A slap in the face that’s what this was. To survive everything he had, only for this hideous four-legged creature to trample him.
“Lee!” The shout pierced the air.
Lee opened one eye and saw Ensign Yuri “Flaps” Miroslav’s head bobbing up and down behind the head of the animal charging at him. If things hadn’t been bad before…
“Get up, Lee, I’ve got you!”
In that moment he remembered how angry the Commander had been when he’d knocked him out on Hammerhead with painkillers, before the battle of Atlas Prime.
Now, Lee wanted to convey similar feelings to Flaps. Somehow, the helmsman now fancied himself an expert horseman.
Cringing, Lee extended his flesh and blood arm. He’d lost his other arm in a similar “misadventure” on Rigel and replaced it with a bionic.
Flaps grabbed his forearm and yanked him up, and Lee went with the motion and landed behind Miroslav.
“Admit it, Lee! You know you’ve always wanted to ride one of these!”
Several whistling sounds cut the air—projectiles whizzing past.
“Flaps! If we survive this, I’m liable to inflict serious bodily harm upon you.”
The little upstart grinned manically back at him.
“Well, that seems mildly inappropriate, for a harmless horse ride. I know you’re secretly enjoying this! It’s ok I get it, you can’t let me or anyone else see you enjoying yourself. Doesn’t suit your tough-guy image!”
Before Lee could respond, Flaps yanked the thing in the horse’s mouth and the animal veered left sharply, almost flinging Lee from the rear. Lee had no clue what Flaps was doing as he jammed heels into the poor creature. They surged forward, and he gripped the ensign tighter.
Lee risked a glance behind. Their pursuers rode similar hideous creatures, yelling and shouting like maniacs, and all the while firing from some antique but very effective mechanical pistols. Even more antique than the ones he crafted and preferred to carry.
Paradise was a tech-2 world. No large cities, not much technology apart from that needed to communicate with the United Systems and facilitate trade.
Every structure here was hand-crafted from raw materials gathered planet-side. Wooden structures were the most common. But Paradise was a special world—one of the few planets in the United Systems with a large population of these creatures, both feral and tame.
The horse population on Earth was dangerously low and consequently, exporting them was forbidden. Who would have thought these animals would be an endangered species in the twenty-fifth century? But horses were still in high demand on other similar tech-level worlds, and Paradise had the largest horse population throughout the USS. The local economy revolved around selling or trading them with other star systems. Apparently, that made horses rare and valuable. Why anyone would want a horse in this century puzzled Lee. Yet, the animal had endured through history.
Even in the so-called technological revolution of the twenty-first century, horses held a special place—and that hadn’t changed. Tech-1 and Tech-2 worlds desired them for everyday use. Tech-3 worlds used them for recreation similar to tech-4 and tech-5 worlds. There was probably something therapeutic about riding the animal but it was lost on Lee.
Next, Flaps would want one on the ship as a pet. The thought of walking the ship’s deck and being trampled by this creature made him laugh.
Unfortunately, pirates had recently targeted the horse trade on Paradise. Who would have thought of horse thieving in the twenty-fifth century?
Funny thing about crime and criminals is, it didn’t matter how outrageous a crime might appear to a law-abiding citizen, so long as there was profit to be made, a criminal would indulge. Only a criminal could understand the mind of a criminal. Lee laughed.
Interstellar horse-thieving-pirates.
But these pirates posed a serious problem for the population on Paradise. The Authorities didn’t have a local space-navy or system-police patrols. The pirates’ starships and weaponry might be old, but against a population without warships of any kind—they had an unfair advantage.
But that advantage was about to end.
Since there was no United Systems Police Agency, and most other member worlds had their own intra-system law enforcement assets, no local enforcement agencies of another star system were expending resources to deal with the issue here on Paradise.
And this activity, although seemingly low-tech, caused serious problems for the populace on Paradise and their trade partners. Paradise was a United Systems member world—and as members—their problems became the United Fleet’s problems.
Which became Lee’s problem.
It seemed like a good assignment for the Intelligence Bureau. Identify the particular pirate cell raiding Paradise, where their base is, and call in the cavalry. A simple and boring mission the spy lady—Lieutenant Delaine—had promised.
Now, they’d infiltrated the pirate-scum gangs. Then it’d gone to hell in a hand basket fast, when the thieving scum they’d joined, got confronted by a local group attempting to stop the latest heist. Good ol’ Flaps wasn’t about to let the locals get hurt and tried to subdue the pirates. That’s when all this kicked off.
Lee wasn’t about to let the locals get hurt either, but he wished Flaps had let him deal with it. Now, their former “partners in crime” pursued them across hard dirt.
On horseback.
Lee gripped his gas-propelled grappling hook. “Flaps, get us close to the red-shirt guy.”
“You think this is a bloody spaceship? I can’t just turn it like it’s got yaw and pitch you know!”
Lee cringed at Flaps’ use of ‘bloody’. The young ensign had been trying to insert so-called colorful metaphors into his speech. It just didn’t suit the kid.
“Just do your best and quit complaining. Get us closer.”
Lee’s chosen target had a long-rifle. Lee didn’t want to chance giving the pirate a good shot. The guy might get smart, dismount and take aim.
Lee counted about twenty pirates pursuing in total. In some instances, there were five line-abreast riding in rows.
The dust and dirt their ride kicked up hindered their pursuers’ visibility somewhat. Flaps galloped to the right and increased the angle from the pirate in the red shirt. He then yanked the thing over to the left, and the horse complied slightly rising on its hind legs. A swift kick from Flaps, and the beast galloped the way they’d come.
The distance closed with Lee’s target. He shot the grappler end into the chest of the pirate knocking him off as his mount continued forward.
“Nice one, Lee!”
The rest of the horse-riding goon-squad pulled up to slow their rides and continue the chase.
Flaps rode forward again.
“That’s the leader, Flaps. Head right for him.”
Flaps complied and pulled the horse to cut off Lee’s desired target.
Lee jumped and snatched the man to the dirt.
They both tumbled for a while. Lee rose first and surged in grabbing the leader by his neck. The intense grip Lee applied to the pirate’s neck forced his surrender. He put both hands in the air. The universal “I give up” sign.
A thunderous rumbling filled the atmosphere. Flaps yanked his mount to a stop nearby. It was the small pirate raider. A hunk of junk really, but the antipersonnel turrets on the nose would be more than enough to shred anything. Shepherd would be collecting their remains with a strainer.
Another few seconds and it would be on top of them. The rest of the pirates halted where they were with smug looks on their faces.
“You want to whack that with your arm too, Lieutenant?” Flaps asked, pointing towards it.