Episode 1 - Champ McKay, Texas Space Ranger

It ain't often that a Ranger has the luck to be in town when someone gets it into his head to rob the bank. Usually Rangers come into town days if not weeks after the act to pick up the Wanted poster and try to follow the scallywag's trail. That spells weeks on the trail tracking the villains, sometimes out deep into the Territories. Even if a Ranger gets lucky and bags the thieves, he only gets one or two at most.

That's how it usually works. But not today. Today, some fellas decided to knock over the local mercantile and then the bank. How they knew the bank had just received a vault-full of gold bullion I'll never know. However they did it, they managed to get all that gold and enough rations to feed an army and they did it all without killing anyone.

I take my hat off to their restraint, but I still have to bring 'em in.

Dead or alive.

Who am I? Name's Champ McKay. I'm one of those Rangers I mentioned earlier. A Texas Ranger to be exact. Been carrying the badge for more'n three years now. That makes me something of an old-timer in case you was wonderin'.

So, as I was sayin', some fellas, they robbed the mercantile, the bank and then skedaddled, all in under thirty minutes and all without killin' anyone or drawin' any attention to themselves until they was gone.

It was masterful work, but they left a trail a child could follow. Guess they weren't too worried about bein' followed.

My horse was saddled and I was ready to hit the trail within an hour of the crime. A few folks offered to form a posse around me, but...well, I ain't never been too good workin' with others. I politely thanked them and rode outta town at a gallop, just in case they got any ideas to come anyway.

Like I said before, it twertn't nothing to findin' and followin' the varmits trail. They was in a wagon or somesuch with a couple outriders. I didn't think it would be all that hard to catch up. Still, I wasn't going to ride Clive, my trusty horse, into the ground. We had a lot of miles to cross, I was certain and I needed him. Sides, I always preferred catchin' up when it was dark. Varmits never would know how many or even where I was until I had them under wraps.

That's the way I liked it. Fast, and quiet-like. Maybe that was why I was looking forward to my twenty-third birthday while a lot of my compatriots were taking dirt-naps all across Texas and the Territories. Maybe that's why three years with a badge made me an old-timer for a Ranger.

I slowed Clive to a ground-eating lope and followed the trail until it was too dark to track. That was powerful strange because I really should have caught up with my quarry hours before the sun ever had a chance to set. Wagons ain't known to being fast. Able to carry loads, sure, but not fast.

How they kept ahead of me was a mystery for another day. I found a likely spot to set up camp and settled in for the night. There wasn't much point to riding in the dark. Chances were I might ride right on past and never find them until they had a chance to split up. I'd never live that down.

I was back in the saddle at first light, drinkin' the last dregs of coffee from my tin mug. The trail was still as clear as before with all of them villains continuing to stick together. That was fine with me. I really wasn't in the mood to chase them all over the Territories.

And it was the Territories we was headed towards. Arizona Territory to be exact. Them fellas was makin' a beeline for a point in southern Arizona Territory that was straighter than most arrows flew. Another reason I was having no trouble followin' them.

It was makin' me nervous to tell you the truth. Only time I've ever had an easy time of it was when some sidewinder was waitin' in ambush for me.

Thing was, there really were no good ambush spots around. And when I did come across one, a little bit of scoutin' showed it to be empty of life. No, these boys didn't seem too interested in anything but gettin' wherever they was goin'. And they had some fire lit under them cause I still didn't seem to be catchin' up to them. The trail sign never did seem to be gettin' any fresher. In point of fact, I do believe I was losin' ground on them.

How in tarnation could that be? Them with a wagon and all, I should have caught them by this point.

The longer I rode after them, the more skittish it was makin' me. Clive must have caught my mood cause afore long, he started to jump at everthing. Tumbleweeds, desert hares, his shadow.

No, I don't mind sayin', I was more'n a little worried. Were these fellas planning' something for me down the trail aways or were they really that oblivious to danger? After holding such a masterful robbery I was sorta hoping' that they weren't oblivious. Them boys bein' too stupid to know someone like me might be followin' would ruin my growin' respect for them.

And despite Clive and I movin' fast, we clearly weren't catching up with them.

We was three days into Arizona Territory before we had to stop. By that time I'd been in the saddle for more'n five days and I was considerin' turnin' back. My supplies was startin' to look a little thin; I wasn't certain I could even get back with what I had.

Thing was, I wanted to see this here thing through. The robbers' trail was still fresh and unbroken. Unbroken like they never stopped.

What kind of gang could ride for five days straight without stoppin'?

The burnin' heat and lack of water was makin' Clive and me suffer, in a powerful way. Clive stumblin' on a perfectly smooth piece of dry river bottom told me I was riskin' too much.

I led the poor fellow into some shade and pulled my saddle off him. We needed water bad and this here river bed was as good a place as any to look.

I started diggin' while Clive stood in the shade, his head hangin' practically to the ground. It took me some time but I finally got down deep enough that I hit water. It weren't much, but I let it soak into my bandana several times, wringing it out in my stetson till I had enough to give Clive a few swallows.

He slurped the water down right quick and was lookin' for more. I waved him off and got myself a hatful of water . Then I let Clive slurp and suck at the wet sand until he had his fill.

We were in trouble, and no mistake, but at least we had water to keep us going a bit longer.

I sat down in the shade of the rock to do a little thinkin'. No food and barely enough water and that only by luck. We couldn't make it back with what we had.

Them varmints ahead had food. I had to believe they had water too or I would have come across one or two of their carcasses on my way. It didn't take too much figurin' to decide my best course of action was to keep chasin' 'em. Not only would it keep us alive if I caught 'em, but it would keep my reputation intact.

I settled back against the rock for a nap. Travellin' in the day's heat would only make us weaker sooner. Clive meandered away from the waterhole to graze on some desert scrub. That's when I noticed the thin plume of smoke trailing up into the sky just over the next rise.

Bein' lucky might just be better than bein' good.

***

 I didn't wait for the sun to go down afore Clive and I set off for the smoke. We did that for two reasons: (1) cause I couldn't see the smoke in the dark and (2) cause I didn't want to risk them varmints from movin' on afore we got to them.

Turns out I didn't need to worry none about reason number two. When Clive and I got to their camp, I left the horse to wander near some scrub so he could graze. I climbed the ridge and hid behind a boulder to get a better look. From what I could see, them sidewinders weren't going anywhere soon. The smoke belched out of a hole in the ground. A few feet from the hole was another hole, much bigger than the first. As I spied on their camp, men were going back and forth, hauling the stolen gold from their wagon.

I could only guess that maybe they had a forge setup somewhere under the ground. Why, I could only guess.

The wagon was mostly empty when I arrived, so it weren't no time a'tall afore they had it completely unloaded. I waited a spell to see if the men would be coming back out of their lair, but they were stayin' holed up.

That was fine with me; it would make it a lot easier for me to catch them all in one fell swoop.

I carefully made my way back down to my packs. Clive was still contentedly munching away on some dry saw-grass so I didn't need to pay him any mind. I pulled my Winchester from the pack and made sure it was loaded. I did the same with my Colt and filled my gun-belt with ammunition for both.

Surprise was a small enough advantage, I wasn't about to run out of bullets when I needed them most.

I climbed back up the ridge to make sure nothin' had changed. The area around the cave entrance was still empty of life ('cept for the wagon's horse). That was good news for me. I hoped it meant them boys was havin' a siesta after their long run from town.

I made my way down to their camp, careful to use the scattered boulders as cover. I was only one man against a gang of desperadoes; I wasn't about to expose myself to quickly.

The smoke kept billowing out of the hole in the ground and the camp stayed empty, so I figured I must be all right. I made it to the cave entrance without any difficulty.

That worried me some. Whenever something is too easy, that usually means I've overlooked something. I had an awful itchy feeling atwixt my shoulder-blades.

Still, this wasn't the time to be second-guessing myself. I had criminals to bring to justice. That was my job. I could wonder when I was done.

I crept into the cave and followed the tunnel. The walls started rough and raw but quickly turned smooth with a dull shine. I'd never seen anything like it. And see it I did. Somehow, despite a lack of torches, I could see fine. Maybe not daylight bright, but still enough that I didn't have to squint to make out details. About the time the walls went smooth, my boots started to click on a hard surface.

I didn't like it. Not one bit.

Then, without warning, the lights went out and the tunnel went pitch black. I felt a rumbling through my boots and I heard what could only have been a cave-in behind me.

I was about to turn back when the rumbling became outright shaking, like I was standing in the middle of an Earthquake. A harsh booming sound filled the tunnel and I was thrown to the ground. A great weight pushed down on my body and I couldn't move. I tried lifting my head, but the weight was too much.

Stars filled my vision and I, I'm ashamed to say, I went unconscious.

***

I woke to the sound of voices. I was strapped down to some hard, cold table.

They was all garbled, like some foreign language. I lay still and kept my eyes closed, trying to figure out where I was.

Someone put something into my ear.

That seemed to fix the language problem. With the contraption in my ear, I could understand what was being said around.

"The alien is awake although he pretends to still sleep," a high-pitched, feminine voice said. "He should be able to understand us now that I have inserted the translator into his auditory channel."

"What do we do with him?" This was a man's voice. I was sure of it.

"There isn't much we can do," the woman (I was sure it was a woman) said. "It would be wrong to send him back. He already knows too much. Killing him would be equally wrong."

"Then what? What can he do that might make him fit in with us?"

"That depends on what he did in his former life," the woman said. "Any idea?"

It was time for me to show my cards. I didn't know who the folk were, but I wasn't about to let them decide my life without me. I opened my eyes.

For a moment, I wanted to close them again. The one I thought was a woman was a deep purple colour and had what could only be described as tentacles where her hair should be. Half of her looked like one of the criminals I'd been chasing. The other half had shredded skin and snake skin under it. Her eyes looked like snake eyes too. If it weren't for how strange she looked I would almost have said she was beautiful.

Almost.

But, I didn't become a Ranger by bein' bashful. "I'm a Texas Ranger and you are under arrest!"

The woman laughed. "Well, Ranger. You aren't in Texas anymore. You are a little out of your jurisdiction."

"My jurisdiction extends out into the territories too," I protested. I wasn't about to let this purple woman confuse the issue.

She nodded. "That would be very well and good if we were in the territories, but I'm afraid we are not. In fact, it is safe to say, you are nowhere near your legal jurisdiction anymore."

The snake man laughed at that but stopped when she gave him a warning glance.

"Well, where in the hell am I?"

"Ranger, you are in the headquarters of the Orion Rangers. We are the law in this sector."

"Sector?"

She paused then, as if searching for the right words. When she spoke, her voice was soft and kind. "Ranger, we found you on one of our ships, unconscious. My men brought you back here, not knowing what to do with you. Ranger, you are no longer in Texas. In fact, you are no longer on your home planet."

Home planet? I shook my head, not believing my ears.

"Here, let me show you." The woman tapped a button on the wall and the side of the room went transparent like a big window. On the other side, I could only see light speckled blackness like the night sky, only clearer than I'd ever seen before.

"Welcome to space, Ranger," the woman said, coming closer to me. "I think maybe you and I need to have a talk about your future in it."

 I could only numbly nod my head.

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