My Space Cowboy

Oh, I love me a good space cowboy. I know for sure that when we do finally get out there into the stars, the cowboys will be some of the first pioneers to buy a ticket. They'll push the boundaries of the cosmic plains and blaze the path for civilization to follow.

I've never seen space or alien planets as a sanitary, scientific place. Nope, it's always been rugged and wild lands waiting to be explored and conquered.

My interest was piqued first when I read the short story, The "Tale of the Adopted Daughter" included in Robert Heinlein's "Time Enough for Love". Then there was, of course, "Santiago: A Myth of the Far Future" by Mike Resnick.

(If I remember right, this came out a couple years after Star Wars and my Han Solo crush.)

Actually, most Mike Resnick novels have a distinct western feel to it if you're looking for some good reads.

For the final installment in The Telomere Trilogy, "End of Eternity", I knew I had to insert a crusty old space cowboy. Hence, Lane Rafferty, from the desert city of Ballarat on the planet of Inyo.

And Lane has a grudge to settle with the immortal space captain, Noah Bonney. He tracks her across two galaxies just to get it.

EXCERPT:

The old door across his office slammed shut. From below his black, curved brimmed hat Laken Rafferty lifted his head enough to see who'd entered. Little Vick, the mousy small man, squirmed and wrung his hands. Rafferty sighed, kicked his crossed feet off the desk, and tipped his hat back.

"What you want? I'm busy." Rafferty sneered as the dim idiot looked on, confused. "I was joking, you jackass."

"Oh," Little Vick managed a weak smile, "yeah."

After a moment of silence, Rafferty narrowed his eyes to glare at him. Little Vick jumped as if electrocuted and stumbled forward closer to the desk, the sand from his boots grinded against the wood floor.

"Message in from Reilly, sir." Little Vick tapped on the desk cube and an old, old image popped up. "She's on her way into the region, sir. To this system to be exact."

Rafferty stood, placed his fists on the desk, and bent forward. "She's in the region? You sure?" Vick's head bobbed up and down in eagerness. "Silver Fish... interesting."

"Passin' through is more like it. Hoppin' from Space Leap 589 to Space Leap 425. More interesting, she has her daughter with her. Recently confirmed as one to."

Rafferty's body jerked in shock. "His and hers?"

"Yup. Reilly himself notified they raided one of his sites about a week or so ago and are now headin' this direction."

Rafferty didn't like Reilly, but an ends to a means was an end to a means. No matter the devils you had to play with to get there.

"But..." Vick wavered and then added with a quiver in his voice, "They in league with the Demons of Asatru, sir." He shivered and touched his chest before pointing to the sky with a prayer. "The demons will be meeting them at Space Leap 589 to deliver somethin', from what I understand."

Rafferty wouldn't go into battle with the demons, knew no one who would. It didn't mean he couldn't wait 'em out... way clear of the delivery. Quite a distance, a good five rotations from space leap to space leap. "Get on it and prep two mid-size vessels ordered from Gatro. Set up my Bat Ray and tell Reilly I'm headed out. I'll fly solo to meet the vessels."

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Well, I hope you liked the excerpt. Sometime in the future I'll do a full length novel set completely in the space western subgenre.

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Hairy Characters

No, I'm not talking about werewolves or demons. I'm talking about pets. Domesticated pet characters are a rarity in science fiction, especially in space voyage and off world subgenres, which I think is a shame.

Let's break it down even more, to cats and dogs, which are the two most prominent animal companions for humans. There is something about cats and dogs that call to a natural bond with human beings. Not to mention their natural tendency to offer themselves as protector and friend.

Cats have been domesticated as early as 3500 BC by ancient Egyptians. (I personally believe the ancestral God-worship of cats is why felines can often be so cocky and "superior" to others...including us.) Okay, yeah, they had a bad break during the Middle Ages but they recovered with the whole Black Plague incident when they turned superhero and killed the plague-infected rats.

Scientifically, petting your animals lowers your blood pressure. Pet owners tend to live longer. They also reduce depression and studies have shown they improve how people see their quality of life.

And you think cats are long-standing companions, then you'll be blown away by dogs.

Canine partnership with us Homo Sapiens has be as long ago as 4500 BC. Most people think they started as only hunting "tools" but it's been shown they were hunting companions, not tools, and in fact were also revered by Egyptians.

This relationship has not waned with the evolving times. So, why would this change for the future? Why are domesticated animals so far and few between in SF works? Yeah, there are a few scattering pet characters, but not many.

When I began writing the second book in the Telomere Trilogy, it was natural for me to work a pet into the story. A male character, Damani, wasn't him without his dog. They were a pair. I further expanded that relationship in the third book, End of Eternity, when he took center stage as the main male character.

Below is an excerpt of End of Eternity, showcasing the bond between this man and his dog. (Just remember, this book is in draft form and hasn't been edited to publisher's specifications. The final could - will - be different.)

Excerpt:

"Zane." Damani crouched, buried his face in his dog, and didn’t care who saw or heard the emotion in his voice. He nuzzled Zane's neck, rubbed his side, and patted his belly. "There’s my boy. Aren’t you a sight for tired eyes. You miss Daddy?"

Zane barked, jumped his front paws onto Damani’s thighs, and barked again.

"That’s a big fat yes," Galvin decided. "Though, he might want custody rights with Makai. The way my brother spoiled him, you’d thought Zane was Makai’s dog. They were inseparable."

"You have a new friend?" Damani asked Zane, cupping his jaw.

With his world once again right, Damani let his attention return to Luna and Jetta. A definite change from when the women first met. No verbal communication, but Damani was sure mind speech was happening. A lot by their expressions and Jetta's sly glance in his direction. They hurried off, out of the hangar bay.

"I don't need to hear minds to see you're in deep trouble." Galvin positioned himself next to Damani and watched the woman leave. "I've seen the same look from her several times and it never ends well."

"So have I," Jace added and slapped Damani on the back. "Sorry, Watcher."

"No matter. Let me clean up and then I'd like to know where we're at with the case."

"Noah's already called for a mission briefing in three hours. Rest a bit. Seems you need it," Galvin said with a sarcastic pat on his cheek.

Galvin and Jace strode off together.

"Come, Zane." Damani snapped his fingers and both walked side-by-side towards his quarters, where he planned for a long shower.

It seemed the two men worked out the remaining stiffness between them as well. He shook his head. Chaos. It's what family and friends brought. Chaos, turmoil, and stress. Happy one moment, fighting the next, then flipped to happy all over again. He didn't need any of those things.

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Hope you liked the excerpt.

Who knows, there could be doggies out there, ready to explore the stars at our side. Let me know what SF books you've read with strong cat or dog characters. I'd love to add them to my TBR list.

Oh! And remember, next week our summer crossover event starts. We'll all be hopping around from here and swapping blogs with each other.

It'll be crazy! It'll be wild! It'll be fantasmic!