PROLOGUE: MIGHTY FINE SHOOTIN’

Billings was a quiet town on a quiet rock. It wasn’t a city but it was the only town around with some semblance of a spaceport. There were only three official berths but occasionally they would fill up and a boat or two would land in the empty field behind them. The two men who emerged from the beat up old ore hauler one sunny afternoon in late summer were the rough and tumble type that was typical of those who docked in Billings so when they ambled off with their arms slung over each other’s shoulders, no one paid them much attention. They moved easily through the streets, searching for a place that offered a bite to eat and their favorite way to relax. There were several such establishments in Billings that could have fulfilled their requirements but they bypassed them all in favor of a little hole in the wall on the other side of town.

The man behind the counter looked up when the door opened, pausing in his task of slicing limes. A few locals were chatting at the bar and a couple more were seated at the tables. The barmaid was serving them cold beer and sandwiches. The two men strode up to the bar and waited for her to return.

The barmaid, Ella, could tell they weren’t locals. Their clothes weren’t worn with hard dirtside living and the skin on their faces was as pale as the moon. One had a hint of sunburn across his nose. The man on the right was older, going by the few strands of grey hair at his temples and the lines of his face. The other one was quite a looker, hair the color of corn silk and eyes as blue as the summer sky. Sensing the chance for a large tip, she put on her most charming smile. “So what’ll it be, gents? We got the meanest cha xiu bao this side of the Rim.”

The blue-eyed man gave her a slow, toothy smile. “Well honey, I think I’ll have a coupla yer buns then.”

The older one ordered the same, minus the innuendo. While they were waiting, Ella served them their drinks. The bartender’s wife peeked out into the seating area when she