by R. L. Wolf
Jon Black stepped up to Colt and lifted his hand. Colt flinched, remembering the last time Jon Black had mentioned a burden and touched his shoulder. Jon Black lightly laid his hand on the boy's shoulder, and Colt felt as if he had just laid a single stone on his shoulder.
"Okay, that's not so bad," said Colt. "I can handle it if you only give it to me a little at a time like that. What do I do?"
Jon Black sat down at the picnic table and laid out his plan for Colt.
Colt returned to the cabin and found Garth in the main room stacking the crates against one wall, and Wes fiddling with a school project he had been working on for weeks.
"Where's Toran and Jack?” asked Colt.
"Studying in Jack’s Nest," answered Garth.
"Toran?" shouted Colt.
"Yeah, Chief," called Toran, looking over the edge of Jack’s nest.
"How’d you get up there?” asked Colt
“It wasn’t easy,” said Toran.
“Never mind. When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow night," shouted Toran.
"Okay, I have some things to take care of," said Colt, heading to the door. He needed to go to the library to do some regular schoolwork.
Colt put the affair out of his mind and concentrated on his studies until the next afternoon during a break in classes, and quietly slipped away into the woods. Nobody would notice he was gone until it was too late. Colt made his way back to the cabin and found the Dart ship hidden in the brush behind the cabin. The Dart ship was a rust bucket, to say the least. Colt wondered where Jack had dug this wreck up. He lifted the canopy back and crawled inside. He had a Class 5 farm license, but he had only flown short distances dusting crops. This Dart wasn’t a farming Dart. The controls were laid out differently. He was having a hard time figuring out how to start it.
"Going somewhere?"
Colt looked up from the controls. Duke was standing at the nose of the Dart ship. Colt hadn't expected to be caught. The mission was over. He crawled out of the cockpit and jumped to the ground. Duke stepped passed Colt and climbed into the cockpit. He looked back down at the confused Colt.
"I have a Class 3 license, get in back," said Duke."
Colt ran around to the back of the ship. Cora, Rex, and Brock were waiting next to the ramp.
"What's going on?” asked Colt.
"You think you're so special, don't you? Do you think Jon Black only talks to you?” asked Brock.
“Hey, I thought we had a truce,” said Colt, holding his hands up.
Brock sighed and nodded. “You’re right, you just make it so easy to dislike you. Anyway, we know the plan, and we’re going too. We didn't like the way the Deputies and Merits did Jack any more than you do. It was wrong, and our traditions need to be changed."
"The Merits could get in trouble for this if they came," said Cora. "We have a better chance of not ending up in jail, especially if you do it exactly like Jon Black told you."
"Jon Black’s probably the only thing that’s kept you out of jail for all the dumb stuff you do," said Brock, unable to resist another jab.
Colt didn't want to get into a fight with Brock and shrugged off the snide remarks. The five Gunslingers climbed the ramp and sat on the floor of the gutted out Dart ship. There wasn't much to hang on to, and the group braced themselves the best they could.
"Thanks, everybody," said Colt.
"I'm not doing this for you," said Brock. "I'm doing it for Jack, it's just too bad he couldn't find a better team to be on, he's actually worth a damn."
Colt kept his anger in check. Brock wasn't going to let the feud go. Colt turned away. There was too much at risk to let Brock ruin things.
Duke kept the ship low to the ground and sped along the two-hundred-mile route to the prison camp. Colt was trying to find a comfortable spot to sit when the Dart suddenly dropped. Duke pushed the thruster all the way open, but the Dart wouldn't respond, and a moment later, the ship skidded to a halt on the ground.
"Something's wrong," said Duke. "We lost fuel pressure."
"Drop the ramp," said Rex. "Let's have a look at the engines."
"Does anyone smell fuel?” asked Cora.
Duke dropped the ramp, and everyone got out to try to find the problem. Colt had some experience working on the old Dart back home they used on the farm. He opened an access panel to the fuel lines."
"I don't see anything," said Colt.
"It's over here," called Brock. "The fuel line came loose at the engine coupling."
"This thing flies like a brick with wings," said Duke. "Where did Jack say he found this piece of junk?"
"He didn't," said Colt, inspecting the leak. "I think we can reattach the fuel line, the coupling is worn out, but still fits."
"Hey, listen," said Cora. "Do you hear that?"
"It's another Dart, they're looking for us," said Brock.
A moment later a Gunslinger Dart screamed past the canyon.
"That was low," said Rex.
"I don't think they saw us," said Duke. "They were going too fast."
"That's our ticket," said Colt. "I have an idea, let's get this line fixed quickly."
Rex and Colt reattached the fuel line, and everyone re-boarded the Dart ship.
Colt knelt on the floor behind Duke. "Keep the ramp down, and fly low and slow," said Colt. "Hey everyone, hang on and don't fall out, but keep an eye behind us for that Gunslinger Dart."
Duke lifted off and flew along at an impossibly slow pace. It would take hours to get to the Prison Camp at this speed. Cora and Rex were wrapped around the ramp cables and hanging outside watching the horizon.
"I see it," yelled Cora. "He's circling around about ten miles to the east, heading this way fast."
"Quick, land between those rocks," said Colt, pointing out the open canopy.
Duke landed, and the Gunslinger Dart screamed past again without seeing the group of student Gunslingers on the ground.
"See what he’s doing wrong?” asked Colt. "He’s setting up a net to catch us in the air, but he doesn’t realize we're already here. Let’s keep doing this."
Duke hopped the Dart from hiding spot to hiding spot, leaving the Gunslinger Dart further and further behind.
"I can't see them anymore," yelled Rex.
"Let's make a run for it," said Colt. "Rex, Cora, get inside, we're closing the ramp."
Duke closed the ramp and pushed the thrusters forward. Colt hung on the best he could. The Dart ship rattled at the seams as they accelerated. He wondered if the ship would just disintegrate at some point.
"Right there, I see the camp border," said Colt. "Put it down as close to the trees as you can."
Duke landed, and the group piled out of the Dart ship. Colt took point and the others spread out around him.
"Let's do this quick," said Colt. "We need to be out before someone can call for backup."
Colt took off at a jog, watching for armed deputies. Normally he would have gone in slow, sending a scout ahead, but shock was also a tactic and he wanted to hit them before they knew what happened.
The first building they passed was what should have been the hospital cabin. Several older deputies were outside sitting in the sun. The deputies saw the team of young Gunslingers and raised their hands away from their weapons. They didn't want anything to do with whatever was happening.
Colt saw the firing range off to the left, it didn't look much like a range, there were makeshift shelters built against the dirt mounts, and young Merits were peeking through the fence at them. The young Merits watched for a moment, and then took off in the opposite direction for the woods.
The Dining Cabin was next. A group of deputies, maybe in their twenties, was outside leaning against the wall next to the door. Colt drew both his revolvers and kept walking. The rest of his 'team' drew their guns and advanced with Colt. The deputies held their hands in the air, but one brave deputy stepped forward.
"What the hell is going on?" shouted the Deputy.
Colt
didn't stop walking.
"Run now or die," replied Colt.
The deputies standing behind their brave leader looked at the advancing Gunslingers and decided they wanted to be somewhere else. They turned and ran towards the woods. The brave deputy looked over his shoulder and realized he was alone. He quickly decided to leave the Gunslingers to whatever their business was. He took off at a dead run, making it to the woods before his gang.
Colt pushed the door open and walked inside. The dining cabin was full of young Merits. This one cabin was the only cabin that was considered safe. Jack had told Colt that the Cook kept tight control of his dining cabin and didn't tolerate any nonsense. Merits, young and old, would often just camp out in here, some rarely leaving.
The cook saw Colt, stood up, and walked around the serving tables. "I don't care who you are, this is my cabin, and I won't allow a gunfight in here." The cook's hand hovered over his gun.
Colt holstered his guns. "I'm looking for a Daraian boy by the name of Tyler. Point him out and we won't cause you any problems."
"If you mean him any harm, you'll be going through me, enough harm been done that boy already," said the cook.
Colt realized this deputy still cared about right and wrong. "My name is Colton Cyness, and you have my word he won’t be harmed."
"Tyler, come on up here," said the cook.
A small Daraian boy that had been hiding under a table stood up and went to stand next to the cook. The boy limped, and his face was covered in bruises, one eye was swollen shut. Colt's eyes went dark, and his hand went to his gun.
"Wasn't me that done this to him. I can't protect them when they leave my dining cabin. He went to get his blankets at the stables so he could sleep here. The Camp Deputy got hold of him. They were making him pay for Jack making it out. They gonna kill him if he leaves this building again."
Colt took his hand off his gun and walked up to the small Daraian. "Jack made it, he's on my team, and he told me all about you."
"Jack made it?” repeated Tyler.
"Yes, he's doing well," said Colt. "I have an offer for you, Tyler. Even if you make the last six months of your sentence here, you might be too weak to make the Walk, or there might not even be a team with a vacancy for months or even years."
"I'm leaving even if I die in the desert," said Tyler. "I don't care about being a Merit anymore. I just don't want to die here."
"I can't let you go home, or release you from the Order," said Colt. "When you joined the Order, it was for life, and I don't have a Gunslinger team to put you on."
"If you have an offer, make it, you being here gonna bring trouble soon," said the cook.
"What I can do is pardon you now and put you on a special mission, you'll have a team, just not a Gunslinger team," said Colt.
Tyler looked up at the cook.
"I think you should go with him, go now, get out of here."
Tyler threw his arms around the Cook and hugged him, then limped up to stand in front of Colt.
Colt knew there were security cameras in here somewhere, and the Gunslinger Council was probably already watching. Colt laid his hand on the boy's head.
"I, Lord Cyness, ruling House Lord of Cyness Minor, do grant you a full pardon, and political asylum within the territory of House Cyness." Colt looked at Duke. "He can barely walk, put him on your back and carry him. Take Rex and Brock and head back to the ship. Cora, you're with me, move out."
Colt left the Dining Cabin and headed towards the Camp Deputy's Cabin.
"You know that pardon probably isn't legal," said Cora. "It takes three Princes to grant a pardon."
"That's why I also gave him political asylum," replied Colt. "I do own the planet, and that is within my authority."
"You'd have a hard time arguing that in court," said Cora.
Colt leaped up the steps to the cabin, drew his gun, and opened the door. The Camp Deputy was standing in the middle of the room facing the door with his hands in the air. Colt walked into the room and looked around. The room was nothing like the Marshal's Office. The furniture looked to be a collection of pieces stolen from various cabins around the camp.
Colt holstered his gun and waited. The Deputy kept his hands in the air and didn't say a word. Colt shook his head. The Deputy wasn't going to draw.
"Coward," said Colt. “You deserve to be here.”
Colt walked past the Deputy to the bookshelf. The books were covered with cobwebs and didn't look like they had been touched in centuries. Colt grabbed a book off the shelf and carefully put it in his pocket. The Deputy still hadn't moved. Colt walked past him and stopped at the door with his back to the Deputy.
"My back is to you," said Colt. "You might make the draw."
The Deputy still didn't move. Colt stepped through the door and slammed it behind him.
"We came for a book?” asked Cora.
"I thought you knew Jon Black’s plan?”
“I guess he didn’t tell us everything.”
Colt and Cora were half-way across the roll-call field when he felt the round hit him in the side. The gunshot echoed through the camp. Colt spun around, drew his gun and fired. The Camp Deputy fell back through the door of his cabin.
"Good thing you were wearing your flex-armor," said Cora.
"It was an armor-piercing round," said Colt, opening his coat. A bloodstain was growing on his shirt.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Deception
Cora drew her revolver and fired. The deputies that had mistakenly thought she might be helpless with Colt injured scattered and fled back into the woods. She put Colt’s arm around her shoulder and helped him limp along the path. A second shot rang out, and not from Cora’s revolver. She turned her head. The cook had come out of his dining cabin and had fired at a gang of deputies coming from behind the hospital. The second gang turned and ran. Firearms were never taken away from the inmates, but replacement ammunition was scarce, and many of the gangs had wasted their supply on foolish wars with other gangs.
Rex and Brock ran back up the hill at the sound of the gunfire.
"What happened?” asked Rex, scanning the woods for an ambush.
"He was shot," said Cora.
"Again?” asked Brock. "Damn, everyone gets to shoot him except me, that's not fair."
"Shut up, Brock," said Cora. "Tell Duke we need to get to the hospital."
Brock ran back to the Dart ship. The engines were already warmed up and ready when Colt staggered up the ramp.
Tyler sat with his back against the pilot’s seat and watched with wide eyes. Duke turned around in the cockpit and looked back at Colt.
“What happened?” asked Duke.
“Colt was shot,” said Cora.
"Again?" asked Duke
Cora glared at Duke and helped Colt sit down.
"I don't think this Dart has much life left to it," said Rex. "The body is warped and the ramp won't shut all the way."
"It will have to do," said Colt, his breathing ragged. "Duke, we're not going back to camp, take us out to deep desert."
"I fear Rex is correct," said Duke. "This ship is going to die soon, and you need a hospital."
"Straight east," insisted Colt. "We'll be fine."
Duke turned around and pushed the thrusters forward to launch. The Dart lifted into the sky, and the rattling seemed to get worse. The engines had a sickly sound to them.
"Why aren't we heading back to camp?” asked Brock.
"We need to take Tyler somewhere safe," said Colt. "Unless you want our deputies getting hold of him."
"Hey, Duke," yelled Cora. "The ramp isn’t closed all the way and the fumes are getting bad."
Duke pulled the lever to lower the ramp and let it rest on its cables. The cables snapped, and the ramp ripped away from the ship and fell to the desert. Rex and Brock scrambled away from the opening to avoid falling out.
"We might have a problem if we try to go into orbit now," shouted Rex, over the roar of the wind.
; The group stared out through the hole where the ramp had been as the mountains got further away, soon the mountains would be too far to be seen. Cora nudged Rex and pointed, the engines were leaving a smoke trail behind them.
Colt struggled to stand and leaned into the cockpit beside Duke. He had to jump back when sparks came out of the control panel on his side.
"This thing is almost dead," said Duke. "I'm losing altitude."
"There!” shouted Colt. "See that white patch, head for it."
"That is a salt flat," said Duke. "If we are going to crash we can pick a softer spot."
"No, take us there," said Colt.
Duke banked towards the patch of salt and lost more altitude. The Dart reached the flats with only a couple hundred feet from the ground left. Duke was having a hard time controlling the ship with Colt trying to move around the cockpit to see out the canopy.
"I can't see," said Colt. "Jettison the canopy."
Duke pulled the canopy release. A few weak sparks sputtered around the seal, but nothing else happened. Colt pounded on the domed canopy until it flipped up, catching the wind and tearing away from the ship.
Cora watched the canopy tumbling away behind them.
"The wings are going to come off next," said Cora.
Colt stood on the edge of Duke's seat, half his body out of the Dart ship and looking around.
"Go right," yelled Colt, pointing. "Over there."
Duke turned to the right, and a loud bang came from one of the engines. Colt looked back at the engine. It was on fire.
"Do you see it," shouted Colt.
"Yes, how did you know it would be out here?” asked Duke.
"I didn't," said Colt. "I was guessing."
Duke pressed the button to lower the landing gear, but they didn't hear the familiar whine of the landing struts lowering.
"Get back inside," shouted Duke. "Everyone hold on, this is going to be a hard landing."
The ship angled down as Duke guided the sluggish ship towards the ground. Colt braced himself against the side of the cockpit. When the ship was twenty feet from the ground, Tyler jumped up and ran to where the ramp wall had been, and leaped outside. He twisted in the air and spread his arms and legs out, using the wind to break his speed. Tyler hit the ground and rolled gracefully to his feet