High Noon and Back in the Saddle

Posted on Mon Jan 18th, 2021 @ 11:52am by Fleet Admiral Mike K`Wor Bremer & Lieutenant K`Wor

1,721 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 108 – Tragedies, Fortunes, and an Endgame
Location: Starbase 400
Timeline: MD3 - 1200hrs

ON:

High noon. The sun was hot, the ground dusty, and the air dry.

Two men rode up and got off the horses in front of the bar known as The Long Branch. They walked in and looked around. The room only had a few people sitting, drinking. A couple were playing cards to the side.

The two men walked up the bar.

"What can I get you?" Sam the bartender asked.

"Beer." Slim replied.

"Same." Jess added.

"Coming right up." Sam said with a smile. "You fellas new in town?"

"We're from Laramie, we're supposed to be meeting a man here about buying some stock." Slim replied.

"Oh? He from around here?" Sam asked as he handed the men their beers.

"No. His name is Cartwright. Him and his sons are returning to Nevada, the Ponderosa ranch." Jess replied. "We were doing business with the stage line in Wichita and they were returning from a business trip in Missouri and we agreed to meet here to finalize the deal."

A couple of men walked into The Long Branch, ordered a bottle of Red Eye and took a seat.

"Well, hopefully they'll be here soon. If you need a place to stay overnight, the Dodge House is the best in town." Sam said.

"Thank you." Slim replied with a friendly smile."

"I'ma tellin ya Doc, that man was-a cheat." Chester said to Doc Adams as they walked into The Long Branch.

"Oh hush up. He beat you at checkers fair and square." Doc replied.

"Hiya boys." Miss Kitty said as she walked into the bar from a back room "Care for a beer?"

"Well, thank ya kindly." Chester replied.

"He can't pay for it." Doc added.

Kitty smile a warm smile.

After a few moments four men walked in led by an older man with white hair. They looked around for a moment the walked up to the bar. "Excuse me. My name is Ben Cartwright, I'm looking for..."

Sam smiled and pointed toward Slim and Jess.

"I'm Slim Sherman, this is Jess Harper."

"Pleased to meet you, "I'm Ben Cartwright. There are my sons, Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe."

The men exchanged hand shakes, orders more beer, and took seats to work out their business deal.

Several minutes later there was a shot outside, followed by three more, then a scream. Everyone in The Long Branch stood and started for the door but we stopped by the two cowboys they had come in some time earlier.

"There's nothing to see, return to your drinks." The taller of the two said.

"Someone's been shot, I need to see what I can do the help." Doc said.

"Sit down old man." The shorter cowboy replied.

Doc looked irritated.

"Take it easy Doc, Matt will be here in a minute." Miss Kitty said.

"Don't be so sure." The bigger cowboy said.

"You mean they shot Mister Dillon?" Chester asked.

As the two cowboys were distracted Jess and Little Joe jumped them, knocking their guns away and punching them. The bigger cowboy stumbled back into Hoss, who quickly knocked the man out. The other, also stumbling from being hit, turned and was met by Slip's right cross and fell to the floor.

Chester, Doc, Adam, Little Joe, and Jess rushed outside and looked around.

Matt was standing tall, having shot one cowboy as another two rode off.

"Are you okay Matt?" Kitty asked.

"Yes I'm fine. They tried to rob the bank, shot Luke Keel, he's dead.

As Chester told Matt what happened in the Long Branch Festus, Newly, and Quint walked up.

"Matthew, I rekon I better stay here with Newly and Chester to make sure these three don't get a idear about bustin out while you're gone." Festus explained.

Matt nodded. "Agreed. Matt looked around. Who wants to ride with me?"

"I'll go." Jess said. He looked over at Slim. "You don't mind riding to Hays alone to pick up the stage there do you?"

"I have to ride to Hays myself, taking something for Marshal." Quint said. "I'll ride with you.

"We're riding to Hayes as well to catch a train to Carson City on the way back to the Ponderosa. Ben added.

"Pa, I'm going to ride with the Marshal and Jess." Little Joe said.

His father nodded after a moment.

"I'll ride with you too Marshal." A man standing in The Long Branch's doorway said.

Matt looked back at the man, "Are you sure you'll feeling up to it?"

The man nodded. He then stepped forward and introduced himself to the people he didn't know, but had been watching from his corner seat in The Long Branch. "My name is Mike."

The men all shook hands. Mike eyed Jess for a minute, he looked striking similar to Ensign Harper.

"Alright, let's get mounted and ride." Marshal Dillon said as Chester brought him his horse.

Bremer, Jess, and Little Joe all mounted their horses and followed off behind Marshal Dillon at a gallop.


Several hours later, the posse tracked the men to a small farm house. The dirt farmers that had owned the house were long gone. As the four approached, the cowboys fired at them with their Winchester and Henry rifles.

"There's more than two people down there." Little Joe said.

"Musta been where they planned to meet the rest of their gang." Jess added.

Suddenly there was a noise in the brush to their left. Both Jess and Little Joe drew their guns with lightening speed but before they could shoot a rifle shot from behind them killed the man that was about to shoot them. The firing from the house continued, but the men were out of sight and range. Instead they watched a lone man ride up toward them holding a Winchester of his own.

"Thank you for the assist." Marshal Dillon said. Mat then eyed the man for a moment, "You look familiar. what's your name?"

"Jacob McCandles." The man replied.

"I thought you were dead." Matt said.

"Not hardly." Mister McCandles replied. "I was tracking these men when they tried to rob the bank in Dodge. I figured you'd either kill the ones that went to town of run them back here, so I stayed to make sure they didn't make a run for it."

"Well. thank you again." Matt replied.

Jess, Little Joe, Big Jake, Matt, and Mike took up positions around the building.

"You men down there." Matt yelled. "This is the Marshal from Dodge. You're surrounded. Make it easy on yourselves, throw your guns out."

The cowboys opened fire again.

"Marshal I think I can ease around behind them, catch em in a cross fire." Jess said.

"I'll go with him." Little Joe added.

"Alright, go. Open up on em when you're in position and we'll try to move closed then start firing too." Matt replied.

A few minutes later, Little Joe fired a shot at the cowboys, hitting one in the arm. The rest of the turned to shoot back which allowed Matt, Big Jake, and Mike to get closer. Once they did, they also fired at the cowboys. Another fell from a shot to his chest.

After a few minutes one of them yelled out. "Alright! We've had enough, we're coming out!"

The surviving cowboys threw their guns out and started walking out with their hands up. Matt handed out a pair of handcuffs and a couple of rawhide ties. They cuffed the men's hands then helped them onto their horses for the ride back to Dodge.

A short time later the men slowly rode into Dodge with the bank's money and three prisoners.


Outside the K'Temoc tapped in a few commands on the panel. "How long has he been in there?"

"Since the day after Christmas." K'Wor replied. "I'm not sure he even realizes he missed new years and it's 2397 now."

"And he still has us locked out." K'Temoc added. He tapped a few buttons. "He's combined his 'Gunsmoke' program with other 1950s and 1960s western television shows and movies. 'Laramie', 'Bonanza', 'Have Gun...Will Travel', 'The Rifleman', 'Wagon Train', 'Trackdown', 'Wanted: Dead or Alive', 'Maverick', 'Rawhide', and several movies by someone named John Wayne."

"This depression he's going through, not talking to anyone, drinking too much...I never thought I'd see dad like this." K'Wor added.

K'Temoc nodded. "There's only so much a man can take. Losing his wife, his youngest son not wanting to come home for Christmas, the loss of friends during the war, the loss of his ship. Your dad's been through a lot in the last couple of years. And that doesn't even touch the loss of Marc and Emma a few years ago, his first wife's death a few years before that."

K'Wor nodded, then a moment later said, "I know what'll bring him out." He tapped a few buttons on the panel then he and K'Temoc walked off, hopeful.


Back inside the holo-suite, Mike said sitting inside The Long Branch sharing a drink with Matt, Jess, Little Joe, and Big Jake.

"Hey Mike," Festus said as he walked in, "There's a telegram for ya down at thee Wells Fargo office."

"Thank you." Mike said.

He gave a respectful nod to the others then walked down to the office. Walking in the telegrapher handed him a note. "She's here."

"You expecting someone?" The older man asked.

After a moment, Mike let out a breath. "Actually, I am."


A few minutes later, still in his old west outfit, Mike stepped out of the holo-suit. He looked around at the corridor of Level 811 of Starbase 400 for a minute then proceeded toward a turbolift and up to Level 131. He looked out of one of the Observation Lounge windows at the brand new Odyssey class ship orbiting Starbase 400. A cross the hull it read 'NCC-1702-C - USS Pegasus'.

Mike proceed down the corridor to Transporter Room 6 and beamed over to the ship. There was very few people aboard and Mike slowly walked from the Transporter Room to the turbolift, then up to the Bridge. He walked around the Bridge slowly, looking at every station, every panel. After a few minutes he slowly sat in the Captain's chair.

Mike then took a deep breath, straightened his posture and relaxed his face into a near smile.


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