An excerpt from the Encyclopedia Galactica, 2345 Edition, continued: .... while gunfighters themselves were a very different breed. Much like the criminals they chose to hunt they were outcasts, people who's natures put them in conflict with mainstream society. Coming from all walks of life they brought a variety of skills to the job, but all had one thing in common: they were ruthless and efficient killers when needed. The sun shone through the windows of the little room in the dancehall, the air dry and stale. Both stood frozen, as still as the afternoon air, until finally the smallest of smiles appeared on that face. "The door?" Jan repeated, the black haired, boyish young woman calmly standing there without her shirt on, her small breasts firmly tied down by a bandage. "Sorry," Bonnie turned around to close it, the redhead visibly rattled by her discovery that her guest wasn't quite what he seemed. "I should have locked the door," Jan shrugged. She gave Bonnie a thoughtful look, "I hope I can rely on your discretion?" Bonnie thought of all the married men in town who relied on her discretion and smiled wryly. "Of course," she said, "I just wanted to ask if you wanted a bath?" "I had one on the ship earlier," Jan answered before asking, "would the offer still be open in a few days?" "That depends," Bonnie flashed a smile as she moved to open the door and step out into the hall, "on how good a guest you are." Jan laughed softly, "I'll try to be a good one then." Later that day, the bar down the street was quiet as Bonnie entered, Larry looking up with a welcoming smile when he saw her. "I hear you have a new guest up there," he smiled, the white tinged black hair falling into his eyes. Bonnie rolled her eyes, "It didn't take long for the word to spread, did it?" "In this town?" Larry chuckled. He finished cleaning off the bar even as he poured out her favorite drink, simulated brandy on the rocks. "Yes, the gunfighter is staying at the Place," Bonnie confirmed while she put the coins on the bar, "to be honest I could use the extra money." "I thought you were doing pretty well," Larry raised an eyebrow. "Can't stay in the business forever," Bonnie replied frankly, "and I'd better have a fair bit of seed money for whatever I may do next." "True," Larry admitted. He studied her for a moment then asked, "Aren't you worried about trouble if he stays there?" "To be honest, no," Bonnie took a drink, the ice cubes clinking against the glass. She saw his surprised look, "Think about it, who in their right mind would want to cause trouble at the Place knowing there's a gunfighter there?" Larry shook his head with a grin, "The place probably is safer than it's been in months." A impish look, "I'd think you'd be worried about having a handsome young man like that running around there around the ladies." "Actually. he had his dinner with all of us earlier tonight," Bonnie confided, "and he was a perfect gentleman." "Gay?" Larry asked predictably. "Didn't ask," Bonnie said crisply, "and I'm not sure if I want to know." "Fair enough," Larry nodded. "Do you think you'll get a lot of business once the cattle drives start coming in?" Bonnie nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line. Many of the homesteaders were married but that wouldn't stop the men coming into town from dancing with the girls and maybe going upstairs with them. It was a common thing, and she really didn't have any right to feel annoyed, it was what kept her in business after all. "I'm just glad I can quickly produce the synth-ales now," Larry agreed, "it's going to get crazy once the younger men hit town." He seemed to be searching for words, "Do you want anyone keeping an eye on you and your girls, just in case?" "After that rape last time," Bonnie's eyes flashed with sudden anger, "the Mayor and Sheriff have promised to take a hard line." "Here's hoping that's enough," Larry said dubiously. He brightened, "Maybe you should ask the gunfighter to help out?" "You can't be serious," Bonnie looked at him in surprise. Larry gazed back at her curiously and asked, "You said that having him there helps, so why not go a little farther?" "And if his solution to a rape is to shoot someone?" Bonnie challenged. "I doubt many of the townies would blame him," was Larry's calm answer. He looked thoughtful, "The ranchers might have some issues...." Bonnie smiled grimly, "Oh, yes." She finished the last of her drink them moved away, walking across the dusty wooden floor, "I'd better get back, make sure that the girls aren't getting into any more trouble than usual." "Watch yourself," Larry warned softly. "Always," she answered as Bonnie went out into the night. The wooden sidewalk lead up the street, the packed dirt road beyond quiet in the twilight of evening. The various shops were in the process of closing up, Rei giving her a dignified nod of the head as she passed outside the general store. Bonnie's Place was up the way, beyond the City Hall and Sheriff's office, and she was mildly surprised to see a figure standing in front of the building. Jan leaned up against the railing where waiting horses would be tethered, the tall, slim figure gazing out into the darkness. The black haired woman drew on a flavor stick, the end glowing red as the chemicals burned to generate the tastes the user desired. Dressed in long coat, jeans and the guns strapped to her thighs, she looked for all the world like a handsome young man. "Evening," Jan looked up, a new hat perched a bit awkwardly on her head. "A lovely one, yes," Bonnie agreed as she settled in beside her. Jan finished off the stick, a hint of vanilla lingering on her breath. "You should be careful," she said as she casually tossed the still burning end out onto the dirt road, "there's been reports of hexapuma that wander into town lately." "You've been doing your research," Bonnie looked over at Jan in surprise. "Always," was Jan's quiet answer. She smiled slightly, "Angel was getting a bit aggressive so I thought I'd get some fresh air." Bonnie winced. "I'll have a talk with her," she promised. She looked over at Jan's boyish garb curiously, "Why do you...?" Jan's lip's turned up in a little smile, "You know just how hard it can be for a woman on her own." As Bonnie nodded Jan continued on, "And I have to admit I'm taken a bit more seriously if I'm thought to be a man." "Would I be pushing," Bonnie looked over at Jan thoughtfully, "if I asked how you got into this in the first place?" Jan didn't answer for awhile, and Bonnie thought for a moment she had pushed the woman too far. "It's an old story," Jan's voice was quiet, "my parents were homesteaders, farmers out on some backworld nobody even cared about. They owned their land, planted and grew crops and raised two teenaged girls out in the backside of nowhere." The sound of hoofbeats stilled Jan a moment, the two of them waiting till the rider went by in silence. "Problem was, someone decided the land would be better used raising cattle," she said quietly, "and began to buy out the land all around us. They made Dad an offer, a generous one, but he wasn't interested in giving up on the farm he had worked so hard to build." Coldly Jan continued, "So they sent their boys out to drive us off the land." "Oh no," Bonnie managed faintly. "I still don't know which of the six gunmen opened fire first," Jan said bleakly, "but Mom and Dad died in just the first few minutes. My sister Amy died next, but I hid in the hayloft...." Her voice finally broke, and a single tear trickled down her cheek. "I'm sorry," Bonnie reached out to put her hand on Jan's arm, "I shouldn't have asked." "None of them were charged," Jan's managed, "not the rancher or anyone else, and I understood exactly what you could buy with money and a gun." Grimly she continued, "So I decided to beat them at their own game." "And became a gunfighter," Bonnie finished. She looked at Jan, at that pain filled face and asked, "The men who killed your family, you found them didn't you?" "Each and every one," Jan answered, her voice rough, "not that any of it helped me feel any better. The rancher himself... I got him over a year ago, it's where I got my ship from, too." "But you're still doing this...?" Bonnie said. "It's the only way of life I know now," Jan answered her simply, "and it's the only thing that I'm good at." Bonnie opened her mouth to say something, then seemed to change her mind. Instead she said, "We'd better head in, the first homesteaders are coming in tomorrow." Wryly she added, "It's going to be a long day for both of us." "Got that right," Jan agreed as they walked inside together. The next day had Jan waiting out on the street, eyes shaded by the new hat that she wore. Not far away the sheriff stood talking with the grocer, the older woman keeping an eye on things. Jan had met with Heather Gallant that morning, explaining to the gray haired woman that she wanted to arrest Tyler, not simply gun him down, and to do that she'd need the officer's support. 'Not that we know he's even coming in today,' Jan thought, studying the riders and wagons passing by into town. They were lucky in that the best land was to the north of town, so the majority of people coming here were from that direction. Bonnie stepped out from her dance hall, the gorgeous redhead looking across to where Jan sat in the shade by the City Hall. Jan gave her a nod, watching the woman return indoors even as she thought, 'I can't believe I told her all that, I haven't told the whole story in... well, forever.' The first wagons had begun to arrive, but none of the men driving them seemed familiar. Not that Tyler couldn't be in disguise, but after how long Jan had been studying his face she was confident she could spot him. She could feel the eyes of the homesteaders on her, the fear that her gunfighter insignia brought on and felt a odd mix of satisfaction and irritation. The wagon was one of the last to come in that day, the man comfortably sitting in front as he used the reins to guide the horses in. He was casual, almost relaxed as he brought the car through the gate at the edge of town, then he got a good look at the woman sitting there in a rickety chair. He tensed, those eyes behind the glasses widening even as he tried to hurry the horses. "Tyler," Jan rose smoothly, trying to look casual as she said, "you really didn't think hitching a ride on a settlement ship was going to be enough?" "I'm not going back," Tyler's lenses shone in the twilight as he tried to sound innocent, "those charges are a load of...." "Tell it to the judge," Heather moved up to the other side, "you'll be seeing one soon enough." She met his eyes, looking oddly motherly, "We'd all prefer this be settled peacefully, sir." "It'll be a cold day in hell," Tyler vowed as he leaped from the wagon, letting the horses run wild. Reins flapping loosely the horses raced forward, anyone still on the street racing away in a panic. "Then I guess we'll just have to do this the hard way," Jan swung her coat back, revealing the pistols at her side. Tyler gestured, a pistol dropping from a concealed device on his wrist into his hand. Before Jan could draw the gun discharged once, then twice, red splattering the lanky woman's clothes as the bullets struck home. "NO!" Bonnie cried out, even as Jan swayed. The gunfighter's hand came up, her pistol rock steady as she aimed. "Not only are you a murderous crook," Jan managed, "but you're a terrible shot, too." BANG! Tyler dropped bonelessly to the ground, red blossoming on the center of his shirt. Almost at the same time Jan fell, dropping to lay there on the dusty street. Heather and Bonnie rushed to her side even as the townspeople gazed in shock and horror at the blood that had been shed. "Is she...?" Bonnie demanded, looking at Jan then Heather anxiously. "We'll need to get the doctor," Heather said after a moments examination, "but I think nothing critical's been hit." "Told you he was a rotten shot," Jan managed, wincing in pain as she moved. She sighed, "I really need to find a new line of work." An excerpt from the Encyclopedia Galactica, 2345 Edition, continued: ....while no miracle cures became available, medical technology remained quite effective, even out on the frontier. Non-fatal injuries could be rapidly mended, only the heart or brain remained a serious issue for medical science. The light slowly grew in the corner room, illuminating the figure laying on the bed. Black hair fell into a face made peaceful by sleep, covered by the pure white blankets. Slowly she stirred, movement starting in the outer limbs then behind her eyelids. "I know you're alive," the voice said softly, but with a certain amount of amusement, "no one who was dead could snore so much." Jan opened her eyes to see Bonnie's amused face looking down at her. With as much dignity as she could muster she said, "I do not snore." "Considering several of the girls have been helping me keep an eye on you," Bonnie said, "I have a few witnesses on my side." Deciding not to pursue that Jan forced herself to sit up, wincing a bit as she barely healed wounds protested. "Tyler?" she asked crisply. "Dead," Bonnie answered, "and from what Heather tells me he was wanted dead or alive, so you should still be fine." "I'm fine anyway," Jan found herself admitting, "I don't really need the money anymore. I have more saved than I need...." Bonnie got up to open the curtains and a window, bringing light and fresh air into the room. "Were you serious when you said you wanted a new line of work?" Bonnie asked. "I'm always serious," Jan answered quietly. "I've been lacking a bouncer for awhile now," Bonnie said to her evenly, "so how would you like the job?" "I'm not qualified...." Jan blinked. "After seeing you in action last week," Bonnie flashed a smile, "I think your presence alone in the room would keep rowdy customers under control." Jan met Bonnie's eyes and saw a silent appeal in them, along with a gentle warmth that she hadn't really expected. "All right," Jan offered her hand, "you've got yourself a deal." A beginning.... Author's Notes: the idea for a science fiction western has been bouncing around my head for awhile now, in various forms and drafts. It's been a fanfiction, romance and even a horror story in various incarnations. I don't know if I'll be adding to this or not, I'm certainly open to the idea but it depends if inspiration strikes. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this.
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