Space Cowboys

SPACE COWBOYS

Space Station Freedom was a massive superstructure. A city in space, ships of every size and shape glided into and out of its docking bays, located along the perimeter of the floating behemoth.

Inside, it was high-tech simplicity and receding lights, halls leading to doors leading to living quarters and meeting places. Even a bar. The Outpost was jumping, music blasting and voices chattering as dozens of customers, humans and aliens alike, destressed from the day over a game of cards or pool. Couples huddled romantically at tables near the windows, which looked out over the vast of space.

At one table in the back, two arms were positioned side-by-side, caught in a death grip. One belonged to a woman, namely Katherine “Kaz” Anderson, a spirited brunette beauty in her early 20s with a smile that could light up the back half of the loading bays. The other arm belonged to Haps, her alien opponent and General Consult to her politician fiancé, Richard. Haps was a big reptilian humanoid with bulging, but friendly eyes. He was grinning now, his sharp teeth reflecting the bar’s tacky mirror ball lighting. His eyes twinkled as he held his ground against his lovely opponent.

Behind the arm-wrestlers, a crowd had gathered, oohing and aaahing as their money changed hands in a wagering frenzy.

Kaz closed her eyes in a tight wince. Her arm trembled, ever-so-slightly, dropping lower, lower, as Haps fought back with all he had. Haps smiled, suddenly gaining as his reptile muscles pulsated. The crowd howled collectively as Kaz’s face suddenly broke into a triumphant smile and she slammed the reptile’s arm down on the table in a smack! The crowd erupted, throwing money down on the table like rain.

“That makes three in a row, dragonbreath. Pay up,” Kaz said. The cheers from the crowd were ear-shattering.

Haps sighed and leaned back in his chair. Then he got up and lumbered off, defeated.

“Maybe next time, Big Guy!” Kaz yelled after him. She chuckled as Haps waved her off, returning her attention to the crowd of admirers. Once the commotion died down, Kaz made her way to where Haps stood by a large picture window. She shoved half the money into the pocket of his vest.

“You let me win, you sly dog, you. This belongs to you,” Kaz said, the affection clear in her voice.

Haps handed the money back. “Not this time, darling. That was all you. I didn’t have a prayer.”

Kaz smiled up at him and shook her head, refusing the money. She gave Haps a hug.

“Get your stinking reptilian hands off my woman, scum!”

The voice came from behind them. Kaz jumped, then turned to see her fiancé, Richard Barns, glaring at Haps with intent to kill. Haps growled, then hurled himself forward and lifted Richard right off the ground, ready to throw him out of the picture window. Richard squirmed out of the alien’s grip and dropped to the ground, using his legs to push Haps’ own legs out from under him. The alien tumbled to the ground.

The crowd now moved over to watch the fight, cheering for their favorite. Kaz shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Haps and Richard were locked in a death grip on the floor. Then, both man and alien jumped up on their feet, grabbed each other’s hands, and tangoed across the room, cheek to cheek. They tangoed right to the bar and ordered drinks. Richard grinned from ear to ear.

“How is my best lizard friend and colleague in the entire galaxy?”

Haps laughed, deep and throaty. “Just had my ass handed to me by your woman here. She has a hell of an arm.”

Richard looked at Kaz and grinned. “She has a hell of a lot of things.”

Kaz watched, amused. “You fellows done with the childish antics?”

Richard put his fingers in his ears and stuck out his tongue. The crowd dispersed, laughing over the music.

Kaz went to the bar and sat beside Richard.

The bartender, a short human with pronounced elfin ears, pointed up to a large television screen above the bar. He pressed a button on the bar top and the volume increased.

“Hey, it’s on! Everybody!” the bartender shouted, as the crowd moved in to watch.

On the screen, a distinctly human reporter talked animatedly.

“...the jointly owned and operated U.S./Russian mission on the new planet Tyberion on board the space shuttle Unity is progressing right on schedule, according to Mission Commander and exobiologist Roger Anderson...”

A collective WHOOP! went up from the crowd, and all eyes turned to Kaz, then back to the screen.

“...We have a live transmission from Unity with Professor Anderson. Professor Anderson, can you hear me?”

An older man in his 60s, distinguished and Ivy League academic, came on the split screen.

“I hear you just fine, Mark. Yes, the Tyberion development mission is going according to schedule. We should arrive in a matter of days. My fellow scientists here on board are busy getting to know each other, and I can certainly say, I don’t remember the last time I’ve been surrounded by such superior minds,” Professor Anderson said, gleaming with pride.

“Anything you’d like to say to the folks back home?” Mike the reporter asked.

“Just want to say hello to my baby girl, Kaz, the finest exobiologist this side of Andromeda, except for myself or course.” Professor Anderson waved to the camera.

Kaz turned red, flushed. Haps poked her in the ribs. Richard hugged her affectionately.

“And a Boy Howdy to all the folks at the Outpost, too! Have one for me, gang!” Professor Anderson said.

The bar erupted into total chaos. The bartender turned down the volume as the story wrapped up. Patrons patted Kaz on the back as they returned to their seats.

“Can’t go wrong with an Anderson in the driver’s seat,” the bartender said.

Haps turned to Kaz. “So, you’ll be going out there soon, too, eh? I hear you got a seat on the next mission out.”

Kaz stiffened visibly. She cast her gaze down at the floor.

“You what?” Richard asked.

Kaz sighed. “I was going to tell you tonight.”

Richard slammed his drink down on the bar counter so hard, Kaz thought the glass would shatter.

“When do you leave?” His voice was monotone, firm. Kaz knew that voice.

“Tomorrow.”

“Why am I always the last to know with you?” Richard glared at her.

“Because you’re always the first to try to stop me,” Kaz said, turning to face him.

Richard shook his head. “It’s dangerous. You can’t do this, Kaz.”

Kaz sat for a moment, deep in thought. Then she got up and tossed back the rest of her drink and set the glass upside down on the bar. “You can’t stop me.”

She walked away, leaving Richard with Haps to nurse their drinks.

-----

The apartment Kaz shared with Richard was a large, airy room with a killer wall-to-wall window that looked out into the stars. Like all the two hundred apartments on the giant space station, it was basically one big room with an adjacent bathroom, sleeping area, and kitchenette. The apartments had no window in the other direction, which led to a circular interior hallway. All had been designed to look out at the stars, either for effect or to avoid overly curious residents spying on each other with scopes. Kaz figured maybe a bit of both. Either way, it made her feel much less claustrophobic than some of the places she’d stayed on during her travels.

Kaz stood at the window, her face flushed with anger. Behind her, the lock clicked, and the door opened, and Richard entered. Kaz didn’t turn to greet him.

“We go through this every time...” he said.

Kaz closed her eyes, trying to keep her temper in check. “We wouldn’t have to if you’d stop being so bullheaded about it.”

Richard came up behind her and put his arm on her shoulder. Kaz still didn’t turn to face him. She opened her eyes and fixed them on some distant star or planet.

“I’m an exobiologist, Richard. I study the biology of other planets. How the hell can I gather data and verify evidence if I don’t actually GO to these planets?” Her words were tinged with frost. She finally turned to look Richard in the eye. She saw pain there, and fear. He wasn’t being an ass for any other reason than he cared about her. She softened her gaze.

“I’m sorry.”

“Look, I know you try to stop me because you’re afraid for me. But I was doing this job long before we ever met. I’ve been able to take care of myself just fine, Richard.”

“Sometimes I just wonder,” Richard said. “The way you jump at any chance to leave bothers me.”

Kaz felt her blood pressure go up. She inhaled and counted silently to three. “I leave because it’s my job. I love what I do. My father taught me and trained me to be the best, and I won’t let him down. I love you, Richard, isn’t that proof enough? Or do you want to keep me locked up in a gilded cage?”

“Kazzy, that part of the system is still uncharted. It’s dangerous, and no place for a lady. Especially mine,” Richard said, his voice low and barely above a whisper.

It didn’t matter. The words were what mattered. Kaz broke away and stalked toward the sleeping area. She stopped and looked over her shoulder.

“You know, you are close to perfect, Richard. You’re everything I’ve always dreamed of in a man, a partner. Except for that one little thing that’s really starting to get on my nerves. You can be the biggest sexist pig.”

Kaz walked into the sleeping area, tossed out a pillow and blanket, and slammed the door shut, locking it.

-----

The space station buzzed with morning activity. It was the beginning of the dayshift, as workers bustled through the corridors to get to their destinations. Outside, it was all night sky. Kaz always marveled at how quickly she had adapted to the lack of an actual sunlight to begin her day. It had taken her a few weeks the first time she was on the station. She knew other humans were still adjusting after months of being on board.

She walked briskly, dressed in a white lab coat and dark slacks. Her flat, sensible shoes were silent in contrast with the click, click of the heels of a cross between human dress shoes and alien clawed feet on the tiled floor. She greeted several others as she stopped at a door marked “EXOSYSTEMS LAB.” She took a keychain out of her lab coat and opened the door.

Inside the small lab, which consisted of a center table filled with various equipment and monitors and measuring devices, and walls of books and file cabinets, a pretty woman in her late 20s with a short, blonde ponytail sat at the table, her eyeball glued to a microscope. The woman looked up, revealing gorgeous blue eyes, and smiled at Kaz. Martika Stronzkevsky was part of the Eastern European/Russian team that had been recruited at the same time Kaz was. They had met in the bathroom on Earth during the orientation meeting and bonded over their joint opinions about tampon machines in public bathrooms. Kaz thought they should be free. Martika thought women should plan better and bring their own tampons. In the end, they became fast friends and colleagues.

“All men are heels. We might as well just face it,” Kaz said on entry.

Martika laughed, a big, hearty laugh for such a petite woman. “What did Richard do now? You know he is only trying to protect you.” She returned her eyeball to the microscope lens.

Kaz sat down beside her, sorting through slides. She lifted a few to the light as they talked.

“Or smother me. He’s a federal official. Why is it perfectly okay for him to travel around the damn galaxy, but not me? Did you look at this one yet?”

Kaz handed Martika a slide. Martika pulled the one she had been focusing on and replaced it with the new slide.

“I’m only saying you should try to understand his point. His fears are not entirely ungrounded,” Martika said as she examined the slide. “Well, that’s interesting. Take a look.”

They switched seats and now Kaz looked through the microscope. “No, they aren’t ungrounded, but if I were a man, he wouldn’t think twice about me going out there. Okay, this one matches the set we looked at yesterday. Same protein markers.”

“If you were a man, he wouldn’t be with you.”

Kaz pulled back from the lens and faced Martika. “Ha-ha, very funny.” Kaz suddenly clutched her stomach, her skin grey and eyes dull.

“Kazzy, again?” Martika said, concerned.

“Be right back,” Kaz said, hustling into a tiny adjoining bathroom. She closed the door, but her retching was loud. After a moment, she opened the door, wiping her mouth with a tissue.

“Sorry.”

“Dammit, Kazzy, get to the infirmary NOW,” Martika said.

“It’s just a bug. A 24-hour thing,” Kaz responded, her voice belying how awful she felt.

“Yeah, one that’s been going on for two weeks,” Martika said, getting to her feet. She was a few inches shorter than Kaz, who had been graced with a lithe, 5’7” frame, but Martika was imposing, nonetheless. “Go to the doctor, NOW. That’s an order from a friend who loves you.”`

Kaz hesitated.

“NOW!” Martika pointed a finger to the door.

Kaz reluctantly did as she was told.

-----

Kaz buttoned up her blouse and put her lab coat back on. The doctor’s back room was small, with a table, a chair, and a cabinet and sink. She slipped her shoes on just as the doctor, a pleasantly handsome human in his 60s, entered. He closed the door and turned.

“You want to good news, or the I’m not sure whether it’s good or bad news, first? The doctor said.

“Gimme ‘em both at the same time?” Kaz asked.

“My suspicions were confirmed. The results of your panel show that you have no bug, in fact, you are in perfect health...”

Kaz let out an audible sigh of relief.

“...to have a baby,” the doctor continued.

The room went dead quiet. Kaz’s mouth formed a comical “o” shape. She tried to speak the word “baby,” but nothing came out.

“I thought you might have reacted this way. You’ve been taking your injections, haven’t you?”

Kaz tried to respond, but it came out more of a squeak. “Never miss one.”

The doctor shook his head. “They are 99.9 percent effective. There is always that chance though.”

“And I guess I’m that chance...”

Kaz looked shellshocked as the doctor led her out of the room. Before she stepped into the corridor, her eyes fluttered, and she fainted.

-----

Martika handed Kaz a cup of hot tea. It was a chamomile blend, part of a stash of tea Kaz brought with her from Earth. It always helped calm her down and sleep at night. She sipped it and set the cup on the table.

“I guess that answers the mystery of my morning puking routine.”

“When will you tell Richard?” Martika asked.

Kaz sighed deeply. “I guess after my next mission. He would never let me go if he knew. God, Marty, a baby? Me and Richard? I’m not ready for that kind of responsibility.”

“You could always talk to the doctor about other alternatives,” Martika said.

Kaz seemed not to hear, lost in her own thoughts.

The door opened and a young bushy-haired man rushed into the lab. He wore a governing forces patch.

“Kaz Anderson?”

Kaz faced him, curious. “Yeah, that’s me.”

The young man gasped, out of breath. “Urgent transmission for you...from Unity. In the view phone room.”

Kaz tore out of the room with the young man and Martika on her heels.

-----

Kaz sat in a small booth. Before her was a large monitor. She pressed a button on the panel before her and the screen buzzed with static. Then, her father’s face appeared. He looked upset. Terrified. Kaz pressed another button.

“Daddy!”

“Kazzy, listen to me, I don’t have much time.” Roger’s voice shook noticeably.

“Daddy, what is it? What’s wrong?”

“Hush, baby girl. Listen to me carefully. There is something wrong here. I can’t quite put my finger on it yet, but my colleagues and I feel something has gone awry. I think our ship has been intercepted. We made an unscheduled stop on Ceres One, way outside our flight path. We were told to remain in our quarters,” Roger spoke in a hushed tone. He stopped to look behind him, then turned back to the screen. “Pumpkin, listen. Word has gone out that the Russians took control of the Unity mission.”

The image broke up with static.

“Daddy, I’m losing you. Lock in again on your end, please!”

The static increased, then broke with a pop, and Roger’s face appeared again.

“Kaz...I don’t believe them for a minute. It is not the Russians. It cannot be. None of us believe it. I’ve seen...strange weapons...never seen the likes of them before...”

Kaz frantically pressed buttons to try to lock the transmission down. Roger’s image came back on screen for a flash of a moment. He started to speak when a gloved hand held a laser weapon to his head. Then, the screen went black.

“Daddy, nooooooooo!”

Kaz tried to lock it back in, but to no avail. The screen remained black. Dead. She tore out of the booth to find only Martika waiting for her.

“Jesus, Kazzy, what happened?”

“They...they got my father.” Kaz didn’t wait for a response. She raced to the door and into the corridor as if her life depended on it.

-----

The American Embassy Suite on the Freedom was the biggest of the Earth-based governance offices. Because Freedom was an Earth-directed venture, aliens were only represented as envoys and advisors. They didn’t have their own office. There were too many species and not enough space. Next door to the American Suite was the Russian office, which incorporated several Eastern European nations.

The American office was chaos as a large crowd had gathered just outside the double-door entrance. Kaz pushed her way through to the two guards who stood, fully armed, at the doors.

“You can’t go in, Miss,” one guard said, holding up his weapon.

Kaz ignored him and reached for the door handle, attempting to open it. The guard grabbed her wrist and held her back.

“Don’t you dare touch me,” Kaz growled, yanking her arm free. “Richard Barns is my fiancé. Just press the goddamn button and announce me.”

Her eyes locked with the guard’s, and he shook his head, pressing a button on the side of the wall.

“I have a –“

“Kaz Anderson.”

“A Kaz Anderson to see Richard Barns.”

In a beat, the door buzzed and opened. The guard escorted Kaz through, then promptly shut it as the crowd outside surged forward.

Inside, Kaz worked her way through a sea of uniformed officials to where Richard stood watching a monitor screen. He turned when he saw her and opened his arms. Kaz rushed into his embrace.

“Richard, my father is in trouble.”

“I know, Kaz. I know. Listen to me. There’s been a situation. We don’t have enough information yet to say just what exactly is going on, but we believe that Unity has been destroyed.”

Kaz felt her knees buckle. Richard held her up.

“Noooo, nooooooo!” Her voice was the whimper of a wounded animal.

“We lost all contact with Unity. I’m afraid the shuttle came under enemy attack,” Richard said.

Kaz sniffled. “The gun...”

“What gun?”

“I spoke to my father on a private call not more than fifteen minutes ago, Richard. He said he and his colleagues thought there was something wrong. Then there was a gun to his head.”

“The damned Russians, I knew it,” Richard said.

“No! No, not the Russian team. My father said he and his colleagues suspected it was something else. Not the Russians,” Kaz said, almost pleading for Richard to listen. Richard comforted her.

“You’d better come with me. President Dandridge should hear this,” he said, taking Kaz by the hand and leading her into a back room.

The Presidential Office was nothing more than an adjoining room for the head honcho of the American contingency. In this case, it was a handsome man in his 40s with a shrewd look in his eyes, even as there was a friendly smile on his face. President Dandridge sat behind a desk with two of his human advisors standing to his right, and two of his alien advisors to his left. All of them eyed Kaz as she and Richard came in.

“Ah, Kaz, it’s been a while. To what do I owe this visit?” Dandridge said, rising to greet her with a quick handshake. The advisors simply nodded to her.

Richard started to speak for Kaz, but she cut him off.

“I spoke to my father earlier and before the call ended, someone put a gun to his head,” Kaz said, trying to steady her voice. “But he was adamant that he and his colleagues did not suspect the Russians. He said they all felt certain the threat came during an unplanned stop on Ceres One.”

President Dandridge looked to each of his advisors. He had on his poker face. It made Kaz nervous.

“Did he give you any specific reason why he wouldn’t suspect some Russian sabotage of the mission?”

Kaz shook her head. “No, but my father has been working alongside this team for years and I know he considers them not just colleagues, but trusted friends. He has never spoken ill of any of them. He trusts them and would never consider them capable of jeopardizing over fifty years of peace.”

President Dandridge considered her with a level gaze. “While I respect your perspective of your father’s feelings, it is not proof. We must look into every angle.”

Kaz nodded. “I understand, but my father –“

The door burst open, and a uniformed officer leaned in, his face flushed. “President, sorry to interrupt, but we have a transmission coming in from the Unity. OVF Government Channel 4!”

Kaz let out a palpable sigh of relief. “Then it wasn’t destroyed...”

One of the human advisors sprang into action, turning on a monitor on the opposite wall. Within seconds, an image broke through the static. When the static cleared, Kaz and the others gasped in shock.

The humanoid on the screen was unlike anything Kaz had ever seen in her many travels. Not that she’d been to every inhabited planet, to be sure, but this was an entirely new species, and an ugly one to boot. Its head was massive and oblong, with slits of blackness for eyes. It was dressed in a military style jacket, but the image only showed from the chest up. Kaz had no idea whose military this...thing...belonged to.

The alien held up a weapon. Kaz felt her legs go weak when she recognized it. It was the same one held to her father’s head just moments before.

“That’s the gun,” she whispered. No one heard her. They stared at the alien on the screen. Kaz got the feeling none of them had ever seen the likes of this thing before.

“Greetings to Space Station Freedom and to all of you on Earth and surrounding territories.” The alien’s voice was deep and guttural. “This transmission is being broadcast on all Broad Range OVF Channels, as we want all of you to be aware of our mission. My name is Aladar. I am the leader of the Ceresian Front. My people come from a planet called Ceres One. We are a dying planet in need of a special chemical-based nutrient compound for our survival. We are running out. We have found a new source of this compound, an unlimited source. On Tyberion.”

The temperature in the room must have plummeted. Kaz suddenly felt cold inside and out. Her body trembled.

“Approximately one-half hour ago, an army of my men took control of the Unity Shuttle. We have taken the fifteen-member crew hostage. We have also taken control of the space port on Tyberion. Our mission, my friends, is to use their knowledge and expertise, these fine scientific minds, to help us find and extract the compound we so desperately need. At that time, we will then release the hostages.”

A collective gasp arose. Kaz felt hot, fresh tears threaten. Richard held her close as the image on the screen now showed several of the scientist hostages bound and gagged, sitting on the floor in a holding pen under armed guard. Kaz cried out in horror. One of them was her father.

Aladar continued. “Any interference with our plans will be regarded as hostile. We will kill one hostage per week if our demands are not met. We will kill anyone attempting a rescue effort. In a future transmission, I will list our specific demands. Until then, let this be a warning to you.”

The image on screen changed to the Space Shuttle Unity sitting on a docking bay. In a beat, the shuttle exploded.

-----