Tales Of The Rocket Patrol

    When his rocket descended towards the planet, its pilot couldn't help but feel apprehensive. He wasn't afraid of fire but re-entry always made the hairs on the back of his head stick up.

    "Commander Roderick." the system called out. "You are not breathing."

    "I'm just holding my breath." Roderick replied. "I'm nervous."

    "Structural integrity is holding at ninety-seven percent." the rocket replied as it continued to dart through the flames. "There is nothing to fear."

    "Except fear itself." Roderick whispered to himself as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. While he was confident in the machine and its ability to take a beating, Roderick always feared that the ship would break down and he would burn to death. It never did, but that never stopped him from worrying about it every time he entered someone atmosphere. But as usual, his fears were for nothing as the ship broke through and the flames faded out of sight.

    "We have entered the atmosphere of Vector Twelve."

    The pilot breathed a little deeper and sighed as the worst was over. "Set course for landing zone five."

    "Course has been set, approaching landing zone five."

    Roderick waited as the ship made its way to the desired location and then made a perfect touchdown.

    "We have landed on Vector Twelve."

    "Thank you." Roderick said as he unstrapped himself from his seat and began to remove his space suit.

Vector was a name that the pilot and his fellow workers reserved for moons that were capable of sustaining life. This moon was actually located near a gigantic planetary mass known as Sub-Prime Alpha. The massive planet, which was roughly the size of Jupiter, was uninhabitable so it was ironic to discover that four of its seventeen moons were. It was his job to patrol the moons, to make sure there were no problems, no conflicts that would result in bloodshed and possibly the loss of life. As Roderick stepped out of the rocket ship, he took with him a bag that held rations for a few days travel, a change of clothes, weapons and other things he needed to bring with him for his mission.

"How long until sundown?" he asked the rocket.

    "Sub-Prime Apha will block the sun in three hours, seventeen minutes."

    "Guess I better get going then." Roderick replied as he put the bag on his back. "Lock up." The doors closed and the ship closed all it's windows with a thick plating of metal. It was locked down to prevent anyone from breaking in. Once the ship was secure, Roderick began what was going to be a decent hike into town.

    There were several colonies on the moons of Sub-Prime Alpha. Some of them were small like the one he was visiting today, while others were pretty much mega cities. Usually when he was visiting a mega city or a colony that was open to unlimited technology, there was no need to park outside of town. But this colony was a settlement that scowled on technology and only used a sparse amount of it, only enough to help them live a simple life. Rather than upset the folks with his space ship, the pilot always did the respectful thing which was to park his contraption far out of the town limits and walk in on the two feet God gave him. It was an approach that hadn't failed to keep tensions low whenever he came into town.

    Roderick took different paths into town, so it would be more difficult for people who were curious to find his ship. He didn't mind the walk either as he could use the exercise after sitting on his arse in a spacecraft for so many hours a day. As Roderick was coming down a hill, he stopped as he could have sworn he heard something. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

    "Someone is crying for help."

    Even thought he was away from it, Roderick always kept in constant communication through an interface that was inserted behind his ear directly into his brain. This was a secret that was only kept between Roderick and his fellow pilots. He even carried a radio to fool people into thinking that is how he communicated with his ship. A rouse that often saved his life.

    "Where is it coming from?" Roderick asked.

    "I am picking up a life form south east of your location."

    "I'm going to investigate."

    "I should warn you that Sub-Prime Alpha..."

    "I'm aware of the time." Roderick replied as he didn't care. "Someone's in trouble, you can guide me to town after I take care of this."

    "Affirmative, Commander Roderick."

    Roderick was aware that he was already running late, but this wasn't something a man of his statuette could ignore. This was after all his job, to protect people. He deviated from his trail and began to move towards where he though the cry had come from. Soon there was another sound that caught his attention. "What the hell was that?"

    "That was a Sabre Lion, Commander."

    Roderick kept moving in that direction, but drew his sidearm to be prepared to defend himself. Once the situation came into sight, Roderick was able to see what was going on. A small child, no more than ten had climbed into a tree to get away from the Sabre Lion. The creature chased the child and was clawing away at the tree but unable to climb after what it was hoping would be its next meal.

    "I am detecting that the Sabre Lion's adrenaline has its heart racing at top efficiency. Hitting it with a stun ray will have no effect."

    "I was afraid of that." Roderick replied as he set sidearm to lethal. He didn't like to take life any kind of life, but never backed away if the situation deemed it absolutely necessary. There was a child that needed his help and if that Lion refused to retreat, he would put it down. As Roderick approached the situation, he picked up a stone and tossed it in the direction of the Sabre Lion to get its attention. When the lion finally noticed he was there, it began to charge.

    "The Sabre Lion is attacking."

    "I can see that!" Roderick replied as he quickly aimed his gun at the approaching beast and fired. A small pale blue fireball exploded out of the small gun and hit the beast square in the chest. Upon impact the animal exploded as if someone had shoved a grenade down its throat. A light green ooze, which was the beast's blood splattered in all directions at least twenty feet. Roderick wasn't close enough to get drenched, but some of it caught his boots. "I just had those cleaned." Roderick said as he walked closer to the tree.

    "There were two more Sabre Lions in your area, but they retreated after you discharged your weapon."

    "Affirmative" Roderick said as he slowly approached the tree. He slowly lowered his gun and put it back into its holster. "Hi there."

    "Hello." The child called back. Roderick could now see that the child in the tree was a small girl.

    "Are you alright?" he quickly asked. She didn't respond but based on what he could see she only had a few scrapes and bruises. Roderick held out his arms to her. "You can come down now. They've all run off."

    After a short pause, the little girl reached out and took his hand and fell into his arms. Roderick carried her a few feet from the tree so she wouldn't get green ooze from the deceased lion on her feet. He then put her down on the ground. "My name is Commander Benjamin Roderick of the Rocket Patrol."

    "I'm Emma." the little girl replied.

    "It's nice to meet you Emma." Roderick said as he shook her hand. "Can you walk?"

    "Yes, Sir." She answered.

    He offered her his hand. "Let's get back into town before the sun is completely blocked out."

    "Two hours, eleven minutes."

    "Thank you for the update." Roderick called out.

    "Who are you talking to?" she asked.

    "It's not important." Roderick answered. "Let's get going."

    It took Roderick and Emma close to an hour to walk back to town and the sun was just starting to get blocked out by Sub-Prime Alpha. The problem was when the sun was blocked out by the planet it would take three days for it to come back out on the other side of the massive planet. It was going to be dark for quite some time and Roderick preferred to be back in town by the time the sun was completely out of the picture for the next seventy two hours. He had nothing to worry about as both he and Emma made good time and were back with sunlight to spare. Usually, Roderick would b-line for one of the salons for something to eat, but considering that he had a child with him, it was probably best to return the little girl to her home first.

    The township of Huntersville was not exactly something you would expect to see considering the technology that was available in the twenty-fifth century. Much like the Amish of the past, these folks preferred to live off as little technology as possible. They used technology help them with their food supply because the seasons were too out of whack to grow a crop on their own. That still never stopped some from trying. Walking into Huntersville, you would have sworn you walked back into the Wild West, which was always why Roderick volunteered to come out to this colony. He liked them and their simple ways, and they liked Roderick for not being a judgemental prick like the some of the other members of the Patrol. The town looked very nostalgic, something that his fellow patrolmen just couldn't appreciate.

    Once they strolled within the town limits, Roderick took one knee. "Emma, I need you to walk me to your parent's house. I'll make sure they go easy on you. Okay?"

    The young girl nodded. "Okay."

    Roderick walked with Emma as she led the way to a small cabin that near the outskirts of town. Once they reached the door, Roderick softly knocked on the door and waited. A few moments later, a lady about twenty years older than Emma opened the door.

    "Emma! Where have you been?" a moment later she realized that her daughter wasn't alone. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

    "Good evening Ma'am." Roderick replied. "My name is Commander Benjamin Roderick of the Rocket Patrol."

    "Commander." She acknowledged. "Is Emma in trouble?"

    "No Ma'am." Roderick replied. "I just bumped into her outside town and since I was heading this way, I wanted to make sure she got home safely."

    "Oh, thank you." the lady replied as she opened the door a little more. "Emma, go wash up for dinner."

    "Have a good night, Ma'am." Roderick said as he began to back up.

    "Good night, and thank you for bringing Emma home." She replied.

    "My pleasure." Roderick said before walking back toward the road. As he strolled down towards the salon, he calmly whispered. "Inform command that I have arrived in Huntersville for assignment."

    "Confirmation sent."

    Things looked the same as they usually did in the rural town. People were doing their business, walking around. Motorized vehicles were not permitted in town, only horses and carriages. It was a custom Roderick went out of his way to respect every time he came to visit and conduct his monthly reviews. "Monitor all channels and contact me if there are any unauthorized life signs within two hundred miles of town. Maintain radio silence unless something urgent comes up or until asked."

    "Affirmative, Commander."

    Roderick had been here many times before, so he was getting a good feel for how the town was mapped out. He was polite and greeted every person he passed with a nod, wishing them a good evening. As a member of the Patrol, he wanted to be friendly and outgoing so that when people did have problems, they would not be afraid to approach him. Sending the same patrolman into Huntersville was also a wise move as it built trust among the townspeople who were very untrusting of the people who lived off of advanced technology. Roderick has been making this run into Huntersville for almost two years and compared to the first time he showed up, he could tell the folk here were getting used to him. It was a gradual process and while the other patrolmen couldn't grasp the idea of living out on the moon with only the most basic tech, Roderick enjoyed visiting Huntersville as the simple life was almost like a vacation to get away from everything and recharge his batteries. Finally Roderick could see the Saloon where he always stayed when he was in town. While not the fanciest place in town to stay, Roderick has a soft spot in his heart for the old place as they not only provided a decent room to stay but having a bar and a good poker game only a few feet away didn't hurt either. The salon's staff was always very friendly to him as well and giving as much business to local shops was a good thing too.

    As Roderick strolled through the swinging door, he could hear the barkeep call him from bar. "Ben! About time you showed yer face!"

    "I had to make a detour." Roderick said as he approached the bar. "How are things going around here Jethro?"

    "Not much changes 'round here, Ben." Jethro replied as he set up a shot glass and filled it with homemade whiskey. "Welcome back, Commander."

    "Thanks, Jethro." Roderick said as he picked up the glass and drained it. "Damn it, Jethro! That's some strong shit!"

    "Puts hairs on yer chest!" Jethro joked.

    "That it will." Roderick agreed.

    "Magg Pie is a little upset." Jethro said. "She doesn't like it when you're late. Dinner might get cold."

    "Ah, I forgot about dinner." Roderick said as he handed his bag to Jethro. "Put that behind the bar, I'll be right back."

    Roderick walked back to the kitchen where an older lady, around her late fifties was slaving in the kitchen to make food for the patrons. "Maggs, I'm sorry for being late."

    "You had better give me a good excuse to go with that apology, Ben." Maggs called back out. Roderick liked Maggs. She was a hard working woman that everyone looked up to like a mother. She was also hard on him when he didn't make his bed in the mornings, which he thought was cute.

    Roderick put one leg up on the chair beside her. "Look at my boot."

    Maggs turned around and looked at his boot. "Ew, what is that shit?"

    "A Sabre Lion, or what's left of it." Roderick said as he took his foot off the chair. "It was trying to eat a local girl who had wandered too far out of town. That's why I'm late."

    Maggs responded by giving him a smile. "I believe you. There's no way you'd muck up your boots just to get out of trouble."

   "That is true." Roderick confirmed.

    She gave him a hug and then playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "Now go wash up for dinner."

    "Yes, Ma'am." Roderick said as he walked out to the bathroom to wash up. He didn't mind her mothering as it was part of the charm that he liked so much about the saloon. He went back to Jethro and took his bag and the key to his room before going upstairs. Once in his room, he changed his shirt, put his bag in the corner and went to think in his room to freshen up. Roderick had an electronic console on his left arm. It looked like a digital watch that covered over half his forearm. It was used to keep in touch with the ship as well as other things. He usually almost never took it off, and chose to wear a dress shirt so that he could hide it at the dinner table. Roderick then washed his hands as Maggs had asked and straightened out his hair before coming back downstairs for dinner.

    Maggs always went all out the first night Roderick came to town, and tonight was no different. Roast beef, mashed potatoes, Corn on the cob as well as Yorkshire pudding, which Maggs made only for him. With gravy slathered all over it, Roderick enjoyed ever bite. The only way he could have complimented Maggs more would be to lick the plate. When everything was finished, Roderick helped clear the table and went back to the kitchen to help Maggs do the dishes. "Once again Maggs, that meal was to die for."

    "Thanks hun." Maggs said without turning away from the dishes. "Is there something I can help you with?"

    "Nope." Roderick said as he grabbed a clothe and nudged her out of the way. "I'll clean and you dry. You know where to put everything so we'll be able to finish this a lot faster."

    "Thank you, Ben." Maggs said with a smile as she grabbed a dish towel to do the drying.

    "I'm the one who should be thanking you." Roderick said as he started scrubbing the first plate. "You and Jethro make this trip well worth the effort. I feel like I'm visiting family, which is why I happily volunteer to come out here for the Rocket Patrol."

    "Thanks hun." Maggs said again. "You're proof that not all those Space Cowboys are full of themselves."

    "Some are." Roderick confessed. "I could give you a few names."

    "Not necessary." Maggs said as she slapped him in the arm with her dish towel. "Now pick up the pace up or we'll be here all night."

    "Yes, Ma'am."

    Roderick woke up around seven that morning. He could have slept in if he wanted to but for some reason, his body was used to waking up that early everyday no matter what planet or moon he was on. He hooped out of bed, splashed some water in his face from the sink and cleaned himself up. As a neutral arbitrator for the territory, Roderick dressed himself in something a little more formal, just to give people the impression that the Rocket Patrol was taking the people's grievances very seriously. When he came down the stairs, Magg pie was eager to offer him something for breakfast.

    "I'm not too hungry right now Mags." Roderick said as he came down. He paused for a moment and took a deep breath and sighed as a pleasant aroma filled his nostrils. "Are those biscuits?"

    "Yes they are." Mags said with a smile.

    Roderick smiled back. "Can I grab a few and take them to the hearings?"

    "Of course you can, Ben." Mags said as she went back to grab a few fresh biscuits for him. She tossed them into a paper bag and rolled the top of the bag up so the steam wouldn't escape. She happily handed the bag over to the commander.

    "Thanks Mags." Roderick said as he took the bag from her. For a moment he felt like a small kid that was being handed his lunch before taking off for school. He left the saloon and started to stroll down the street towards the courthouse where he would preside over local disputes that couldn't be resolved by the local magistrate. The Rocket Patrol agreed to do this as the people trusted them to be an honest, unbiased judge on the matters. While Roderick found the process to be boring, he understood it was necessary process to keep the piece in this small but very productive off world colony. While walking towards the courthouse, Roderick almost bumped into someone who was running out from around the corner. It was Emma, the little girl he had saved from the Sabre Lion the night before.

    "Whoa there, little one." Roderick said as he grabbed her arm. "Is everything all right?"

    "Yeah." Emma replied. "I'm just going to a friends place to play."

    "All right." Roderick said as he looked down at her. Seeing her in direct daylight, Emma looked different from the previous night. She looked under nourished. He held up the small bag that Mags gave her. "Biscuit? Mags just made'em."

    Emma looked in the bag and grabbed a biscuit. As she took a deep bite, Roderick could see the stream rising from it. "Thank you." She said to him after finishing the first bite.

    Roderick shook the bag again. "Take one for your friend too." He watched as she happily took another. He knew they would both be eaten before she even got to her friend's house if she was going there at all. "I'll be at the courthouse all day and after that I'll be at Jethro's Saloon. Drop by if you need anything. Alright?"

    "Yes Sir." Emma answered before finally running off.

    When Roderick finally arrived to the courthouse, he could tell it was going to be a long day as there were close to a hundred people standing outside. They were lined up and ready to plead their case. Roderick was well aware that not everyone was going to like the decisions he was going to make that day, but his goal was to be fair and consistent. His goal was to make unbiased decisions to keep the peace and settle disputes, never showing favorites and recusing himself whenever there was a conflicts of interests. He made it clear to Mags to never bring up a case because he would never hear it so she was not to ever put him in that position. She had no problem respecting that request. There was no way Roderick was going to be able to hear everyone's case today, but he would try to do as many as possible. It usually took three or four days to hear everyone's case, which is why his visits usually lasted a week. Today's crowd looked a little bigger than usual, but people were eager to be first. Usually the line would shorten when people realized they wouldn't he heard today or if one case lasted a while and took up a good chunk of Roderick's time.

    Whenever Roderick felt an urge to say something witty or harsh, he silenced himself by taking a small bit out of Mag's biscuits. He kept his cool and breezed through the first several cases with ease, and then things got sticky. The Millers came in with another complaint about cattle grazing on their land. Turns out their neighbors, the Jones family, didn't keep their cows fenced in on their own property, letting them graze into the Miller's yard, eating their grass and leaving spots of manure everywhere. The last time Roderick heard this case, he had ordered the Jones family to build a new fence and keep their cows on their own land but it turns out that never happened. After listening to the two men scream at one another, Roderick finally stepped in.

    "Alright, settle down people" he called out. "From what I gather, that fence I asked wasn't made yet?"

    "No Sir." Mr. Miller replied.

    "Mr. Jones." Roderick started. "From what I was told, your crops and meat crops were so good last year, you didn't have enough room to store it all. Is that true?"

    "Yes Sir." Mr. Jones answered.

    "And how are they looking season?" Roderick asked.

    "Just as good, maybe better." Mr. Jones answered.

    "Now be honest with me." Roderick started. "You like it when the cows graze into the Miller's yard. From what I gathered, he takes good care of his property and the cows enjoy eating there."

    Jones paused for a moment. "Yes, Sir."

    "And because Mr. Miller doesn't use any chemicals," Roderick continued. "When you slaughter your cattle the meat is of a higher quality... is it not?"

    "Yes Sir." Mr. Jones replied.

    "So would it seem unreasonable to compensate Mr. Miller for helping you create a product of higher quality?" Roderick asked.

    "No, Sir." Mr. Jones answered.

    "What percent of your crops do you think would be fair?" Roderick asked. "This would also save you from having to give away overstock at discounted prices. Give us a number."

    Jones paused for a moment as he pondered the request. "Five percent."

    "Mr. Miller." Roderick said as he turned to face the other man. "Mr. Jones is offering you what I think is reasonable compensation for allowing his cows to graze on your property. Do you think five percent is reasonable?"

    "I believe so." Mr. Miller answered.

    Roderick sighed as it looked like this matter would finally be resolved. "Mr. Jones, failure to abide by the terms we just agreed to will result in a fine and possible jail time at a lunar prison facility. Is that understood?"

    "Yes Sir." Mr. Jones said as he nodded.

    "Excellent." Roderick said as he signed off on a ledger and softly pounded a small gavel onto the table before him. "I consider this matter is resolved."

    Roderick was about to hear the next matter when suddenly a voice went off in his head. "Commander Roderick, we have a situation."

    Roderick stood up. "I require a recess. I'll be back in 30 minutes." He pounded the gavel into the table again and walked out of the room and into the bathroom, pretending he wanted to pee. Once in the stall, he locked the door. "Report."

    "An unmarked vessel has landed two miles south of the town."

    "How many life forms?"

    "Censors detect two life forms but there could be more inside their vessel. They are walking towards town."

    "Are they armed?"

    "Affirmative."

    "Dammit." Roderick said as he walked out of the bathroom and left the courthouse. Located next to the courthouse was the Sheriff's office, which was convenient if he needed the Sheriff's help to break apart a fight should one break out during the hearings. "Sheriff, we need to talk."

    "What's up Commander?" the Sheriff asked.

    "We have two armed me coming walking towards town from the south." Roderick answered.

    "How do you know this?" the sheriff asked.

     No one was aware of the implant Roderick had that allowed him to stay in constant contact with his vessel. "I just do. We need to meet these men and disarm them before they come into town."

    "Why?" the sheriff asked. "My deputies can handle them."

    "No they can't." Roderick responded. "They're off worlders."

    The Sheriff sat up and grabbed the gun off his desk. "Let's go."

    Roderick and the Sheriff walked towards the part of town where his ship informed him the two intruders would enter. It was easy to notice the two men as they approached the town, as their high tech designer clothes and the space pistols by their sides were dead giveaways.

    "How do you want to handle this, Jerry?" Roderick called out to the Sheriff as they approached the two men.

    "I'll lead on this one." Jerry answered. "I appreciate the back up."

    "That's not a problem." Roderick answered as he stood by his friend's side.

    Jerry was a good Sheriff, but one who was well aware of the kind of trouble that came to town whenever someone off world strolled in unannounced. The town didn't like people introducing new technology to the town folk as they preferred to use a little as possible and many swindlers tried to prey on the people with new gadgets in an attempt to temp them into giving them a good profit for items that are dirt cheap to produce. They had no idea what the two men were coming to town for, but Roderick had a feeling it wasn't for anything legal.

    When they were within twenty feet of the two men, Jerry was the first to speak up. "Put you your hands, no guns in town."

    "I'm not giving up anything." The taller of the two called back. "What gives you the right to ask for anything?"

    "This township is tech free." The Sheriff called out. "No walking in with phasers or disrupters of any kind."

    "We're not here for any trouble." The second man called out.

    "Your unmarked vessel would suggest otherwise." Roderick snapped back at him.

    "And who the hell are you?" the second man then asked.

    Roderick grinned. He forgot that most people were not used to seeing him in his dress uniform, which was much different from the standard patrol garb. "My name is Commander Benjamin Roderick, Rocket Patrol."

    "Commander, their blood pressure is spiking..."

    Whenever Roderick was confronting someone, his vessel would always monitor their heart rates and that allowed him to know when the shit was going to hit the fan. A spike in blood pressure meant only one thing: they were about to draw on him and the Sheriff. Roderick grabbed his laser pistol and drew with lightning quick speed, firing a single shot which blew the shorter man clean off his feet. Roderick's weapon was set to stun, so the short man was still alive and lying on the ground with the wind completely knocked out of him. Roderick pointed the laser at the other man who hadn't been quick enough to draw his own weapon.

    "Use your left hand," Roderick instructed, "And slowly put it on the ground."

    The taller of the two did as he was told, using his left hand to unholster his weapon and slowly place it on the ground.

    Jerry was a little stunned by what had just transpired. "What the hell? Ben, why did you draw on them?"

    "Cause they were about to draw on me." Roderick answered.

    "And you know this how?" Jerry asked. He had been watching them both and couldn't tell and he considered himself a professional.

    "I don't think you really want to know how." Roderick answered as he approached the big man and picked his gun off the ground. "There's a nice cozy cell waiting for you and your friend. Pick him up off the ground and let's get going."

    The taller man did what he was told and they all walked back to the Sheriff's office. Once they returned there, Roderick locked them both up after searching them for more weapons or electronic devices that could help them escape. Roderick then took a small device out of his pocket and placed it on the desk. It was about the size of a baseball and the Sheriff watched as Roderick pressed a button on it and a green light came on and the small device started to buzz.

    "What the hell is that?" the Sheriff asked.

    "Something that blocks other devices from working." Roderick said as he grinned as his prisoners. "That means you can't call anyone left at your ship for help nor can they attempt to teleport you back to their location."

    The sheriff didn't like using tech in his town, but considering this one was preventing off world trouble makers from getting out and causing more trouble... he was willing to make an exception. Besides, the Rocket Patrol needed whatever tech they could to protect the town like theirs from people like the two thugs that now dwelled within his cell.

    "Can you put it somewhere else where it won't attract much attention?" he politely asked.

    "Of course." Roderick said as he picked up the small device and then placed it on the mantle behind his desk. There was a picture frame of his wife and kids, so Roderick hit the device behind that frame so no one else could see it. Once the device was stashed away, Roderick turned his attention towards the two men rotting in the Sheriff's cell. "Now, you care to tell me what you have against the Rocket Patrol?"

    "I don't know what you're talking about." The tall man answered.

    "Your blood pressure went through the roof the moment I identified myself." Roderick continued. "So much so that I'm pretty sure you guys were on your way to drawing your weapons when I beat you to it. So what do you have against the Rocket Patrol?"

    "I'm not telling you nothing!" the shorter one finally managed to spit out. He was still wheezing from being fired at earlier.

    "You were going to fire on me, and I want to know why." Roderick asked. He wasn't going anywhere until someone answered him.

    The two men said nothing. Roderick finally had enough and gestured to the Sheriff. "Watch these two, I'm going back to ...." He paused for a moment and then walked outside. "Roderick to Red Five."

    "What can I do for you, Commander." The ship replied.

    "Has there been any further activity around the unmarked spaceship?" Roderick quickly asked as he walked back to the courthouse.

    "There are three more life signs. Two of them are traveling further south, away from the town. They are not an immediate threat. One is remaining with the unmarked vessel."

    Roderick stopped and thought about it for a moment. "Keep watching the two men who are heading south. When they stop where they're going, I want you to do a deep rock scan of their surrounding area. I want to know exactly what they're looking for."

    "Understood, Commander."

     When Roderick returned to court, he immediately started to sift through his papers and look for specific disputes. He then came across a few he thought were very interesting, land disputes over mining rights to certain territories that more than one party is trying to stake as their own. Roderick grabbed the two files and marched back into the courtroom.

    "I apologize for the delay," Roderick started, "But I had pressing Rocket Patrol business. Now, I need address a specific case. I am looking for Wilbur Tennant. Is Mr. Tennant here?"

    A man stood up from the crowd. "I'm Wilbur Tennant."

    "Mr. Tennant." Roderick started as he opened the file. "The land in question detailed in your dispute; where is it located?"

    "It's located about ten miles north of town." Wilbur answered.

    "Thank you." Roderick said as he tossed the file back onto the table. "Please come back tomorrow and we'll settle your dispute then. I need to do some research before hearing your case."

    Wilbur was a little confused but he nodded. "Yes, Sir."

    Roderick open the other file he found in the docket. "Is there a Mrs. Annabelle Wilson present?"

    He looked around and finally a woman only a few years younger then himself stood up. Roderick recognized her almost immediately. It was the same women who answered the door when he returned Emma to the town the night before. Roderick took a deep breath, and continued.

    "Hello Ma'am," Roderick called out to her. "Can you tell me where the land you're trying to claim is located?"

    "Yes, Commander." Annabelle replied. "It's located, twenty miles south of here. My husband claimed it five years ago and after his death, ownership of that land should have fallen to me."

    "Commander, the two men who have left the unmarked vessel have stopped walking. They are standing in the exact spot she claims is her territory."

    "Start a deep rock scan." Roderick whispered.

    "Scan started."

    "I'm sorry, did you say something?" Mrs. Wilson asked.

    "No, I was just thinking out loud." Roderick looked at the docket again. "And there is a Mr. Montgomery who claims that the land is his. Mr. Montgomery, are you here?"

    A man on the other side of the courtroom stood up. He was wearing a very expensive suit, had a walking stick and other accessories that told Roderick all he needed to know about this fellow. 

    "I'm here as well, Commander." He answered with a smile. "Will you need some time to research this case as well?"

    "Not really." Roderick said as he tossed down the file. "I rule in favour of Mrs. Wilson. The land and everything on and under it is hers and hers alone."

    "On what grounds!" Mr. Montgomery roared when as he had no idea what was going on.

    "On the grounds that I doubt Mrs. Wilson can afford the hired workers that are currently on her land, trying to steal its resources." Roderick answered. "Nor do I think she hired the two thugs to come into town to raise some trouble. It's clear that their job was to distract me long enough for you pillage Mrs. Wilson's land before I had a chance to make a decision regarding your case."

    "This is outrageous!" the old man roared, veins popping out of his head.

    "No, it's criminal." Roderick pulled out his laser pistol and fired it in the courtroom, hitting Mr. Montgomery pretty much in the exact same place where he hit the shorter fellow on the outskirts of town. The beam which was still set to stun knocked the well dressed man clean off his feet and he landed hard on the wooden floor with a loud thud. Roderick then approached a man and picked him up off the floor. "You're under arrest."

    "On what charge?" the old man asked through the pain.

    "Let's start with mischief, which is what those two men you sent into town were doing." Roderick answered. "Trying to delay these hearings also counts as obstruction of my duties as well as the most important charges which are wasting my time and pissing me off!" Roderick bound Mr. Montgomery's hands behind his back and then turned to face the rest of the people who where there to settle their own disputes. "There will be no more hearings today. I will stay in town an extra day to make sure everyone's case is heard. Thank you for your patience."

    While the people didn't seem impressed with the early dismissal, the promise to stay in town and hear everyone out was enough to satisfy them as they left the courthouse and went back to their homes peacefully. Roderick walked Mr. Montgomery over to the Sheriff's office and tossed the old man in a cell next to the one the housed his two thugs.

    "Sorry for taking up so much space in your jail." He said as he locked the old man in his cell.

    "What is Mr. Montgomery doing here?" Jerry asked.

    "Do you care to tell him, Sir, or should I?" Roderick asked the old man who was now sitting on the cot and trying to calm down.

    "The only person I am going to speak with is my lawyer." Montgomery replied.

    "Well, that's all right. We've got other matters to take care of." Roderick said as he turned to the Sheriff. "Jerry, I need you, two deputies and four horses."

    "What's going on?" the Sheriff asked as he hopped out of his chair.

    Roderick grinned. "We need to make three more arrests."

    Roderick, the sheriff and two of his deputies took four horses from the stables and rode them out of town. When told how far out they had to go, the Sheriff insisted on going by horseback because he was too old to be strolling that far out of town by foot. Roderick understood and didn't mind taking a horse. It was something he's had to do more than once whenever visiting the town that looked down on any mode of tech transport. Roderick had always wanted to learn how to ride, so visiting this colony helped him learn the right way, which was useful whenever he had to use horses to track down an outlaw with the Sheriff.

    "Your riding skills have improved." The Sheriff noticed.

    "I've had lots of practice." Roderick said as he rode with the three men towards the location where the unmarked ship was. It only took the better part of ten minutes to ride towards the spot where the unmarked vessel was located. There were two men watching the spacecraft, waiting for the men on Mrs. Wilson's land.

    The Sheriff turned to face Roderick. "What do you suggest we do?"

    "I prefer we act in a way that doesn't result in us having to shot anyone." Roderick replied. "I know you don't like these things, but we're out of town and they're used to bring peaceful ends to what could potentially be a shoot out." Roderick pulled out a small sphere from his pocket which wasn't any larger than a tennis ball.

    "What the hell is that?" The Sheriff asked.

    "It's a short range, EMP charge." Roderick answered as he tossed the sphere when the two men's backs were turned. The ball landed softly on the ground and rolled until it was underneath the spacecraft.

    "Nice toss." One of the deputies commented.

    "Thanks." Roderick replied as he tapped the back of his ear. "Activate."

    The two men realized something was wrong when the ship lost all power and went offline. That was when Roderick, the Sheriff and his two deputies came riding over the hill and down towards the two men who were taken completely by surprise. They tried to draw their weapons only to find out that they were also affected by the small device.

    "Throw up your hands." the Sheriff called out. "You're both under arrest."

    "On what charge?" one of the men called out.

    "How about flying an unmarked spacecraft..." Roderick answered as he strolled up. "That's a big no no with the Rocket Patrol."

    One of the men tried to grab a metal pipe, but Roderick was too quick as he drew his phaser and floored him with a stun shot. Rather than risk anything, he turned the weapon on his friend and floored him with a stun shot as well. He turned to the Sheriff.

    "Have your men watch these jokers," Roderick suggested, "While we find out what their friends are doing on Mrs. Wilson's land."

    "Sounds good to me." The Sheriff replied as he nodded to his men. "Secure the prisoners and we'll be back soon."

    "Yes Sir." one of the deputies replied as he hopped off his horse and proceeded to cuff both men's hands behind their backs.

    "Let's get the rest of them." The Sheriff growled as he kicked his horse in the ribs and charged back up the hill.

    It only took a few moments to ride towards the section of land where Roderick's ship told him they were prospecting. When Roderick and the Sheriff arrived on the scene, it was evident that they were doing more than just looking around.

    "They're actually digging for something." The Sheriff guessed.

   "What could possibly be down there?" Roderick asked.

    "How the hell should I know?" The sheriff replied.

    "I am not detecting any minerals below them, Commander."

    "I've got this feeling they're not looking for anything that was naturally in there." Roderick thought as he reigned in his steed. "I think they're looking for something that was buried there."

    "I'm not smitten to wait and find out." The Sheriff said as he kicked his horse and charged the two men. "Hands up!" He called as he rode down towards where the two men were standing.

    While it was evident that the two men were surprised, they had come prepared as they both pulled out disruptors and fired at the Sheriff. Both of them had missed but the second shot knocked the lawman off his horse and sent him crashing to the group. Roderick came charging up behind him to assist but one of the two remaining thugs grabbed the sheriff and held the disruptor to his head.

    "I want you to drop your laser and surrender," The man called out. "Or the old man gets it."

    Roderick hopped off his steed and did as he was told, dropping the laser pistol the ground. "Relax Sheriff, it's going to be all right."

    "Now kick it over here!" the thug called out.

    Roderick was about to kick it but instead he grabbed another ball from his belt and tossed it into the middle of the area where the thugs were. At first they all thought it was a grenade based on how it looked, but it wasn't. It was another short range EMP and while people were busy trying to find cover the charge went off, disabling all their disruptors. Roderick's laser pistol however was not effected, nor was his link to Red. Both were made with chips that were immune to EMP blasts. Roderick picked his lazer pistol back up and immediately fired it at the thugs, knocking two off their feet and to the ground. The third that was holding the sheriff charged at Roderick and was able to tackle the Ranger before he got a third shot off. The two of them rolled on the ground and wrestled for the only working pistol there, but finally Roderick got the best of him and used the butt of his gun to pistol whip the man into unconsciousness. The forth man was also near Roderick and was carrying a large rock over his head, ready to hurl it at the Ranger. It was this point where a shot rang out. The man standing there with his rock dropped the boulder to the ground as he began to bleed from the hole that just opened in his chest cavity. Roderick turned around to see where the shot had come from. Standing there with her young daughter was Mrs. Wilson, who was holding a shotgun. She pumped the barrel and looked around.

   "These men are trespassing on my land." She informed them. "I have every right to shoot them."

    Roderick smiled as he stood up. "Yes, you do. It's also legal to shoot someone if you do so in assistance of an officer of the law. So what you did was perfectly legal, even if this turd doesn't make it."

    The Sheriff who was unharmed got back to his feet and used the cuffs he had on him to immobilize the other three thugs who were only stunned. He tipped his hat in Mrs. Wilson's direction.

    "Thanks for your help, Mrs. Wilson." The Sheriff said, adding a tip of his hat.

    "I came as soon as I heard someone was over here doing something." Mrs. Wilson said as she looked over at Roderick. "This is the second time you've helped us out."

    "I think you helped us this time too." Roderick said as he walked over to the where the men were excavating. "What on Jupiter's moon are they digging for down there?"

    "Scanners indicate that it's a small metallic object, Commander."

    Mrs. Wilson walked over to it as well. "The reason why my husband bought this ground was to search for relics from the species that used to live here. A single artifact could be sold for tens of thousands of credits on the open market."

    Roderick paused for a moment as he listened to Red give him more readings of the soil. "There are at least three four or five feet deeper form this hole. If you keep digging after we go, you should have more than enough to fund further digs."

    "How do you know that?" Mrs. Wilson asked.

    "I can't tell you." Roderick answered. "But it's true."

    "Thanks for your help." Emma called out as she ran up and Roderick a big hug.

    "You're welcome." Roderick said as he turned to the Sheriff. "We'll take these guys back to the jail and I'll have a transport come down and take them all to the capital planet to stand trail."

    "Good." The Sheriff said as he let out a deep sigh. "Cause it's getting rather crowded in there."

    "I know." Roderick said as he picked two men up off the ground. "Let's get moving, it's a long walk back to town!"

    It took the Sheriff and Roderick the better part of an hour to walk the prisoners back to town. With the ship they flew in on disabled by the EMP grenade, Roderick was very confident that they never had a chance to call for help which meant the ordeal was over. While riding back into town, Roderick ordered his ship to contact Rocket Patrol Command, known to officers of the patrol as the RPC, to send a ship to pick up multiple prisoners. The sun was moving behind the main planet so to avoid people getting upset by a ship land in or near their town. There was a small patch of land behind the Sheriff's house, and that was used to land a ship at night when no one was looking to ship prisoners out of town and to RPC headquarters for processing. The ship arrived just after seven in the evening after the sun went behind the main planet. Roderick was waiting in the back when he heard the soft humming of the engine, and backed away to the door to clear the space as the cloaked ship made its landing, putting four decent sized imprints into the backyard behind the Sheriff's office and jail. Moments later the ship uncloaked and the door opened. A man twenty years his senior stepped out of the ship.

    "Commander," He called out, "It's nice to see you again."

    "Likewise, Captain." Roderick said as he walked up and shook the old man's hand.

    Captain Jim Rogers was a thirty year veteran of the Rocket Patrol. He was the best pilot in the solar system and was often sent out whenever prisoners needed to be transferred or if high ranking members of government needed to be transported with discretion. Rogers was also the man who taught Roderick everything he knew about being a productive and thorough member of the Rocket Patrol. Roderick's first assignment out of the academy was working with Roger in the same transport. That was before he became an active space ranger with a ship of his own. Rogers made Roderick the pilot he is today, probably second only to his mentor.

    "How many do you have for us, Benny?" Rogers asked.

    "You know how much I hate to be called that." Roderick said as he scowled at the old man. "I have seven."

    "You have been busy." Rogers observed. "Come on rookie, we have seven scumbags who have a date with a Rocket Patrol tribunal."

    Roderick watched as a young woman, who could be any older than twenty-three, emerged from the transport. Her Rocket Patrol uniform squeezed her elegant hour glass frame, and her blonde hair was rolled up to not only make her less distracting but also to not get in her way when flying in zero gravity between planets.

    "Yes, Captain." She quickly replied as she walked past the two men and said nothing else.

    "Who's the new rookie?" Roderick casually asked.

    "A royal pain in my ass." Rogers said with a smile. "Her name is Miranda O'Brien, graduated top of her class last year at the academy."

    "O'Brien?" Roderick repeated. "Irish?"

    "Not from Earth, but definitely has background from that area." Rogers answered. "Her great, great, granpappy was born on Earth but she was born on the Irish colony in the Neptune sector."

    "Only the Irish could put up with that planet." Roderick replied. He'd known from experience. He was there several days and it didn't stop raining the entire time.

    "They're a tough bunch." Rogers said with a smile. "Separating each nation to a planet of their own has created great peace throughout the solar system."

    "I know." Roderick agreed. "Having light years of space between nations rather than a thin border has done wonders for Earth."

    "No wars for over two centuries." Rogers admitted. "That has to be a record for that rock. In recorded history at least."

    "Is she any good?" Roderick asked as he watched her walk one of the prisoners on board and then walk back in to get another once he was secured on board.

    "She reminds me of you when you were training with me." Rogers answered.

    "In other words, she's going to be the best." Roderick concluded.

    "Also the best pilot." Rogers also added. "She has a bright future."

    "Good to hear the RPC has a bright future, just in case we meet our makers sooner rather than later." Roderick said as he watched her walked two more prisoners on board. "Do you need any help, rookie?"

    O'Brien looked back at him. "That's alright Commander. I'm sure you are busy enough checking out my ass every time I walk by, Sir."

    "Do you have a problem with that, O'Brien?" Rogers snapped back.

    "Of course not, Captain." O'Brien answered. "I'm used to people staring at it, and I don't blame them. It's quite a sight."

    Roderick couldn't help but grin at the rookie's cocky attitude, which was very similar to how he conducted himself when he was in his first full year with the Patrol. O'Brien had a bright future indeed. "She has the right attitude for the job at least."

    "You can say that again." Rogers agreed. "Need a lift to the HQ?"

    "Nope, I got Red here." Roderick answered. "I also need to stay in town at least another day to finish up my work here. Today's events delayed some of the hearings."

    "Suit yourself." Rogers replied. "I can't understand how you can stand living in such a tech free environment."

    "It's almost like going on vacation." Roderick answered. "Sometimes a more simple life is refreshing and relaxing."

    "Well that's all of 'em, Benny." Rogers said as O'Brien went back on board without so much as a word. "She's not big on good byes."

    "That's alright," Roderick responded. "She'll be more friendly when she gets to know me."

    "I doubt it." Rogers disagreed. "This is the friendliest she's been in almost a month."

    Roderick laughed. "Get these guys back to HQ as soon as possible. No stopovers, this is a priority one arrest and zero contact with anyone unless it's an emergency."

    "Understood." the old man said as he gave a half-assed salute. "See ya around Benny, watch your six.

    "Always do." Roderick replied as he shook the Captain's hand and then watched as the old man got back on board the transport.

    The ship started to hover upwards and when it was about six feet off the ground, it re-cloaked so that it could leave town unnoticed. After the ship disappeared, he went back the saloon. He had to get some sleep before getting back to work on the left over hearings. As he walked back to the saloon, he hoped that Mags has something left over for him to eat. He would not be disappointed.

    As he had promised the previous day, Roderick resumed work and heard the rest of the grievances throughout the entire day. He took few breaks and was happy to be at the last case of the trip and was eager to get things settled quickly so that he wouldn't have to stay another day. As much as he enjoyed the trips down, after a while he started to miss his condo in Capital City, which was located in the middle of Earth Colony Gamma. Every time they came across a planet that looked and was very similar to Earth, it would be named after their home world out of respect to where all humans originate from. It was no where near as awesome or articulate as the original, but no one was allowed to reside on Earth unless they were born there. Those born off world could only move back to the mother planet if they passed as series of vigorous tests. The process took years and over ninety-five percent of all applicants were denied. Earth was a nice place to visit, but residence there was restricted to prevent another overpopulation event. Roderick tried not to think of his condo as he heard the final case of the day. It was a dispute over cattle, as they couldn't tell which belonged to the other whenever they mingled amongst one another. After hearing the two cattle farmers argue for well over twenty minutes, Roderick finally stepped in as he was losing his patience.

    "That's enough!" Roderick called out, which started all in the room. "I'm ready to rule against both of you and order all the cattle in contention slaughtered if you guys can't come to a consensus!"

    The farmers were both stunned by the statement. Neither knew what to say as they blankly looked at each other and then back at Roderick for an explanation.

    "I'm going to be back in a month," Roderick explained, "And if this isn't settled back then, I'm having red meat for dinner every night for a week. Understood?"

    They both nodded to signify their comprehension of the order. Roderick banged his gavel and the hearings were finally over. It had take over twelve hours to hear the rest of them out but it was finally done.

    "Warm up the engines and prepare for departure."Roderick ordered.

    "How long do you require for packing, Commander?"

    "I'm already packed and I brought my bags to the courthouse with me." Roderick replied. "I will be walking out of town in less than ten minutes."

    "Warming engines."

    Roderick handed his paperwork to the clerks, grabbed his bags and then left the courthouse. While he was walking down the street towards the part of town that lead to the path to his ship, he was joined by someone quite familiar.

    "You're not coming with me to my ship." He immediately declared.

    "I know." Emma answered. "Just to the edge of town?"

    "Alright," Roderick conceded, "How is your mom doing?"

    "She's doing fine." Emma answered. "Mom found an old artifact where you said it would be. How did you know that?"

    "I have my secrets." Roderick answered. "I need to keep a lot of what I do here hush hush or it might upset the locals."

    "I figured it has something to do with technology." Emma said, as she smiled at her own ability to figure it out. "Aren't you afraid the Sheriff might try to take it away?"

    "He can't." Roderick answered as he rolled up his sleeve to reveal a small screen and touch pad that had been surgically attached to his forearm. "He'd have to remove my arm to do that." 

    "Wow." Emma said as she looked at it, unfazed by the site of it. "What else on you is teched out?"

    "I've already shown you too much." Roderick said as the finally approached the edge of town. "This is the end of the line. I'll be back in a month. We'll talk more then."

    "Can I be an officer of the Rocket Patrol one day?" Emma asked.

    Roderick wouldn't recommend this job to just anyone but he could tell there was courage behind those eyes. "Normally I would say no, but after seeing you around those Saber wolves, I can see you have the courage to possibly be one of us."

    "You really think so?" Emma said with a wide grin.

    "You have to do well in school and study hard for the entrance exams." Roderick replied. "But if you work hard, I think you have a good chance."

    Emma walked up and gave Roderick a soft hug. "Thanks again for your help, Commander."

    "I was happy to help." Roderick said with a smile. "Take care and try to stay away from the wild animals out there, okay?"

    Emma nodded. She then stood there and watched as the Commander of the Rocket Patrol walked out of town and down the path until he was out of sight. Emma was born with a new energy. She would become a member of the patrol one day and show everyone that she was strong and capable of doing anything any man in the galaxy could. She ran home to tell her mom what Roderick had told her about becoming a part of the Patrol. Her future had never looked so bright as it did that day.