Her Brother's Keeper - eARC Page 11

  Chapter 10

  New Austin

  Lone Star System

  Aterrizaje, Capital District

  Southern Hemisphere

  The Capital District Fairgrounds were a bustle of activity. The Aterrizaje Stampede was a huge annual event, with dozens of high profile corporate sponsors and local media coverage. The rodeo featured numerous events and was a major tourist attraction for off-worlders.

  Annie and Sparkles were enrolled in the junior division barrel racing competition. Sparkles wasn’t a great jumper, and Annie was never able to rope worth a damn, but the two together were hell on hooves when going around the barrels. Annie hadn’t participated in the rodeo in several years, and this was the first time she was old enough for the junior division. As she coaxed Sparkles out of the back of her travel trailer, lead rope in hand, she watched hundreds of other rodeo participants doing the same thing. The huge, temporary stables set up around the fairgrounds were big enough to house hundreds of horses, and the animals called and whinnied to each other. Some of the other entrants were ranchers from the Outback, like Annie. Many were obvious hobbyists, for whom horses were a passing fad, not a passion. She had been practicing all year and was eager to show these strutting city slickers what a real cowgirl could do.

  Annie paused when a clunky looking utility robot rolled to a stop in front of her. Sparkles balked a little as it spoke. “Good afternoon, sir or madam. What is your name? I can help you find your…stall.” Dozens such bots were moving about at the fairgrounds, trying to make sure everything got to where it was supposed to go.

  “Um, Annabelle Winchester,” Annie said, looking the robot up and down. It had a mostly conical body topped with a trapezoidal head on a skinny neck. A pair of thin, articulated arms, terminating in wide, padded claws, hung from its sides. It rolled across the dirt floor of the stables gyroscopically balanced on a single large wheel.

  “I’m sorry,” the robot said in a tinny, gender-neutral voice. “I cannot find any registration for Umanna Bell Finch-Esther. Are you in the right place?”

  “Hellfire, yes, I’m in the right place!” Annie snapped. “My name is Ann-a-belle Win-ches-ter,” she said, pronouncing each syllable angrily.

  Sparkles stamped uneasily. The robot swiveled its head toward Sparkles. A green light mounted above its binocular lenses blinked. It then raised an arm, causing the horse to balk, and sprayed a puff of vapor at her.

  “What the…what the Sam Hell did you just spray my horse with, you stupid garbage can?” Annie demanded. Sparkles sniffed and shook her head.

  “Equi-Calm,” the robot said. “Equi-Calm is an all-natural combination of pheromones and soothing aromas specially formulated to calm anxious horses.”

  “Oh my God, I don’t care, I just…”

  The robot ignored her interruption. “Equi-Calm is safe and has been shown to be over ninety-six percent effective in clinical trials,” it said. “Equi-Calm is generously provided by one of our sponsors…”

  “I don’t care!” Annie yelled, throwing her hands up at the robot.

  The machine was undeterred, and continued its advertising spiel. “…quitoral Veterinary Pharmaceutical. Free samples of Equi-Calm are available to all Aterrizaje Stampede participants and staff members.”

  “Say Equi-Calm one more time, you stupid scratching machine!” Annie snarled, pointing a finger at the robot. “Say it! I dare you!”

  “Ann-a-belle Win-ches-ter,” it said phonetically, “welcome to the Aterrizaje Stampede. Your horse…Sparkles…is berthed in stall zero-six-seven.” A skeletal, claw-tipped arm extended and pointed to where Annie needed to go. “That way. Thank you, and have a lovely day.” The robot indifferently rolled away, no doubt to harangue the next person about Equi-Calm.

  Annie shook her head angrily and led her horse off to her assigned stall. “Sparkles, this is how the robot war starts.” She found Stall 067 clean, stocked with hay and water, and ready to go. She led Sparkles inside and unhooked her lead rope. “There you go,” she said, resting her head against the horse’s. “This is pretty nice, hey?” Sparkles grunted and pulled away before lowering her head into the hay trough.

  Annie was startled when a trio of girls appeared at her stall door. One of them, taller than the other two, and pretty in that wears-too-much-makeup way, leaned in. “Hey, kid. This your first time at the Stampede?”

  Annie wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t like this girl. She gave off a bad vibe. “It is,” she said. “Who the hell are you?”

  The two girls to the rear glared at her, but didn’t say anything. The taller one, with curly blonde hair hanging from under her hat, chuckled. “Relax, newbie, no need to get bitchy, yeah? You’re a barrel racer, aren’t you? So am I. I’m Victoria Alexander. Before you ask, yes, I’m one of those Alexanders. It’s not a big deal, so don’t get all sloppy over it.”

  Annie looked at the girl quizzically. “What Alexanders? I don’t know any Alexanders.”

  “Wow,” she said, turning to her friends. Victoria’s pair of flunkies giggled and shook their heads. “You from off-world or something? The only Alexanders on New Austin that matter. My family owns this stupid fairground.”

  “That’s great,” Annie said, turning her attention back to her horse. “Now go away.”

  Victoria was obviously unaccustomed to being dismissed. “What did you say to me?”

  “What, are you deaf and bitchy? I said go away. You’re bothering Sparkles.”

  Victoria and her friends erupted into a cackle of forced laughter. “Sparkles? You’re definitely not from around here. You’re one of those off-worlders that comes to New Austin and lowers our property values, aren’t you?”

  “Huh?”

  “That’s what I thought. You’re one of those desert rats what lives in a shack in the outback. Don’t deny it, I can tell from your shabby clothes. Every year you people come into the city with your skaggy mutant farm animals, thinking you’re going to win a pretty blue ribbon to show everyone back home around the watering trough.” Victoria cocked her head to one side and leaned in closer. “And every year, I hand you cockies your asses and you go home with nothing.”

  “No she didn’t!” one of other girls said.

  “She did! She burned that little bird, didn’t she?”

  Someone else spoke up, a young man. “And every year, Victoria, you end up sneaking to the free clinic so your papa doesn’t find out you got pregnant, a sexual disease, or both. I heard last year it was both.” He was tall, handsome, possessed of dark hair and strong Latin features. He was young, about Annie’s age, and he looked familiar.

  “Fuck you, you jumped-up, rock-hopping dirt farmer!” Victoria sneered. “You think being the white knight is going to get you a piece of that?” she said, pointing at Annie. “You get used to that, because you ain’t gonna get any of this.” She pointed at herself.

  “I’m also not going to get any chlamydia, I think,” he said. “You should go, or I’ll tell my father to tell your father about that baby you almost had last year.”

  Victoria’s eyes went wide, but she didn’t say anything. She turned on her heel and stomped off in a huff. The young man then turned his attention to Annie. “Hello, Annie,” he said. “It’s been a long time.”

  It hit her then. “Carlos? Carlos Martinez?” she asked, and immediately felt her face flush. “Is that you? Holy hell, it’s been a long time.”

  Giving Annie a perfect smile, Carlos stepped forward and leaned on the stall door. “Four years, chica. How have you been?”

  Annie knew Carlos from their distance learning program, and had met him in person a couple of times. He’d started going to a private school a few years back, after his parents moved to the city. She’d stayed in touch with him online, if only barely. “Yeah!” she said, heart racing. “Um, wow! Look at you! You’re, uh, taller.” And gorgeous. He certainly wasn’t the awkward, lanky preteen she remembered. “I didn’t know you, you know, did horses. I mean rode horses. I didn’t
know you rode. Horses.”

  Carlos nodded. “My papa let me try it once he thought I was old enough. What events are you here for?”

  “Barrel racing,” Annie said proudly. “I don’t mean to brag, but Sparkles and me are gonna mop the deck with that skaggy whore.”

  “I’m sorry about Victoria. I wish I could tell you she’s not always like that, but she is.”

  “How do you know her? She your ex-girlfriend or something?” Please say no.

  Carlos laughed. “Good God, no. The Alexanders are old money. They go back to the founding of the colony. They don’t like to mingle with people like us.”

  “I could tell. So how do you know her?”

  “I go to school with her.”

  “Wow, your parents must be doing alright for themselves. You used to live in…where was it?”

  “North Sierra Territory,” Carlos answered. “Up in the mountains. We do okay, but I got a scholarship to go to her school. I don’t think my parents could afford it otherwise. Victoria goes because that’s where her parents both went. It’s where all the rich kids go. I kind of hate it.”

  “So what’s her deal? It’s my first day here, I’ve never met her before, and she comes up out of the blue acting like the queen of the shrews. What the hell did I ever do to her?”

  “She does this. She likes to go around, name-dropping, trying to intimidate her competition. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of her family, though. Her older sister hosts that entertainment gossip netcast.”

  Annie shrugged. “I guess. Is she good?”

  “She is. She did come in first place last year, even with chlamydia. Don’t let her get to you, and never mind her anyway. How have you been? I don’t hear from you much these days. Do you still live in Laredo Territory?”

  He remembered? Annie nodded. “Yeah, we do. It’s so boring. There’s nobody around for kilometers. Our nearest neighbors are seriously ten klicks down the road. My dad says that’s why he picked the place, but I think it’s because he doesn’t want me to have a life. Just getting here was like a thirteen-hour truck ride. What event are you here for?”

  “Calf roping!” Carlos said. “It’s my second year. Last year I did not do so good, I think. But this year? I’ve been practicing. In the simulator, on the maintenance bots, and on a real calf!”

  “I’m glad somebody I know knows his way around,” Annie said, looking across the huge stable building. “I haven’t been to the city in like two years, and apparently I’ve already made an enemy of the local rich-bitch socialite.”

  “No worries, chica,” Carlos said, flashing her a smile so perfect she wanted to punch him in his stupid, beautiful face. “Forget her. I’ll show you around. She’s probably off doing drugs and getting pregnant again.”

  Annie laughed out loud, awkwardly, before realizing how loud she was being and wanting to die of embarrassment. “Okay,” she squeaked.

  * * *

  The western sky was on fire, a tapestry of red, orange, and gold as Lone Star crept above the mountains. It was as glorious a sunrise as Marcus had seen in a long time, fitting for his last morning at home.

  It had taken a couple of days to arrange a leave of absence from the Marshals Service, but everything had fallen into place. His contract with Captain Blackwood was electronically signed and notarized, and the half of his pay to be delivered up front was deposited into his account the very next morning. Marcus packed light, out of habit and because of the cramped conditions of space travel. He had only one bag with him as he stood in the dry morning air.

  Ellie was still asleep. He’d crept out of bed, gotten dressed, and stepped outside without waking her. He’d already said his goodbyes and made passionate love to his wife. There was nothing left to say, and nothing to be gained from dragging it out. He’d shipped Annie off to Aterrizaje two days prior, renting her passage on an automated truck that could pull his single-horse trailer. In any case he was going to be on New Austin for another twelve days, and he could message his family whenever he wanted. He intended to visit his daughter in the city before he left, and the captain had agreed to let her tour the ship if there was time.

  His handheld would no longer be able to connect to New Austin’s colonial network once the Andromeda lifted off, but with the ship’s communications systems, he’d be able to send messages until they translated out of the system. After that, though, he’d have no way of calling home. That bothered Marcus. There was a chance something could happen to the ship, that he could just disappear in the unforgiving darkness of space, and his family may never know what happened to him. It was, in a lot of ways, like being a sailor on ancient Earth, before the invention of the radio or telegraph. For centuries, mankind had been spoiled by ubiquitous, instant communication capability. With the right equipment, it was possible to never be out of touch.

  After the development of interstellar travel, that changed. A ship in an empty system was truly on its own. Spacers learned the sense of loneliness that terrestrial mariners once knew. Even some fifteen hundred standard years into the era commonly known as the Space Age, this aspect of it was unchanging and inevitable. Marcus never cared much for the feeling; he’d opted for the Espatiers over the Fleet, many years before, for that very reason. At least on a planet, there was ground beneath your feet, (usually) air to breathe, and a sun shining overhead. Even if people were shooting at you, it was preferable to spending your life sealed in a metal can sitting on top of a fusion-powered rocket.

  Marcus had not been idle since signing his contract. He’d been in constant contact with his new skipper, and had taken the lead on recruiting, vetting, and interviewing potential candidates for his ground team. As he said he would, Wade had jumped on board. It would be good to have someone he knew and trusted with him, and Wade did have a potentially useful skill set.

  Mazer Broadbent’s assumption about New Austin had proven correct; there were many qualified candidates to choose from, all with relevant experience. With input from the Andromeda’s crew and after a few teleconference interviews, Marcus was able to select five more team members. With Wade and him, that made seven. The candidates chosen, like Wade, had experience and skills that Marcus thought might come in handy, given the mission at hand. More importantly, they were crazy enough to want to go, but not so crazy as to put the operation at risk.

  He had interviewed them all, but had not actually met any of them in person yet. There was little time to waste. Using the budget Captain Blackwood had allocated for him, he had arranged for his team to take a tactics and combat shooting course at a private training center outside of Aterrizaje. He’d booked eight straight days of training, with the best instructors on New Austin. It would get his team used to working together, refresh their skills, and let them test the equipment they’d be using.

  Of course, he had to go inspect and pick up that equipment first. There was a lot to do, and not much time. Marcus tended to stress when there wasn’t enough time to do things correctly, but there was no way around it. The long passage to Zanzibar couldn’t be delayed. In any case, he figured, a little stress would do his new team some good.

  A shrill whine announced the approach of an aircraft. It was louder than the air car Captain Blackwood had arrived in before. He caught sight of the vehicle as it approached from the north, slowing and descending as it neared his home. The bulbous craft sported two large ducted-fan engines and a V-tail. In place of a cockpit was a cluster of sensors and antennae; this bird was unmanned. The scream of its engines climaxed, then dissipated, as it settled down on his drive and throttled back its engines to idle. Like all vertical take-off aircraft, it kicked up a huge cloud of dust and made enough noise to wake the dead. Shaking his head, Marcus hoisted his bag and approached the vehicle as its engines spun down to idle.

  As he drew close, a sliding door on the side of the craft opened. Wade was inside, strapped into a crash seat. Not entirely unmanned. “Hey boss!” he said, grinning. “Sorry about the noise.” He extended a han
d and took Marcus’ bag.

  Marcus climbed into the cabin, and buckled himself into a seat across from Wade. As the door closed, he noticed Ellie standing in front of his house. A warning alarm sounded as the VTOL prepared to lift off. Marcus waved to his wife as the self-piloting vehicle rose into the air. He watched his house for as long as he could as the VTOL sped away.

  “We’re really doing this, huh?” Wade asked.

  “Yup,” Marcus said.

  “Are we crazy?” his partner asked.

  “Yup. Money’s good though.”

  “What’d you do with your half up front?”

  “Paid a bunch of bills, got Ellie some mining equipment. You?”

  “Not a damn thing, Boss. I just rented a storage unit and put all my stuff in it. I turned my keys over to my landlord this morning. When we get back, I think I’ll make a down payment on a nice house. Nothing too big, you know. It’s just me.”

  “Hellfire, Wade, you almost sound like you’re planning to settle down. What’s the matter, your sexbot getting tired of apartment living? Did the little missus insist you buy her a house?”

  Wade’s face flushed. “You know…” he trailed off before shaking his head and laughing. “I swear to God, I won it at a raffle at a New Year’s party. I don’t use it.”

  “Uh-huh,” Marcus said. “Horseshit.”

  “Why does nobody believe me?”

  “For one thing,” Marcus said, “who would invite you to a party? Now keep your perversions to yourself. I need to call my daughter.”

  “Already? You’ve been gone for five minutes.”

  “No, you damn hooplehead, she’s in Aterrizaje. She’s at the rodeo there. Shut your yapper a minute.” Marcus raised his handheld and placed a call to his daughter.

  “Daddy?” Annie asked. Her reddish-brown hair stuck to the side of her face, and her eyes were only half open.

  “Rise and shine, pumpkin,” Marcus said.