Wishing On A Star

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As we left town the man on my left introduced himself as Edward Miller a whisky drummer from St. Louis, the man on my right was either sleeping, or just chose not to give his name, I introduced myself as Holly Bickford from Pittsburgh, whereby the woman across from me next to the window snickered, "I'll bet you're a school marm…Aint ya?" I grimaced, but nodded my head. She immediately yelped and turned to her friend and said, "See I told ya Hanna, I can spot 'em a mile away." "I'm Hanna Brown, you don't have to turn your pretty little nose up at us 'cause we're sportin ladies, we like what we do, and we're good at it." I started to get defensive and replied, "I'm sorry, I meant no offense." Both then lost interest and chatted with the drummer, the other woman's name was Mary Duffy, and apparently she and her friend Hanna were going to Deadwood to work for a madam known as Dora DuFran, a woman they understood took care of her "girls."

The chatter got rather ribald at times, nothing I hadn't heard before, but I just kept my head turned looking out the window at the passing scenery. The man to my right was really sleeping, slouched into the corner, his large hat pulled over his face. As we jounced along, a sparkle caught my eye, it came from under the mans duster. When we hit another bump, I took a closer sparkle came from a badge the man was wearing on his right chest, The others couldn't see it, but I caught just a glimpse. I decided to keep it a secret. Finally, the drummer drifted off to sleep, and Mary Duffy's attention turned back to me. "Hey honey, why don't you come with Hanna and I and go to work for Dora? Certainly gotta be more money than teachin' brats." "Leave her alone Mary," admonished her friend Hanna, "She's liable to shoot us both with that gun of hers." Mary snickered, "The only "gun" I want to get shot with is a nice big one…" "SHUT YOUR DAMNED w***e MOUTHS, OR I'LL THROW BOTH OF YA OFF THIS COACH!" came a loud voice from the sleeping man. Even the drummer woke up, but the earthquake of a voice that just erupted from under the hat had its desired effect, the man stirred to life and sat up centering his hat on his head and glaring at the two women. "Why is it you trollops always have the loudest mouths, I'm trying to get a little rest, what's the matter with ya?" I noticed that he sat in such a way so that his duster didn't open up and reveal his badge. Mary and Hanna sat there and glared at him, the drummer next to me pretended not to notice, and just looked out the window.

Looking over at me he half smiled, and said, "Sorry Ma'am didna mean to startle ya there, but I get mighty weary of these sportin' ladies always yapping at the top of their lungs, my name's Frank Canton sheriff of Johnson County down in Wyoming Territory." I shook his offered hand, and replied, "Pleased to meet you sir." He then looked at my Spencer carbine and said "Mind Iffin I look this fine weapon over?" "Not at all sheriff," I said, "It's loaded." He carefully took the carbine in hand and examined it all over. "Don't care what anyone says these were the finest repeating rifles in their day…Still are, really, even with all the Henry's and Winchesters out there. This one's in excellent shape, mind if I ask where ya got it?" "My father used it in the war; he gave it to me when I told him I would be coming out west." "Mr. Canton chuckled, "Smart man, your father," replied the sheriff. "Still I prefer the .45-70 to the .56-50 this thing shoots, but it will still get the job done."

After that, things settled back down until we reached Fort Laramie where Mr. Canton left us. The accommodations were not the greatest at the stage stop, but we were able to get a plate of rabbit stew, fresh bread, and hot coffee while we waited for the teams to be changed. I noticed the whisky drummer sitting with the w***e named Mary smiling and chatting, offering her one of his samples, off in a corner. Hanna went to take a nap on an unused bunk while the driver and I ate. Where we dined, he asked me where I obtained the information about the Indians. "I dined with a major Stephen Wills of the second cavalry back at the hotel in Cheyenne," I replied. "He told me not to make this trip." The driver looked at me for a moment then quietly said, "I just got word from a lieutenant right after we pulled in, confirming that, but it's still only rumor. Iffin ya was a man I'd ask ya to ride up with me, but old Bob over there agreed to go least as far as Custer City. But Iffin I was you, I'd keep that carbine handy…Just in case."

Soon we were back on the trail; I managed to get my old spot back, moving just a little to give the drummer a little more room. It was starting to get dark when we crossed the Cheyenne River, nearing the Red Canyon station when we were attacked. One moment Hanna and Mary were talking when an arrow slammed into Mary's chest, killing her instantly. In a fraction of an instant, time suddenly speeded up, Hanna screamed, I heard gunfire from above, the drummer looked out the window and was rewarded for his stupidity with an arrow in the face. He slumped half in and out of the coach. Hanna continued to scream, and yelling for her to shut up didn't seem to work. In stead, I c****d the carbine and aimed it towards the window for a target. One soon presented itself, an Indian came up along side the coach and attempted to climb on, I shot his horse in its head causing it to immediately drop, throwing the Indian under the coach's rear wheels, all of us feeling the massive lurch as the rear wheel rode up over the hapless brave. Suddenly, the coach jerked, and we began to head for the nearby forest, apparently out of control, figuring the driver must be dead as well, I screamed at Hanna to get on the floor. I piled in next to her, as the coach careened into the woods out of control.

I heard and felt the crunching of wood as the singletree snapped and the teams broke free, leaving us to roll out of control, eventually turning over, and rolling down a small hill. Everything inside the coach rolled around and crashed into us. The bodies of Mary and the drummer, the drummer's sample case, a bag Mary or Hanna had been carrying, on top of Hanna and I doing our own share.

When the coach stopped moving, it took Hanna and I a moment to collect our wits, and check ourselves over for any injuries. "I'm all right," I said, "how about you?" Checking herself over, Hanna replied, "Nothing broken here, better get that rifle ready, I think we'll be having guests very soon." I made sure I had a full seven rounds in the tube magazine, while Hanna rifled through the drummers pockets. Retrieving a small .38 Colt with a 2.5-inch barrel, she chuckled, "I knew he had a pistol!" Immediately she swung upward and fired hitting an Indian full in the face as he was attempting to drop down into our coach.

With that, the firefight was on. I quickly pointed at an Indian who was trying to crawl under the left door, which was straddling a shallow cut, and hit him in the neck killing him instantly. Neither of us had time to scream, as we were simply too busy. By now, Indians were starting to swarm over the side of the coach. I just kept c*****g and firing, the carbine bucking in my hands as I acquired targets…Too many targets. Hanna blazed away as well with her pistol and derringer, while I just kept aiming and firing, the choking smoke filling the coach's interior. "I've got to reload!" I shouted, "Cover me." Quickly I shoved a tube of seven rounds into the butt of the carbine c****d the weapon, and was ready to go again. Hanna and I worked out a system of cover and fire as each reloaded, but Hanna declaring that she only had five more rounds for the little Colt. "Save them!" I cried, as we continued to frantically blast away at approaching Indians. The action got intense, two more Indians attempted to crawl underneath, Hanna killed one, and I killed the other. Finally, the Indians broke off their attack, and retreated back up the slope.

We quickly took stock of our situation, with me re-loading, but Hanna having no more ammunition. I then noticed her hastily scribbling notes down on pieces of paper she had in her bag. "What are you doing?" I asked. "Writing Mary's name down and her age as well as mine, so when they find our bodies they'll have names for our graves." Don't you think that's rather premature?" I commented, "We've still got some fight left in us, besides, once it gets darker, we can slip out and be gone." Hanna merely grunted, as she finished her morbid task, things were beginning to sound too quiet, so I pulled myself up through a window to see what was going on, and was immediately rewarded with an arrow piercing my left shoulder just below the collarbone. I screamed, and dropped back down into the coach. The pain was excruciating, Hanna grabbed me and tore the fabric away from the wound for a better look, but the last rays of light were fading fast, and it was hard to see. "This is going to hurt, but there's nothing I can do about that," remarked Hanna rather hurriedly. She cut the arrow shaft off halfway using a cigar cutter the drummer must have had on him.

Hanna then poured a sample bottle of whiskey over where the arrow had entered, causing me even more pain. I started to cry out again, but Hanna covered my mouth, then grabbed my carbine and swung it upward and fired, as an Indian peered inside. The flash from the muzzle lit up the whole interior for a second, but long enough to see the Indian pitch backward, screaming in pain. "We're not waiting," announced Hanna, "We're leaving right now!" With that, she made sure we weren't sitting on the door that was now our floor, popped the latch and let the door swing downward. "Can you ease yourself down?" she asked. "I grimaced in pain, but replied, "I-I-think so," Hanna helped me down and out through the door, handing me my small bag and carbine. She then slipped out herself, closing the door behind her, then taking my carbine and cartridge box pulled my right arm around her shoulder, and moved forward in the darkness not even sure, where we were going.

With much grit and determination, I found that I could move along at a reasonable pace, Hanna carried the carbine along with her small bag, while I was able to carry my bag over my good shoulder as we followed the rising moonlight that revealed the thickest forest, open areas, and small open stands of pines. As we moved farther away from the overturned coach, we could hear yelping, and sporadic firing, "They'll know we're gone now," said Hanna, a tinge of fear in her voice. We began to follow a wood line as we moved downward along an open meadow, checking our trail and stopping every so often to listen. On one such occasion, we sought refuge under a large deadfall, and stopped to rest. Although we couldn't see each other's faces, I could picture Hanna sitting watching out across the open meadow. "Thank you Hanna, for saving my life back there," I said quietly. There was a pause, "It's nothing, don't worry about it." I touched her arm, "No Hanna, it isn't, I owe you, listen, we're in this thing up to our necks now, I'm willing to put aside any past feelings, and assumptions I've been watching you, you're quite unique, you know that, I'd like to be your friend, I really mean it, I'm willing to put aside and forget any differences if you are," I continued. There was silence for a few moments, "You'd do that for someone like me," said Hanna. "You're a human being, Hanna," I replied, and even though my shoulder hurt like sin, I made a half-hearted attempt to hug her. "We're in this together regardless," I replied, "Now we'd better get going."

We struggled out of our hiding spot and made our way towards what appeared to be a narrow opening between the trees. The moon was up now, lighting our way, but requiring us to stay in the shadow, lest we be spotted by the pursuing Indians. Entering the passage, we could see another wide open field, but strange lights moving across it. I had to sit again and rest, as Hanna administered more alcohol around my wound, I wanted to cry out in agony but fear of the Indians stayed my voice. I seemed to be growing weaker, on top of that, a felt a stickyness all over my upper shoulder area indicating blood, and lots of it. We started to skirt the field when Hanna pointed to something on the edge of the field, "Look over there Holly, could be a house ore something, we'll make for there." I was so weak by now I didn't think I could make it even that far, we had stopped for a moment when two figures suddenly appeared in front of us, I heard something like "Va das Ka!" Alternatively, something like that when Hanna started to cry out and everything just went black.

Images…Images of light, strange voices, shadows, a feeling of floating, I thought for a moment Hanna and I were sitting in a beautiful garden, sitting and talking, Hanna's friend Mary was there as well, looking at both of us and just smiling, not saying a word. Was I dead, were we both dead? Things were happening to me I had no control over, I felt like I was floating over everything, then I was back in that garden, sitting with Hanna and Mary. Mary finally got up and whispered in my ear, "Tell Hanna I loved her as my sister, I'm in a better place now and not to worry, We will all meet again in this garden but I must go now, watch over my friend Holly, and tell her to always follow her heart." With that, she was gone, and I woke bathed in sweat. I realized I was lying in a bed there were two circles of dim light overhead, I lifted my head to look around but found myself too weak to lift it very high, but from what I could see, I was in some kind of small room. I now realized I had some sort of gown on and lying under some sort of blanket that felt very light. The small amount of exertion taxed me to the point of exhaustion, whereby I fell into a deep sleep again.

The next time I awoke again I heard Hanna's voice saying "She's awake," a strange face then appeared over me grinning like a cat, strange eyes a stubble beard tanned shin and very short auburn hair, I made an attempt to scream, but Hanna's voice interrupted, "Calm down Holly he won't bite!" Finally, my eyes and mind cleared to take in my situation. "Welcome back to the world," said the strange man. I focused on his silvery cat-like eyes, which were really a bright grey. H hovered over me grinning, and saying, "I'm going to check your wound Miss…" "Holly," I heard Hanna say. "Holly" repeated the man. "Ah yes," he continued as he touched my shoulder and moved his fingers around. "Still a little sore?" I nodded. "Another couple unas should be completely healed up." He then stepped back as I sat up. Hanna was standing near him smiling at me, "You almost died Holly," stated Hanna, "you were bleeding pretty bad, then you got that real high fever." "Everything's fine now," said the strange man. "Oh yes, I'm Nargra Halidar, Morkai Draaka is the captain, he'll be back here in a little bit, but for now, I'll let you two talk, see you again in a bit." He then pressed something on the door, opened it and left.

Hanna sat down on the bed next to me and said, "Have I ever got a story for you!" I lay there and listened as Hanna wove an incredulous story of men from another world, of attacking the perusing Indians with incredible weapons that destroyed them all in moments, the fact that we were aboard some fantastic vessel that can travel through space. "That Nargra is rather devilishly handsome don't you think Holly?" snickered Hanna. "The other one, the captain is quite handsome as well, even with their funny eyes their ears are somewhat pointed as well, but I'll let you decide." I looked at Hanna already caught up in something she knew not what." Before we go running off to Mars or wherever," I responded, "Let's find out just what these people are really doing here, you say they destroyed the Indians chasing us?" Hanna grew solemn and nodded, "I watched it on a large screen, the captain rose up terribly frightening the Indians, lashed out at them with some greenish bolts of lightening and literally blew them all apart, now we're sitting up on this rock tower hundreds of feet above the ground."

Normally I would dismiss such a wild story as that but after all that Hanna and I had been through and looking at her serious expression, I decided to obtain a few more facts first. "So they just let you wander around this…Vessel unhindered by yourself?" "Yeah," replied Hanna, "Nargra showed me around, we sat and talked for a spell, they're just people like us Holly, only as Nargra explained it, "We just have better tech…Naaa…lol… ogee, or something like that than we on earth do." "Technology?" I asked. "Yeah," she replied, "That's it. "And what are they doing with all this technology?" I added. "They're coming here to harvest walnuts and some other plant for the stuff in them that cures some sickness they get, they'll 'splain it all to ya."

I then noticed Hanna's clothes had all been replaced by what appeared to be men's trousers, a tight fitting short-sleeved undershirt of some kind revealing in great detail Hanna's bosom. "What happened to your clothes Hanna?" I inquired. Hanna giggled, "Oh they was all bloody and dirty and such, Nargra let me borrow some of his things but I've gotta tell ya Holly, Nargra says the women on his planet wear stuff pretty similar and I can't tell ya just how comfortable they are." "Hanna," I asked, "Did this Nargra ask you to do anything for these clothes, or for that matter, are we expected to do "anything" for them in exchange for certain…Favors?"

Suddenly the door opened and another man entered, "The answer is no on all counts miss." replied the man. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm the captain of this ship Morkai Draaka, you're aboard the Na'Vas, we're currently sitting atop some sort of stone tower rising up from the plains." He reached down and gently shook my hand. "I'm so glad to see that you're fully recovered, you can only imagine what Nargra and I thought when two Kagorians came stumbling and crashing across our Kresha field bloody and weak with a bunch of yelping Kagorians riding some sort of animals came charging after you." I looked up at him and replied, "Hanna said you destroyed them with some sort of green lightening bolts." Morkai chuckled, "Actually it was the ships plasma cannons but I guess that's neither here nor there for right now." Suddenly a thought occurred to me, "How is it that we can converse in the manor that we are sir, if you're from another planet how is it that you can speak English?" "Simple," he replied, "While both of you were "out" Nargra gave each of you a Transnano injection, you wouldn't understand the technology, but they enter your bloodstream travel to your brain where they reside in the part of your brain that processes speech and thought, and allow you to understand what Nargra and I are saying. Of course, you will actually have to learn to write in our language as well as certain higher speech requirements but that will come in time, anyway now we can converse, and understand each other, how refreshing…Don't you think?"