Curious Sols (The Sol Principle Book 1)
Page 35
Turning to the expanse of land in the distance John pointed out the terrain saying, “I think the Ponderosa they lived on was something like a half million acres. From what I see, I’m looking at a larger stretch of land than even the Cartwrights could dream of taming.”
Walking over to a nearby bench, John reached down and picked up his Aussie hat.
“You know, Captain,” John said flipping his hat on his head. “I think maybe you’re looking at a cattle rancher the likes of which have yet to be seen.”
Not to be outdone by his own wit, John motioned his miner friend Shu Han over to them. Putting his arm around the man’s shoulder and turning toward the captain, John activated his Ksync and asked. “You’re pretty good with those claws aren’t you?”
The miner gave John a funny look as though he didn’t understand.
He continued. “If I'm little Joe then we still need a Hoss on the ranch. Care to join up?”
The miner gave an odd laugh as he shrugged his shoulders, clearly without any reference point for the offer.
Anita shook her head and smiled just as lost with the reference as the miner.
"I'll take that as a yes," John said patting Shu on the back. "Now who could possibly be Ben?" he asked staring at Anita.
Before John could dig his hole any deeper, a flash of light streaked across the sky above them. Looking up, they saw a shooting star fade in the distance, but their attention was drawn to Phobos as it passed through the night sky. In the distance, another bright light glimmered in the night sky, Earth.
“What do you think is going on up there?” Anita asked John, looking upwards into the night sky.
John looked to the stars, the lines of his face taking a serious turn.
“I wish I knew,” John replied. “I only hope that the fires on the home front are still burning bright.”
“Me too,” Anita agreed.
John wondered what he would see if he could peer through the darkness to his former home. A chilling breeze caught them both as it sailed upon air currents into the sky. Flying higher and higher it rose until its chill was replaced by the darkness of space. Through the vastness it travelled until reaching a sister planet named Earth. A different chill circled this planet. Ships of cold steel, crafted not from hope but from greed, were fashioned in space. They would soon set sail loaded with plans for the landscape of Mars. Gentleman farming was not one of them.