Judge Cairns winced and was glad no one else was around to see him make such a subordinate gesture. “I know what it costs. I can pay the bill.”
“The cost is only part of it, goddamnit. You know the resources beyond money I’ll waste solving your little problem?”
“I swear, Chancellor, this will be the last favor I ask of you.”
She leaned back in her chair, weaving her fingers together on her stomach. “Very well, Judge. I’ll arrange for Madison and his men to be diverted to Hangman’s Drop.” She leaned forward. “Understand this. I won’t clean up after you again. Madison won’t just go there to deal with your problem, either. He will file a report to me about the situation there and your control of our assets. If I find you lacking, I’ll tie the noose around your neck myself.”
Cairns’ hands felt cold and stiff. He knew she wasn’t bluffing. “Very well, Chancellor, thank you…”
The screen went black as she hung up on him.
Chapter 17
Margie came to Hangman’s Drop to start a new life. With her good looks and fine breeding, she thought she would marry a wealthy businessman and live the rest of her days surrounded by garan servants and drinking the finest imported wines. Instead, she became a prostitute. Despite her assets, men only used her and wouldn’t commit to marriage. But she knew things could be different. Would be different with her high roller.
She lay on her bed in Jackrabbit’s Hole, sweaty from lovemaking. Her poor man had taken a beating and came to her for a little comfort. He came to her often, but this time was different. This time he was hurt, and he chose her for refuge. She rolled on her side and stroked his face as he slept. His eye was swollen shut, and his face was badly blackened. He was all hers, or would be.
Charles Moon groaned, eyes flickering open. He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
“Leaving me so soon, honey?” pouted Margie.
Moon didn’t reply. He picked his clothes up off the floor and dressed. Margie got up and poured him a shot of whiskey from the side cupboard. Moon crossed the room and took it from her, downing it and throwing the shot glass on the floor, broken glass scattering.
“Oh darling,” said Margie, “you are in such a state.” She reached up to stroke his face, but he grabbed her wrist hard, squeezing. Margie yelped from the pain.
“I don’t need your sympathy,” said Moon, releasing her.
Margie rubbed her wrist. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I just don’t think sometimes.”
“I don’t come here for you to think, anyway,” said Moon. He grabbed his gun belt from the top of the dresser, putting it on and then drawing his blaster pistol to check the chambers.
“When can I expect you back?” asked Margie, her gut tightening at the thought of not seeing her man for days, maybe even a week. She just never knew.
He ignored the question. “The Marshal is one of your regulars, isn’t that right?”
She thought he sounded accusatory. A knot formed in her stomach. She wouldn’t lie to him, and he’d know anyway if she did. “Yeah, I see Merritt occasionally,” she tried to downplay it. The truth was, he dropped by a couple of times a week.
“I want you to report to me anything he confides in you. I want to know how many times a day he takes a shit. Anything you can find out.”
“Oh baby,” she walked up to him, “is he the one who did this to you?” A shot of pain went through her foot as a piece of the broken shot glass lodged in her heel. She screamed. The pain was like electricity, and blood flowed on the floor.
Moon grabbed her by the hair. “Mind your own fucking business.” He let her go roughly, and she fell to the floor. More shards of glass cut into her leg.
He walked out, not bothering to shut the door.
Margie was crying quietly, reaching for the sheets on the bed to staunch the flow of blood. Despite the pain, her limbs were tingly with anxiousness. She said the wrong thing again. She’d have to make it up to him next time. He would love her, and she would give him all he wanted to know about Merritt. Her high roller would rescue her from this life, and she would eventually be able to call herself Margaret Moon.
Chapter 18
“It’s a shame we couldn’t lock that sonofabitch Charles Moon up and throw away the key,” said Sam.
“That bastard will get into more trouble, and when he does, with or without the Judge’s permission, we’ll put an end to him,” said Merritt.
This whole affair didn’t sit right with Merritt. The Beckers weren’t perfect, but they certainly weren’t the worst of the lot in Hangman’s Drop. They had dealings with the Orlin James Gang, but then again most people around these parts needed some kind of side action to make a living. Merritt couldn’t necessarily fault them for that. But Charles Moon was a calculated killer. He murdered the Beckers to steal their land. Their water source was one of the most valuable assets in the area outside of mining operations. The whole scheme wouldn’t have been possible without Judge Cairns’ involvement, and it was surprising to Merritt that this was the first time he had come into conflict with the Judge’s interests. Cairns’ fat fingers were in many pies.
“Charles Moon has committed many atrocities. The Becker’s are just a small one,” said Kerin.
That much was true, thought Merritt. Charles Moon had probably been responsible for hundreds of garan deaths in order to steal land and cattle from them. But most of the humans around Hangman’s Drop thought of Moon as a gallant pioneer for those efforts, not a murderer.
Charles Moon and Judge Cairns were enemies not to be taken lightly. They’d have to watch their backs, look over their shoulders, and take nothing for granted.
Then there was Terrence Shaw. For so long, Merritt had wanted to get revenge for losing Susan to him. But Merritt was starting to see that Shaw wasn’t the real problem. The only problems were between him and Susan. Shaw had nothing to do with it, and to Merritt’s surprise, he was starting to like Shaw.
As Merritt was ruminating on the events of the last few days, the entire building shook. A loud explosion popped his ears. Sam fell out of his chair from the surprise of it, and Kerin leapt to her feet, kicking her chair across the room. Merritt was stunned for a moment but shook himself out of it and stood, running to the door. He ran out into the street, and people were scampering every which way. In the distance he saw a plume of smoke and flames rising high into the sky.
“I know where that is,” said Kerin.
Sam ran up, throwing his cigar in the dirt. “I’ll be damned. That’s out where they’re building a new factory, ain’t it?” said Sam.
Merritt knew it was. He didn’t know much about the factory except that its purpose was kept quiet. Not that unusual, since corporations sometimes built facilities in the middle of nowhere for security and privacy. Only whispers and rumors circulated. Rumor had it that it would be operational in a few weeks. Not anymore.
“Sam, wrangle up the Doc. People might be hurt out there,” said Merritt. “Kerin, get the horses. We better investigate.” Merritt sighed. He’d wanted to take a long nap, but there’d be no rest in Hangman’s Drop.
Thank you for reading Episode 1! Tune in for Episode 2, Plastic Dove!
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review.
Author Notes
Thank you for reading Episode 1 in the Hangman’s Drop Space Western series. Join me as we explore the further adventures of Marshal Merritt and his deputies. If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review. Reviews are the best way to tell me what you think about the story and that you want me to keep writing in this series!
I have to give a shout out to authors Scott Moon and Craig Martelle. I was recently trying to decide what kind of project to tackle as I get back into writing, and their Darklanding space western series got me excited to write in the same genre. I highly recommend that you check out Darklanding if you’re hungry for more books.
I was very fond of the Firefly television series and was disappointed when i
t was canceled. I think that the space western genre is one that has never been fully developed, and there is so much more ground to tread. I’m also a fan of the more recent Westworld series, which I think is a great example of how this genre can tackle so many different issues and tell great stories.
Thank you for joining me on this journey! I hope that you stick with me as the series continues, and Hangman’s Drop continues to develop.
If you are interested in freebies, such as deleted scenes, and want to keep up-to-date on what I’m doing, please consider joining my mailing list.
You can find me at djproctorwrites.com.
Cast and Terms
Main Cast
Marshal John Merritt: The primary law enforcement officer in and around Hangman’s Drop. He formerly served as a rebel soldier during the Colonial Uprising. He deals justice swiftly and harshly.
Deputy Marshal Fenris Samuel (Sam): An uplifted dog with a dark brown and black striped brindle pattern coat. He has a weakness for a good cigar.
Deputy Marshal Kerin: She is a native of Volta. Like all women of her race, she is very beautiful by human standards. She is stoic and a woman of few words.
Supporting Cast
Bill Bessie: A cowboy who wrangles wild cattle with his pals Ed, Bill, and George. (RIP, George!)
Judge Cairns: Judge Cairns holds the highest judicial rank on Volta. He is highly corrupt.
Fulton: He is a full-blooded garan and is Judge Cairns’ servant and sometimes bodyguard.
Margaret (Margie): A soiled dove who works at Jackrabbit’s Hole.
Orlin James: An outlaw and leader of the Orlin James Gang. He is half-garan, the son of a prostitute and a native. He has the apelike facial features of the male native.
Charles Moon: A wealthy rancher with big ambitions and a willingness to achieve them by any means.
Terence Shaw: A wealthy rancher who married Merritt’s ex-wife Susan. He has been a rival and enemy of Merritt for several years.
Chancellor Sena Waller: She is the Chancellor in charge of the sector encompassing Volta and some other frontier planets.
Locations
Hangman’s Drop: The principal town on Volta. It came about as a settlement associated with the Baak Corporation’s mining operation. Although it still depends on mining, it is a hub for settlers, independent miners, and people who work in other areas.
Tongue-Splitter: A saloon in Hangman’s Drop.
Volta: A hot, dry planet in the frontier. It is far removed from the Colonial Government and is a near lawless backwater. It is named after the rare mineral found there, which is in relative abundance compared to other locations.
Vulture’s Bluff: A bluff located on Terrence Shaw’s land and used as a hideout by the Orlin James Gang.
Terms
Blaster pistol (rifle): Blaster weapons have a six-cylinder chamber that rotates to a new cylinder when the trigger is pulled. Each cylinder takes a few fractions of a second to build a new charge, so having six cylinders allows the gun to fire multiple times without delay.
Cur: A derogatory term meaning a mangy, worthless, cowardly dog. It is particularly insulting to uplifted dogs.
Garan: The native race of Volta. They are very humanlike and genetically compatible with humans. The males are sexually dimorphic from the females. They are larger and stronger, and have faces that somewhat resemble a gorilla. The females, on the other hand, are stronger than human females on average but do not have apelike features. They are generally beautiful by human standards. They were not technologically advanced when humans arrived, and have been subjugated and somewhat integrated into human society. Wild garans still exist on the hot dry plains of Volta.
Raptoid: A bird-like alien humanoid race.
Soiled dove: A prostitute.
Slug gun: A slug gun is an old-style weapon that fires rounds of lead propelled by ignited gunpowder. It is still a reliable, cheap weapon, despite the superiority of blaster weapons.
Upstairs lady: A prostitute.
Uplift (uplifted): A term used in reference to an animal that has been genetically engineered to be intelligent and often more humanlike.
Voltinium: The primary exotic mineral mined on Volta. It is very valuable, with unique energy storage and conduction characteristics that make it essential to spaceship and weapon construction.
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