The Hell With Earthside: A Novella (STRYDER'S HORIZON Book 1) Read Free

Alice’s story, but she shuddered at the thought of taking a trip out to Earthside. I knew it couldn’t be pleasant. Most of the people who lived in Burnside had very good reasons for being here. Before Earthside was built, there was a much more hopeful attitude about this planet. Like this was going to be the one. Like we’d all drawn the long straws and lucked out on a place we could call home. But once the planet had been drilled and colonized, it never felt like home.
    It was too expensive to leave.
    “Where’s he going?” Alice asked as Gregor had gone into his shack and returned with a stuffed pack over his shoulder.
    “With me. I just pilot drill-runners. I can’t say I know anything else about them.”
    Alice had the expression on her face like she didn’t know what to do if we were gone. I’m sure she’d hook up with some scrap at a pub or start stories about how she did beat me today. But maybe it was something else. Alice was a few years younger than me, and she probably had no idea that sometimes when people get into a Colonial Transport they do come back.
    Of course, I was smart enough not to risk that and was going to take Old Shepard all the way to the wall. Hopefully the Colonial Officers would overlook the environmental regulations and let me park it inside.
     
    My place was nicer than Gregor’s, but I’d still call it a shack. It just happened to stay cleaner, mainly because I spent all my time in Old Shepard or at Macy’s Pub. But it was drastic enough of a difference that Gregor always tried not to touch things as if he was afraid I’d get mad at him for dirtying up the place. I guess it was because of the way I got when people touched Old Shepard.
    I fumbled through outfits and tried to find my old roll gauge. I’d kept it when they disassembled my drill-runner and launched it into space. It wasn’t often, but sometimes I regretted not going. Like maybe I’d be happier if I was somewhere else, like maybe I did have a home out there in this galaxy.
    I think homes are like souls. At some point, God ran out of them. Now we’re just kind of here with no purpose or reason, just a slight miscalculation of excess.
    Kind of like all the junk that had filled my place. It was all stuff I didn’t really need. I just thought I did. All I ever needed was Old Shepard and enough Calcioil to keep me chasing the horizon.
    “We need to be careful in Earthside. We show them what to do and we leave,” Gregor said.
    “I’m with you on that, buddy.”
    “I mean it, Kimmie. If anything goes wrong, they will blame you. Colonial always blames someone.”
    “I know. You don’t have to tell me.”
    “I think I do. I’m only coming to—
    “Relax, if I thought there was a risk I’d have told him no. You know his little transport couldn’t keep up with Old Shepard.”
    “What about the Dessup Gang? Huh, Kimmie? This might be a little operation for them. You play with the hornets’ nest and you get stung.  You better kill them all.”
    He had finally said what was in my heart. I didn’t like hearing it. This was only a win/lose scenario. There would be no second place.
    “It doesn’t matter anymore. It was in the past. I’m okay now. Let Colonial have their way with them.”
    “Really, I don’t buy that.”
    “I’m definitely going to make sure they see justice, but long ago I realized I don’t have the power to give them what they truly deserve.  It’s a tough bite to chew, but I’ve been chewing it for six years.”
    “I’m just saying, Kimmie. If you are going to do this you better kill them all.”
    “Then let’s kill them all.”

4. WHAT IS DEAD?
     
    Our conversation at my place had made the drive to Earthside awkward. We’d exchanged a few quips about Old Shepard’s performance, but it was like we were scared the water in the kiddie pool was too cold. Eventually I pushed Old Shepard up to 292-mph, which gave our teeth a nice solid rattle. It felt great when we finally had