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

  ‘You can do what you want without me. I’m not going to wait for you to tear yourselves apart.’

  “What’s that supposed to mean? Go ahead and leave. I don’t give a crap.” Braden stormed away.

  Fea tilted her head and watched. ‘Why are you both so angry?’

  ‘Because he’s wrong and won’t listen,’

  G-War and Fea turned and walked toward a waiting Aurochs. They climbed aboard and the great creature trotted away, breaking into a run once it was in the open. They watched until the Aurochs was long gone, and still they sat and stared, each lost in their own thoughts.

  ***

  “What happened to your face?” Mattie asked.

  Caleb started to chuckle, but his wife shushed him.

  “Caleb hit me,” Braden said. Simultaneously, Micah and Mattie each smacked their man’s arm.

  “I did not. He jumped into the mast.” Caleb rubbed his bicep as he leaned away from Mattie.

  “He did,” Micah confirmed.

  “I still blame you,” Mattie told her children’s father before bringing a kettle of fish stew from the stove, a new addition to the home, to the table. She bustled around to make sure everyone was comfortable. The twins were unusually quiet.

  “Why the sad faces?” Micah wondered.

  “G-War and Fea left. Shauna and Klytus are sad.”

  “I’m sad, too. I already miss my friend. We have been together for our whole lives,” Braden explained.

  “As long as you and Mom?” ‘Tesh asked.

  “Longer.” Braden reached across the table and tussled their hair. “They’ll be back. Maybe it’s their way of saying that they think Vii is back on track, that the world is ready to come into its own.”

  “I don’t think so.” ‘Tesh looked adamant. “We should follow them, and talk with them.”

  ‘Skirill, Zyena, can you keep an eye on the ‘cats? We’re worried about them,’ Micah said over the mindlink.

  ‘We are already going with them,’ Ess replied.

  ‘Where?’

  The Hawkoids didn’t answer.

  “Holly won’t be able to track them because they carry no Old Tech. Where do you think they’re going?” Micah stroked her chin in thought.

  “They don’t like the sweetened smoked pork that they have in Coldstream, but that’s where I’d go not them. I don’t know where they’d go. They’ve never gone before.” Braden held out a bowl for Mattie to fill. She dropped two ladles of stew into it, and Braden placed it in front of Micah. Two more in front of the twins and finally his. He put his face over the steaming bowl and breathed deeply, letting the aroma fill him with joy.

  “I have some!” Caleb declared triumphantly. He pushed away from the table, opened a cupboard next to their stove, and removed a heavy wax packet. When he opened it, Braden started to salivate. He swallowed twice to keep from drooling.

  Caleb offered a healthy-sized piece, and Braden took it reverently. He closed his eyes as he ran it beneath his nose. He took a small bite and chewed slowly.

  “Your children are upset,” Micah informed him.

  Braden tried to look appropriately attentive, but the sweetness grasped between his fingers called to him. He opened his mouth to say something comforting, but another piece found its way in. He didn’t know how it happened, but he didn’t fight it. He chewed the second bite as slowly as the first.

  Micah rolled her eyes and looked to her mother for support. Mattie shook her head.

  A tapping on the door gave them a distraction. Micah got up and let Aadi in. ‘Good evening, all,’ he said happily over the mindlink.

  “Would you like some fish stew?” Mattie offered.

  ‘Just the fish, please. Water does funny things to me.’

  Micah had heard G-War tell the story about the time Braden gave Aadi water. That was before they met, so she’d never seen the effect firsthand.

  “Yes. Do not give Aadi any water,” Braden confirmed as if hearing her thoughts.

  She surrendered the fight, but the battle was not yet decided. “Eat your stew,” she told the children. “And make sure to thank your grandparents for the meal.” She looked pointedly at Braden.

  He didn’t see. His eyes were still closed as he savored his treat. Micah put her lips against his ear. “You’re being rude. Eat Mom’s stew,” she whispered.

  Braden reluctantly put his sweetened smoked pork on the table and had a spoonful of fish stew. “Of all the things in life that we can have, sometimes it’s the moment that matters,” Braden said, looking around the table at the faces watching. him. “Not long ago, I was fighting for my life trying to cross the Great Desert in the company of two horses, a Hillcat, and a Hawkoid. A journey from which legends are made. I met Aadi, and then Micah.”

  Braden caressed Micah’s cheek and smiled at her.

  “We did what we set out to do. Find Old Tech, start trade, expand the trade, and stuff like that. It still matters, but pales in comparison to what Holly calls the big picture. We’ve been in space!” He pointed at the ceiling. “We’ve done things that humans haven’t done for hundreds of years. What we do now will take us to a better future for our children and their children’s children. The decisions we make and the things we do have that kind of impact, yet right here, right now, something as simple as this—” He held up the remaining portion of pork. “—makes me happy. For a moment, I get to forget that G-War has gone, that the Hawkoids have gone, and that our Wolfoid and Aurochs friends are doing their own thing. It’s just us, again, and that is okay. It is in our hands to be happy with less, until we get more again.”

  Braden put the pork down and dug into his stew. Micah kissed him on the cheek, lips lingering and promising more. She reached for the delicacy sitting on the table beside his bowl. His hand flashed out, grabbing her wrist before she closed her fingers.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Seeing if it’s as good as I remember.”

  “Your dad has more. Ask him for a taste.”

  Caleb stuffed the final piece in and chewed with his mouth open, smiling.

  “Dad!” ‘Tesh called.

  “Listen to your daughter.”

  Braden’s mouth worked. He looked to Ax and found his son studying something in his bowl. Klytus jumped onto the table, startling everyone. He grabbed the pork as he ran past and jumped down.

  “You don’t even like that. Here’s some fish!” Braden called as he pulled something from his bowl and waved it in the air, spraying Micah with stew juice.

  Klytus laid down under a chair and munched away.

  “See what you get?” Micah said, turning her attention back to her mother’s cooking. She snickered while she cleaned her bowl.

  ***

  “We’re going to hit the schools early. Are you going with?” Caleb asked. Micah and Braden were outside, practicing with their swords. Even though they had Old Tech weapons, the blasters, they stayed in shape with their swords and the recurve bow. They worked out every day, because they were not only the planet’s government, they were the military, too.

  They accepted it as part of the job. The perks were good, like riding the Warden.

  Or having a hovercar dropped off for their use.

  Caleb spotted the vehicle parked on the edge of town and his eyes shot wide. “More of your Old Tech?”

  Micah sheathed her sword, and Braden handed her a small towel. They held hands as they walked with the big fisherman.

  “Is that a wagon of some sort?” he asked.

  “We ride inside. It floats above the ground so it doesn’t need a road of the ancients.”

  “If they had these, why did they build roads?” Caleb asked.

  Micah and Braden looked at each other and shrugged.

  “I think I remember Holly saying something about moving raw materials in big vehicles called trucks, but then the war started and they turned their trucks into weapons, which were eventually destroyed. I don’t like getting into the history b
ecause it’s too depressing. Look what they had, and then look at what they lost.” Braden grimaced as if in physical pain.

  Micah hugged him. “We can’t do anything about the past, but the future is ours.”

  “Hear, hear! My daughter is not only the President of Vii, she is wise beyond her years. Nice and shiny. Do you want to go fishing or not? Every heartbeat we waste talking is one less we can spend fishing. Invest your time, don’t waste it.”

  Micah smiled at her father and nodded. “Where do you come up with all these expressions?”

  “That’s my secret. Now, come on. The fish won’t catch themselves. I think a caravan will be coming through and we need to be ready with both fresh and smoked options. You never know what they’re going to want.”

  ***

  The next day came and went, and then the one after that, too.

  “Where are the traders?” Caleb asked as he shielded his eyes from the sun and looked north.

  “We should take the car and look,” Braden suggested after Holly confirmed that he couldn’t track wagons that weren’t Old Tech, and none of those were anywhere close. “Load the herd!”

  Micah didn’t call her children part of the herd, but that didn’t stop Braden from referring to them and their ‘cats that way.

  “Are they still moping about Prince Axial De’atesh?” Micah asked the twins.

  “They miss their dad,” Ax replied.

  “Maybe we’ll run across them.” Micah offered a hand, but at nearly six years old, they were more independent and declared that they needed no help.

  The children climbed into the back seat. Shauna and Klytus hesitated. They didn’t like the smell of the newly-produced vehicle.

  “How is it going to change if we don’t ride in it? After a few days, it’ll smell like us.”

  “A few days?” ‘Tesh wondered, ticking off her fingers as she tried to wrap her head around what that meant.

  Micah ran out of patience, picked up the ‘cats, and handed them in. Aadi swam by to wedge himself into the middle between all four seats.

  Mattie delivered a lunch, the type that fishermen would take with them if they didn’t know how long they’d be gone.

  “We should be back soon,” Micah said.

  Caleb and Mattie nodded knowingly.

  The doors closed and Braden demonstrated his driving acumen by slowly pulling away. The ‘cats yowled and pawed at the windows.

  “What are you crying for? Don’t make me come back there!” Braden said from the driver’s seat as he slowly accelerated, lifting the hovercar higher off the ground.

  “Don’t be so mean.” Micah turned and smiled toward the full back seat. The ‘cats were distraught, which meant the children were distraught, which didn’t bode well for the adults. “You’ll get used to it. Relax and enjoy the scenery.”

  ‘All will be well in due time,’ Aadi intoned.

  Micah tapped Braden on the shoulder. He risked a glance to see Micah twirling her finger. Go faster.

  Save Them from Themselves

  The young cow called Bandria took short naps in between the long runs. In less than two days, she reached the outskirts of Dwyer. A substantial herd of Aurochs were in residence and helped with the raw ore.

  ‘Bring the herd together, I’d like to talk with them,’ G-War told an aged cow over the mindlink. He was capable of talking with them all whether they were together or not, but he had grown fond of Braden’s method of looking at the crowd to best gauge their reaction.

  Sometimes the humans were geniuses, but then there was the rest of the time.

  The Aurochs stopped grazing, stopped working, and joined together as a herd. G-War and Fealona stood on the young cow. He turned around to take in the immense creatures, nearly one hundred of them. The herd had grown while they’d been away.

  ‘The Aurochs,’ G-War began. ‘The largest of the land’s fine creatures, with great strength, speed, and stamina. Are you happy with your lot in life? Is there more that you could be doing? You are treated as livestock. It’s time to take your rightful place as an equal of humanity. No, you are superior to men!

  ‘They need our help to stay on a course of peace. Let me tell you a story about the Wolfoids and those who would steal from them...’

  G-War recounted the theft of the Wolfoid lightning spears and the chase deep into the south. Most importantly, the ‘cat shared what had been in the man’s mind. The leader of the raiding party wasn’t alone in how he felt about the other sentient species.

  ‘We, the Hillcats of Vii, call on you to join us in saving the humans from themselves.’ G-War stood tall, looking as regal as he could.

  Some of the Aurochs drifted away, returning to the grazing. Fea nuzzled her mate. ‘They’ll warm up to the idea,’ she told him.

  The old cow moved close. ‘How?’ she asked. ‘How do we save them from themselves?’

  ‘We leave them on their own, and right before they come completely unhinged, we return, and lead them back to the light.’

  ‘Will it work?’ she pressed.

  ‘Yes,’ G-War replied, convinced that he was correct.

  ‘How are we not trading one leader for another?” she asked.

  ‘Hillcats have always been in charge,’ G-War replied matter-of-factly.

  ‘Then no. We’ll have nothing to do with starting a war between the species.’

  Fea stood up. ‘The humans believe they are in charge and as such, they make decisions that are not in their best interest. Hillcats have no interest in being in charge, but we cannot tolerate a war, something we nearly had with the attack on the Wolfoids. The ‘cats will have to take a more active role in human affairs, as much as this pains us. Your participation is important for the humans to take note that we, all of the sentient species, are firm in our resolve to keep humanity from going to war,’ Fea patiently explained.

  ‘That makes sense. We’ll come with you, but we will reserve judgment.’

  ‘All of you?’ G-War asked.

  ‘All of us.’

  ‘Prepare yourselves. When we return, we will travel across the Great Desert. All of us.’

  The old cow bowed and returned to the herd to give them their guidance.

  ‘Time to go west,’ G-War told the young cow, and she started to run, through the herd and into the open. Less than a day later, she ran into the fields outside McCullough.

  G-War repeated his call to action with the smaller herd and was met with more skepticism.

  ‘I know I’m right,’ he told Fea, angry at the tepid response.

  ‘They aren’t ready for the hard truth. They’ve grown comfortable with their lives, but they aren’t willing to submit further to the humans. That is where you’ll be able to find leverage. Braden made sure that the Aurochs always had freedom of choice, but some of these other humans don’t give them equal consideration.’

  ‘Braden,’ G-War scoffed.

  ‘He’s one of the good ones. Why didn’t you want to talk with him about this? It affects them as much as anyone.’

  ‘Braden is my human. He is naive in understanding the nature of others. He gives them the benefit of the doubt when he should do the opposite. He won’t listen to me when I tell him that.’

  ‘I’ve heard how you tell him. ‘This guy’s a jerk.’ I’m not sure that’s the kind of advice that he can act on.’ Fea licked G-War’s head. He turned away.

  ‘There’s a power struggle coming. I can feel it,’ he finally said. Fea licked her paw and groomed the white and black fur of her face. It gleamed like silk in the morning sun.

  ‘And then what, my big dynamo?’ she purred.

  ‘We stop it, cold, and refuse to let it continue. The bloodshed never starts, and the humans return to the stars.’

  ‘Why is it important for them to go back to space? You’ve been there and didn’t think much of it.’

  ‘On that, my lovely mate, I don’t know the answer. It is something I feel must happen for the humans to realize their nature.
They are explorers. People like Braden, Micah, and my namesakes, they won’t be held back. Maybe we need to get things under control so they can be free to do what they do best.’

  G-War returned the grooming favor by licking Fea’s ear. ‘We need to gather the ‘cats and go back to Ankhmar, talk with our people once again, but from a position of strength. They need to embrace their expanded role in a new Vii.’

  ‘There will be a power struggle, all right,’ Fea conceded. ‘But it’s going to be among the ‘cats.’

  After the herd listened to Fea’s explanation, the Aurochs sent runners to the west to collect the others and to pick up ‘cats along the way. The thunder of hooves filled G-War with pride. His plan was taking shape. Soon, the humans would have to listen.

  ***

  Braden turned the hovercar inland and headed toward the easternmost edge of the Amazon, the great rainforest. They parked in the shade and after getting out, the ‘cats disappeared beyond the bushes and into the interior.

  “I was hoping they’d show us where we could find game,” Braden complained. He looked after them, but gave up after a few moments. “I guess we’ll do it the old-fashioned way.”

  He returned to the hovercar and removed his bow. He strung it, twanged the string, and nocked an arrow. He crouched slightly and walking on the balls of his feet, silently entered the edge of the rainforest.

  Micah set the children to gathering firewood. She had the utmost confidence in Braden’s ability to bring down dinner, whether a rabbit or something more substantial. She expected that they would need to make a fire. Micah gathered an armload of green wood in case they needed to make a smoker.

  Aadi swam into the rainforest, not saying where he was going or how long he’d be gone. He moved with a purpose, as much as a Tortoid ever seemed to have. The twins stopped to watch him.

  ‘Where are you going?’ ‘Tesh asked. Aadi slowed until he stopped.

  ‘I was going in search of an Amazonian, to learn the latest news. If something is afoot, they will be aware.’

  ‘I’m not sure how much time we have. I thought we stopped for lunch, and that’s it. Braden won’t be gone long,’ Micah added, knowing that visits with the Lizard Men always took a while. Aadi had a unique gift in being able to communicate with the Amazonians. ‘Maybe you can give it a pass.’