They shared a chuckle and Mirra shook her head. “Not this time. I heard you two were out these ways lookin’ for a spot of trouble. Way I hear it, you’re having issues retaining reliable help. Figured I’d offer you my assistance for a spell. If you’ll have me, of course.”
Asta quirked an eyebrow. “Ya do have an ear ta the ground, dontcha? As luck would have it, ah could use some spare hands. Ain’ gonna be easy, though. Ya up fer the long nights’n hard rides?”
“Never been readier.”
“Well that’s good then. Welcome aboard, Ms. Lester.”
“Pleased to ride with you, Ms. Lynch.”
Their giggles prompted a broad smile from Drevan. Asta had never been happier as they rode side by side for several years hunting down outlaws and marks. They even put away Jacks and his cohorts. Though she’d heard they’d been granted pardons in Aquila Mons for some reason. Even so, all was smooth riding until one day Mirra came to Asta and said she had to go away for a while. It was true that Mirra had a tendency to just disappear for a week or two, but she’d never directly said to her that she was leaving. Only went and came back in her own good time.
“Whadya mean ya gots business ta attend ta?” Asta stood with concern in her eyes. “Is it somethin’ ah ken help ya with? Drevan’n ah are always here fer ya, y’know.”
Mirra raised a hand. “I know. It’s… a personal matter I have to attend to. Not something I want to talk about right now.”
“Oh. Ah see. Well, how long ya gonna be gone?”
Mirra shook her head, eyes moist. “I don’t know. But I swear I’ll be back. Hopefully sooner rather than later. You and Drevan watch out for yourselves.”
“Ya know it. Ain’ many o’us hunters left.”
Mirra grasped her shoulder. “That’s because we’re finally starting to get some lawmen out here.”
They pulled in for a hug and Asta closed her eyes. “Ya take care o’yerself too, ya hear?”
“I will.”
Mirra drew away and Asta watched her say her goodbyes to Drevan. After that, she rode away. They wouldn’t see Mirra again for another two years. And when she re-emerged, it was like no time had passed at all. They’d managed to put together a four-man crew and were breaking camp when Mirra came riding up. She looked older, having gained a little weight. Yet still looked fit as a fiddle and ready to ride. However, Asta couldn’t help noticing she looked a little matronly now.
“Well, well. Look what the cat drug in,” Asta said as Mirra approached the group.
“Howdy, stranger.” Mirra smiled. “Looking like you put yourself together a fine-looking crew. Got yourself a new hunt?”
“We were jus’ ‘bout ta head on out. Got ourselves a train robber wit’ a right hefty bounty on his head.”
“And here I thought the law was making us obsolete.”
“There might be more lawmen these days, but apparently nobody gave the outlaws the memo.” Asta chuckled. “Come on. Let’s git ya up ta speed.”
“Lead the way.”
They rode together for another fifteen years. Mirra never again took off for such a long period of time, only went back to her one to two week vanishing schedule. They also went through a number of crews over that time. But that was fine for Asta, just so long as her sister was riding at her side. All was as it should’ve been. Up until that day six months before it all went to hell.
FIVE YEARS EARLIER… A new hunt had been brought to Asta’s attention while they were out near Audrey Glenn. A gentleman by the name of Wilfred Karson was running contraband through the valley and had taken up residence on a politician’s land. Scuttlebutt had it he was preparing for a run on Dunston in the west, beyond the rivets. She had to move fast before he got away.
“Weapons? Are you sure about that?” Mirra asked as they rode at a steady pace. Drevan and two new crewmen rode behind them in silence. Only the thumps of their mounts’ hooves rang out in the preternaturally still woods. There wasn’t even a bird chirp or rustle of a leaf.
“Mah sources are generally pretty gawddamned precise. They don’ know why no one else is goin’ after him, but they know where he’s headed.”
Mirra was quiet for a long moment and looked to be chewing on her lower lip. “And you say he’s holed up in some factory out in the rivets?”
“Yup. Old abandoned place situated up in dem rocky hills.”
“I don’t know. This doesn’t sound like our normal hunt. This guy isn’t an outlaw or thug. If he’s a runner, he likely has a good-sized posse or even mercenaries guarding him. Maybe this is an issue best left to the authorities?”
“Ya know full gawddamned well that the locals ain’ comin’ down here. What’s got inta ya? Ya ain’ usually this skittish? He’s jus’ a squirrelly gunrunner. We ken handle whatever hired hands he’s got workin’ fer ‘im.”
Mirra frowned and shook her head. “I ain’t being ‘skittish’. I just don’t think this is a matter we need to waste our time with. I heard about this outlaw robbing banks out in the Sutures. Maybe we should take him on instead?”
“We’re taking this criminal down,” Asta said not looking towards her. “Full price fer him alive. An’ the reward is way too generous ta pass up. So, stop yer frettin’n git yer head in the hunt.”
“What’s the reward?” Mirra asked, quieter than usual.
Asta smiled brightly and looked to Mirra with shining eyes. “A million credits!”
“A mill—” Mirra gasped and looked down to her horse, face turning pale. “Who… who’s the client?”
“Ah don’ know,” Asta waved a dismissive hand. “Some uppity senator sayin’ he heard some gang was holed up on his family’s land.”
Drevan nodded. “Yeah. A senator… Sonoros. Y’know, Asta, maybe we should cry off thissun. Tackle that robber. Gittin’ a sudden real bad feelin’…”
“We ain’ cryin’ off! What’s got inta you two? Gonna be jus’ fine. Git yer heads in the game!”
Mirra pursed her lips but said nothing more. Drevan went quiet as well.
They arrived at the old factory sometime later and Asta was thrilled to see his gang had yet to move on. The factory was built into a rocky cove of hills with trees surrounding the structure on three sides. Though Asta didn’t know it at the time, the other side of the hill was a sloping bed of grassy soil leading all the way down to a low run of plains. Asta was confident they’d have to take them from the front. But before she could even offer up terms of surrender, Karson’s hired muscle was taking cover and firing at them. Mirra and Asta took cover behind a water trough, taking turns firing at the entrenched mercenaries. After taking a few out, Mirra leaned in towards her.
“I’m going around the back of this ridge! If there’s a rear entrance, I’ll go in and take ‘em by surprise!”
“Take Riker with ya fer back up!”
“No! I’d better do this alone! They’ll be less likely to see just one of us! You four keep ‘em pinned here!”
“Awright! Watch yer ass!”
Gunfire was a deafening din as Mirra backtracked and worked her way around to the rear. The hired guns didn’t even notice. The four of them drove the gang back until they retreated inside.
“They’re runnin’!” Asta howled then stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Drevan asked as their two-man crew took flanking positions to the front entrance.
“We ain’ heard back from Mirra. Ah’m goin’ up over the ridge ta see if’n she needs help keepin’ this lot from escapin’. Ya’ll chase ‘em through the front. If’n there is a rear, we’ll have ‘em cut off!”
“Be careful,” Drevan said and led the crew inside.
Asta raced up an incline towards the hilly summit above the rising entrance to the subterranean structure. Three smoke stacks rose up out of the ground like rusty fingers and she used several thin trees to help her progress up and past them. The trees thinned out at the top giving her a panoramic view of a massive plain rolling off towards a distant set of mountains.
But it wasn’t the view that caused her to freeze. She looked all the way down the back slope of the hills and saw that there was indeed a rear exit at the base of the hills. And near it was Wilfred Karson getting up behind Mirra on her horse.
“Mirra!” She screamed.
Mirra glanced up at her only briefly and then turned to ride away. She didn’t look back even with Asta screaming her name in wails of betrayal and sorrow.
It took fifteen more minutes for them to deal with the remainder of Karson’s mercenaries. Those still standing threw down their guns. Asta let them go on foot. The mark was gone. As was Mirra.
“WHAT THE FUCK was she thinkin’!? She betrayed us! Betrayed me!” Asta howled shaking her head, tears streaming down her cheeks and her eyes wide with disbelief. “After all these years tagetha! Why!? Why, Drevan, why!?”
“It’s not like she shared her plans wit’ me, Asta.”
“Gawddamnit! Gawddamnit, Drevan! How could she do this ta me!?”
“Okay. Okay. Calm yerself. We don’ know why she did it. There may be something we’re not see—”
“Dontchu dare defend her actions! Dontchu do it! Ah don’ care what her reasons were! What she did done dug deep and it’s unforgiveable!”
Asta rode ahead hard leaving Drevan to sigh deeply. Their two crewmen wisely kept silent as Drevan kicked his mount to bring it up to a pace to match Asta’s. The ride back home that day was an ugly, ill-tempered one.
NEITHER SAW MIRRA again until roughly six months later. Drevan had picked up a mark who was hiding out near the isolated village of Chesik. They had a new crew of three men and were kicking over stones chasing down leads on their quarry when Asta saw Mirra across the street exiting the general store.
“Jus’ leave it alone,” Drevan tried to grab her arm but she shook him loose. “She’s made her choice.”
“No! She’s gonna answer fer what she did!” She stormed off the saloon deck and made her way across the street towards Mirra who had yet to spot her.
“Damnit woman!” His voice followed her.
He’s right. Ah should jus’ walk away. Fergit her! A scowl parked itself on her face. No! Ah kent let this go!
As she crossed the dusty street, Drevan held out a hand to stop their crew from following. He wore a scowl too. But for an altogether different reason. His words reached her ears, but they were low.
“This is her fight, boys. Whether we like it or not.”
Asta wasn’t sure she wanted a fight. But in spite of herself she found that she did want answers. Mirra was on the general store deck, back to her and looking inside the store. Asta paused only momentarily when a man and a teenage Chuhukon girl walked out to join Mirra. The man looked familiar. It wouldn’t be until years later when reflecting on this event she’d remember it was the professor. Mirra turned around smiling and stopped when she saw Asta, her smile diminishing. A nervous apprehension filled Asta’s bones and uncertainty about this course of action her mind.
Mirra frowned and said something to the two beside her. The man looked hesitant as Mirra walked off the deck and went to meet Asta. Unlike her typical duster and Wastelands garb, Mirra was only wearing denim jeans, a white short sleeved shirt, brown boots, and her gun-belt. Asta wasn’t sure she’d ever seen the woman in mostly casual wear before. A sad smile adorned Mirra’s face as they stopped not even twelve feet apart from one another. The man on the deck placed his hands on the girl’s shoulders, concerned expressions on them both.
“Didn’t think I’d ever see you again, Asta,” Mirra stated casually. “Hope life has been treating you well. You look good.”
Asta pointed a finger at her, every muscle in her body tense and her neck corded with her grimace. “Don’ act like ev’rthin’s fine!” Spittle flew from her lips. “Ya turned yer back on us! On me! Stole mah mark! Ag’in!”
Mirra looked on the verge of tears. Her lip quivered slightly as she placed her hands on her hips and cast her gaze to the deep blue skies above. “I’m sorry, Asta. By the Spirits, I’m sorry. If there had been any other way—”
“Ah don’ want ta hear yer excuses!” Asta raged, temper rising. “Ya betrayed me! Me! We were like sisters! Did none o’those years mean anything ta ya!?”
Mirra looked straight at her, eyes boring into her like she was peering into her soul. And Asta grew even angrier.
“I don’t expect your forgiveness. All those years meant everything to me as well. I know we’ll never ride again. But I had to do it. There was no other choice. I just wish it hadn’t been you to answer that call. I can’t tell you why. I wish I could. But it’s too big.
“What the hell’re ya talkin’ ‘bout!?”
“Please take care of yourself. I do love you. And Drevan as well.” Mirra started to turn away. “I wish there had been another way. But there just wasn’t enough time.”
“Mirra?” The professor leaned against the railing, his eyes questioning his wife. She shook her head and started back towards them. Asta felt her lips tremble.
Jus’ turn ‘round. Go back ta Drevan. Like he said, she’s made her choice. But she didn’t turn around. What she found herself doing instead was pulling her left revolver and cocking the hammer. The click caused Mirra to sigh and stare up at the professor and the young woman.
“What?” the young woman started walking along the railing. “Mom, what’s going on? Put that away!”
Mirra held a hand up and slowly turned to Asta. Their eyes met, Asta’s gun shaking almost imperceptibly as she held it outward. Mirra offered up another sad smile and then walked out towards the middle of the dusty street. Asta followed her motion.
“Is this how you wish to deal with this matter?”
“Once… once ah tol’ ya… ah—”
“Don’t tolerate betrayal. It always was your one, hard rule.” Mirra looked past her, seeing Drevan coming off the deck. She looked back to Asta. “Seems a silly thing to get into a gunfight over.”
Asta replaced her revolver in its holster and assumed a gunslinger’s stance. “It… it’s the only way. Like ya said ya had ta do. Well, there’s a price ta be paid, true ‘nuff.”
“Asta, don’t!” Drevan shouted now racing towards them.
All was silent save for his rushing feet. Those denizens around either sought cover or stood watching from decks at a safe distance. They stood facing each other, Mirra adopting the same combat stance. Hands over the grips of her pistols.
“Mom! Don’t! Come back up here!”
“It’ll be alright, sweetie,” Mirra called back.
The professor held the girl’s shoulders as she tried to bolt off the deck. Mirra kept her eyes on Asta. And still wore a smile.
Stop smiling, damn you! Asta felt sweat beading at her brow.
“It’s true. We all have to pay a price for seeing Justice done.”
Drevan was almost to Asta.
She drew before he could stop her.
A twang rang out as the bullet left its chamber.
A mist of blood left Mirra’s chest as she fell.
Asta stood there, smoke rising from the barrel of her gun.
Drevan reached her, growl deep in his throat. “Gawddamnit!”
The voices of the professor and the young woman broke the ensuing silence. A shriek of fear and rage as the young woman raced to her mother’s side. The man knelt down not sparing a glance for Asta. Mirra said something to him and Asta heard him cry ‘no’ as Mirra’s hand rubbed his face. Then that hand fell and the girl screamed again turning towards Asta, her face contorted by rage.
“You fucking whore! You bitch!” She wailed as her father leapt to his feet to grab her back. “I’ll kill you for this! You hear me!? You’re fucking dead!”
The professor said nothing as he pulled the girl back. Asta was only dimly aware she was still holding her weapon outward until a hand reached up and guided it back down. Drevan said nothing, only wore a bitter grimace of remorse.
She… din’t even try ta draw… She could’ve k
ilt me easily. But… she din’t even try… Why, Mirra, why? Ya coulda jus’ ended it…
Asta couldn’t look Drevan in his mournful, judging gaze. Only turned around, gun hanging limply in her hand, and walked away in a daze. Their crew brought their horses and they all mounted up to ride out of town and away from Mirra’s grieving family. Asta spared a glance to the body on the ground only once, the young woman’s eyes firmly staring back.
Then, never again.
IT WAS ONLY a year or two later when Aidele caught up ta me. Never even knew her name. Din’t even pay attention to her shoutin’ ‘mom’. How could ah have missed that?
“Penny fer yer thoughts?”
Asta almost leaped out of her saddle, but stayed composed and looked over to Drevan as they came to the summit of a dune and stopped.
“Ah’m a horrible person.”
Drevan looked taken aback. “Ah wouldn’t say ‘horrible’. Yer a good woman. When someone ain’ pissed ya off.”
He tried on a smile and she looked away to the horizon. “Ah murdered mah best friend, mah sister. Left her family ta grievin’. An fer what? Because ah weren’t in no talkin’ mood? An’ the fact ah never knew she had a family… Ah wished ya tol’ me.”
Drevan pulled up beside her. “What difference would it have made? Once yer temper’s ragin’, ya kent be satiated ‘til yer honor’s been righted.”
“Ah shoulda let her tell me why she did it. What her reason was.”
“Whatever it was, din’t look much like she was goin’ ta share it.”
“Maybe.” Asta sighed and reached over to pat his thigh. “An’ yet ya rode with an old warhorse like me all these years in spite o’it all.”
“Ah ain’ goin’ nowhere. Till the bitter end’n all that.”
Asta chuckled and was getting ready to push on when she saw two figures coming up over a dune in the distance. One stopped. The other was mounted and coming up behind him. The walking man matched the description of who they were looking for. Even at this distance she knew.
Red Star Sheriff Page 13