary Gygax, many Dungeons and Dragons products.

  Table of Contents

  Land Ho!

  Trent on the Eastern Ocean

  Save Them from Themselves

  Where did the ‘cats go?

  A Mass Exodus

  Reconciliation

  Conquering the Beast

  Desert Dust

  A Welcome Unwelcome Surprise

  Focus on the Objective

  But First, Bring the Pain

  The Plan, the ‘Cats, and Chaos

  Who is in charge?

  Ankhmar

  The Great ‘Cat Rebellion

  Bonus Content!

  Cygnus Rising Bonus Content (First Chapter)

  Postscript

  Author Notes

  Humans and the Intelligent Creatures

  The Hillcats (‘cats)

  The Golden Warrior – also called G, G-War, and Prince Axial De’atesh, can share his mindlink with others

  Shauna & Klytus – G-War’s children, bonded with Braden & Micah’s twins

  Fealona – from G-War’s home village and his mate

  Treetis – A young ‘cat, very much like G-War

  The Humans

  Braden – The Free Trader

  Micah – The Warrior, Partnered with Braden

  Axial & De’atesh – Braden and Micah’s twin children

  Bronwyn – Gifted child, able to speak with all creatures

  Dr. Johns – a clone, leader of the survivors from Cygnus VI

  Zeller – a Free Trader, from Trent, the same village as Micah

  Young Tom – a blacksmith from Whitehorse, Zeller’s partner

  Mattie & Caleb – Micah’s parents

  The Wolfoids

  Bounder & Gray Strider – the alpha and his mate, leaders of the pack

  Cygnus Standing – the first Wolfoid born on Cygnus VII

  The Hawkoids

  Skirill – also called Ess

  Zyena – Skirill’s mate, born on the RV Traveler, also called Zee

  Zeeka – Skirill and Zyena’s daughter, first Hawkoid born in the south

  The Tortoids

  Aadi – First Master of the Tortoise Consortium

  Daksha – Aadi’s first born

  The Aurochs

  Brandt Earthshaker – King of the Aurochs

  Arnie – Zeller’s partner in trade, pulls her wagon

  The Queen – Brandt’s queen that he rescued from Toromont’s Run

  Cragmore – the Aurochs that Bronwyn rides

  The Lizard Men (Amazonians)

  Pik Ha’ar – Lizard Man from the ship RV Traveler and friend

  The Rabbits

  Heloysius and Luciana – a Rabbit couple living at New Sanctuary

  The Dolphins

  Chlora & Rhodi – genetically engineered creatures of the sea

  The Whale

  Rexalita – engineered from a Sperm Whale, the largest creature on Vii

  Land Ho!

  ‘When is the next crisis? And the one after that? When will the humans join humanity in being decent?’ G-War glowered at the sea. The Dolphins, Chlora and Rhodi, played in the waves as they always did. The fertile sea provided for all their wants and needs. Rexalita, the great sperm Whale, meandered in the distance, casually scooping vast schools of fish into the bottomless pit of her stomach.

  The sun’s rays glinted off gentle waves as the Warden cut a line north. Fealona and Prince Axial De’atesh sat on the deck, bodies touching as they listened to the thoughts of the others on board.

  ‘They are excited, my scruffy-looking love monster,’ Fea purred. He didn’t seem to hear.

  ‘And you think ‘cats are the answer?’ Fea turned to face the Golden Warrior, G-War. She licked his head to straighten the hair. The Bat-Raven had taken half of his ear before the others had rescued him. He owed Braden his life. ‘Did you forget how the new ‘cats treated you? A prince! But an outsider who couldn’t see that their way was the best way. Doesn’t that sound familiar?’

  G-War closed his eyes. He needed to clear his thoughts. The humans from Dunk’s Hollow gave him pause. If ‘cats were in charge, none of that would have happened. The ‘cats would have known of the evil in their minds before they acted. Hillcats would have stopped it before he was dragged across the southern continent without a decent meal.

  Which reminded him. He was hungry. I know how to fix that… he thought.

  ***

  Braden sat in the captain’s chair with Micah draped across his lap. “Don’t we have children around here somewhere? I feel like I should worry more about them.”

  “What for?” Micah replied. “They are with the Rabbits working in the garden. Shauna and Klytus are watching over them.”

  “Klytus!” Braden blurted. “That ‘cat can get into more trouble. No wonder G-War has been so uptight lately.”

  “He has fallen into the ocean more than all of us combined.”

  Aadi bounced through the doorway. The ship’s motion was minimal, but the fifth deck of the sail was high enough that small movements were exaggerated.

  ‘Excuse me, pardon me, excuse me,’ the Tortoid mentally intoned as he swam through the air using his inherent ability to float. ‘As we approach Trent, we’ll go ashore, spend quality time with Micah’s wonderful parents, and then what?’

  “I don’t know.” Braden shrugged.

  ‘Master President?’

  “Aren’t we all about trade? We’ll spend what time we need to spend to expand the routes, expand the quantity of trade goods by expanding the number of free traders. That means we need to encourage Holly to build more old-tech wagons.”

  ‘Hover vehicles?’ Aadi suggested.

  “Will the people ever be ready for those?” Micah shook her head. They’d been struggling with the question for years and were no closer to an answer.

  “They’ll figure it out, because they have to. Imagine the trip across the Great Desert in a hover vehicle? It would take less than one day. A course can be mapped, and the vehicles driven on auto-pilot. Like the Warden. We climb aboard and Holly makes it go where we want to go. People could load supplies at one end and send them through. Have a trusted agent on each side, and there you are—trade at the speed of thought.”

  Micah puffed her cheeks and noisily blew out a breath. “It’s time to tell them. We’ll need to take a trip in the hovercar, as we had planned before. We need it to succeed.”

  “We’ll carry blasters, but that’s the last thing I want. If we have to shoot someone, the civil war starts anew.”

  ‘I shall provide all the help I can,’ the Tortoid offered.

  “We’re going to need it, Aadi. From Trent, we go overland to New Sanctuary, then take the ho
vercar out. Is there an Aurochs we can trade with to take us?”

  “The herd is there, grazing the foothills, providing the fertilizer for the Rabbits to produce incredible crops. With the addition of fish, Trent is becoming a trading powerhouse. Cornwall stands in their shadow.” Micah beamed with pride. Cornwall had dominated Trent for her entire life, until she ran away. Rather, until she returned and put Cornwall in its place.

  Klytus and Shauna’s mother was from Cornwall.

  ‘Hey, G. You want to stop in Cornwall so the kids can see their mom?’ Braden asked using the mindlink.

  ‘Of all the things in our lives, this provides you with the most amusement. My answer is the same as it always is. I most assuredly do not want to stop in Cornwall.’

  ‘We’ll be going right by it on our way back to New Sanctuary,’ Braden explained, laughing.

  ‘About that... I think Fealona and I are going to take a couple Aurochs and head inland for a bit. You can catch up later in your spaceship car, but I’m not getting into it. You drive horribly, and I refuse to ride with you.’

  ‘There it is. You don’t like my driving. The only time I’ve driven was on the Traveler.’

  ‘Yes, it was terrifying, and I was slammed around the inside of that mobile coffin.’ G-War shared a couple images of himself flying through the air as Braden tried to figure out the brake and accelerator pedals.

  Braden winced. “I’m a better driver now!” he pleaded with Micah. “I just needed some practice. That’s all. A guy has one bad day driving, and he’s condemned for life!”

  G-War didn’t argue with Braden’s conclusion. Micah refused to answer.

  “That cuts me deep. My two loves in this world and you’ve ganged up on me. It’s a crushing blow from which I may never recover.” Braden held one hand over his heart in a dramatic swoon.

  ‘If he falls on the floor, I’d leave him there,’ G-War suggested.

  “I think I will. The truth should never hurt you, lover mine.” Micah smiled at her partner. “We could simply ask Holly to send the car here. Why inconvenience the Aurochs? Isn’t technology supposed to help us?”

  “We don’t talk enough,” Braden admitted. “There’s the answer right there. Master President, if you would be so kind as to let Holly know, I’ll clean up the twins. We’ll be in Trent this afternoon. Skirill and Zyena have already gone inland. They said with the increase in crops, the wild rabbits are out of control. Still going on a walkabout, G?”

  ‘I think we are,’ the Hillcat replied.

  “Free will is a great thing. Enjoy yourself. Cornwall is only a short run from Trent, if you reconsider.”

  G-War slammed the mindlink closed while Braden laughed at his old but incessant taunt.

  “Do you know what Hope and Chester want to do?” Braden asked.

  “I do not,” Micah admitted. “Aadi?”

  ‘No, Master President.’

  “I guess we better ask.” Braden and Micah headed down the stairwell like seasoned sailors, easily walking with the ship’s motion. Aadi bounced through the doorway on his way after them.

  They found the Southport newcomers in the galley, enjoying a hot, fabricator-made breakfast.

  “We’ll be landing soon and getting off. We’ll be going overland from here. What do you guys want to do?” Braden asked without preamble. Micah nudged him from behind. They moved aside to allow Aadi past.

  “We hadn’t thought about it. We’re happiest on the ocean, and this ship is incredible.”

  “You can tend the garden deck, fish, and generally help maintain the ship. Holly, are you there?”

  “Yes, Master Braden. I am here,” the artificial intelligence said through the galley’s speakers.

  “Can you bring Hope and Chester up to speed regarding the ship?”

  “I can train them in all aspects of ship operation.”

  “And help them with fishing gear in order to have something to trade when they pull into ports?”

  “Of course.”

  “We are pretty good fisherman,” Hope replied. Chester nodded.

  “Then it’s settled. Enjoy yourselves, and don’t get into fights with Chrysalis and Patti May. They’ll keep to themselves. The fresh vegetables and greens will be a nice alternative to fabricated food,” Micah said before hugging the newcomers and heading to the waterline deck. Braden said his good-byes and followed his partner out. Aadi waved a leg and swam out the door to the balcony and over the rail.

  A fishing boat sailed to the rear of the technological marvel known as the Warden, entered the well deck, and bumped against the side to allow the Warden’s passengers to climb aboard. The twins were first over the rail, tossed by their parents into their grandfather’s arms. Micah and Braden stood, arms around each other as they watched the reunion.

  “I’m nobody now,” Micah told Braden.

  “We’ve been nobody for a long time.”

  The long-haired calico rubbed against Braden’s leg while the smaller version of G-War tried to gauge his jump. Micah scooped him up and threw him onto the boat before he could fall into the ocean.

  Again.

  Braden picked up Shauna and held her for a moment, listening to her purr before handing her across. Aadi floated by and clasped his beak-like mouth onto a rope hanging from the single mast. The Golden Warrior and Fea trotted up and with grace, vaulted high, kicked off the rail, and landed on the deck of the ship. They zeroed in on a fish flopping nearby.

  “Figured the hungry furballs would enjoy something fresh,” Caleb said as he held out a hand to steady his daughter to help her climb across. Braden almost jumped, but realized there were more going ashore. The Rabbits, Heloysius and Luciana, hopped across the deck.

  Braden looked at Micah. She flexed the muscles of her back and neck before attempting the lift. Rabbits were dense and weighed much more than they looked. With her elbows close to her body, she picked up Luciana and leaned across to set the Rabbit on the rail. Caleb helped her down.

  Braden lifted Heloysius. “What have you been eating?” Braden complained as he pushed the Rabbit toward the boat. His big foot caught on the rail and the boat started moving. Braden leaned. The Rabbit was too heavy. Hands grabbed Heloysius and pulled him across. No one grabbed Braden.

  He went face-first into the water, getting Rabbit-kicked on his way down as Heloysius struggled for balance. He rotated once under the water and swam away from the boat to avoid getting pinned between the hull and the side of the well deck. He surfaced and shook his head. His signature braid flopped back and forth. Micah walked to him and with a well-practiced move, hauled him from the salt water.

  “To think I was worried about Klytus going in the drink,” Braden said, frowning.

  “You saved Heloysius from a dunking, and you did it without flailing. Bravo!” Micah said.

  “I can’t tell if you’re kidding,” Braden said slowly. Micah windmilled her arms and made a screaming face. “I suppose you think that’s funny.”

  “Well, yeah,” she replied. “Come on, Mom will have dinner ready by the time we get there.”

  “What about the Warden?”

  “I already told Chrysalis the ship is theirs and to continue their research.”

  “Did he grunt and say something like, it’s about time?”

  “Close.” Micah chuckled before turning serious. “Holly has the Warden’s course plotted. They’ll leave soon, and for us, Holly is preparing the hovercar for its trip. It should arrive tomorrow morning, but we’re not leaving for a few days. It’s been a while since I’ve been home.”

  Braden tossed their bags over and made a last pass over the deck and in the sail of the ship before declaring themselves ready to leave. Hope and Chester waved good-bye. Braden ran across the non-slip surface and jumped, easily clearing the rail.

  His triumphant grin was short-lived as he grimaced right before slamming into the mast.

  G-War turned to Fea as if to say, ‘these are the humans to whom we entrust our lives.’ Fe
a wouldn’t look at him because she was afraid she would start laughing, and everyone would hear her over the mindlink.

  Trent on the Eastern Ocean

  ‘Are you leaving us?’ Shauna asked in her small voice.

  G-War looked from Klytus to Shauna. ‘Yes. We leave on a grand adventure to save humanity. And they don’t even know the sacrifices that we expect to make. You will hear from us and be ready to do whatever we tell you.’

  ‘You’ve said repeatedly that we are responsible for our own actions, that we’re adults now. What will you ask us to do?’ Klytus wondered.

  ‘We may ask you to subdue the adults, our people. Will you be ready to do that?’

  ‘What do you mean, ‘subdue?’’ Shauna asked.

  ‘If we lead the Hillcats against humanity, which side will you be on?’ Fealona replied.

  ‘Neither!’ Klytus stated, arching his back and fluffing the hair on his skinny body. G-War swiped a paw at him, but the younger ‘cat easily dodged the blow.

  ‘Well done, my son. Choose wisely, for the day is coming when you will have to pick a side.’

  ‘But I don’t want to pick a side,’ Shauna whined.

  “Wait!” Braden called out. He ran across the town square, sliding to a stop near the four ‘cats. “You’re really leaving? I thought you were being your usual sensational self.”

  ‘Is that what you think of me? My usual sensational self? I’ve had it with humanity trying to tear itself apart and you waiting until it happens. That’s garbage, and people are getting hurt because of it. My people are at risk because of your incompetent naivete.’

  “Incompetent naivete? I believe that most humans may think bad things, but when it comes down to it, they don’t act on those thoughts. They do the right thing. We’ve seen the worst of the people and the best. From the evil of Bat-Ravens to our friends the Aurochs, selfless in their stalwart support.” Braden crossed his arms and clenched his teeth.