Short and Long Excerpts
from
The Stars Rain Down by Glenn Thomas
Short – from pg. 63:
The ugly truth about androids. They were always property owned, bought, and sold. The
debate had raged for decades. Centuries. Androids had no souls. The line between human and
android may have become blurred over the years, human copies that walked and talked like us, but
in actuality, they were no more than sophisticated computers on two feet.
But Catherine was not finished. “What if...” She hesitated. “What if I don’t want to go with IPS?”
“That will stir up a great deal of trouble. Let me ask you this. If you had your way, what would
you do? What do you want, Catherine?”
Catherine’s answer was quick and simple. “I want to stay here with you.”
“To be truthful with you, I wish you could. To give you up... it’s not easy. But we both need to
stay focused. Perhaps you do have a destiny, but whatever it may be, it is not here at Equinox. Do
you understand?”
Catherine thought that over. “You gave me life, Dr. Mercer. But you did not give me the right to
live it.”
Long – from pgs. 174-176
Catherine spotted the Sheriff across the city plaza as she made her way to his office. He rode his
tarantula spider, a large blue, heading for the public latrines to one side.
“Sheriff Duncan!” Catherine yelled as she strode over the dusty, unpaved road, making a straight
line toward the sheriff. “Sheriff! A word with you, please.”
Duncan gave little indication that he acknowledged Catherine’s presence. A slight nod of his head,
that was all. He brought his spider to a stop at the latrines.
Catherine caught up to him.
“What can I do for you, Cat?” Duncan asked, dismounting.
“It’s Catherine. And I must discuss the issues I’m having with your citizens.”
Duncan handed the reins of his spider to Catherine. “Hold on to Daisy, would you please?”
Perplexed, Catherine looked at the reins in her hands. “What?”
“I gotta use the john.” Duncan stepped into a vacant stall and closed the door behind him.
Catherine looked at Daisy at the other end of the reins. She was now in control of a large blue
tarantula, which peered back at her with three pairs of black eyes.
“Sheriff, this is—”
Daisy hissed and pulled back, knocking Catherine off balance.
Catherine regained her footing and tightened her grip on the reins. She found her best
authoritative voice. “Sheriff Duncan, I did not come to this planet to hold your spider.”
“You’re doing a fine job,” came Duncan’s voice from within the latrine.
Daisy yanked back again, but Catherine hung on, digging her feet in.
“My job is to find Rick McCabe, and your citizens are not helping at all.”
“What am I supposed to do about it?”
“I want you to put pressure on the ship dealers. Order them to cooperate.”
Daisy reared, throwing up her front legs and baring her fangs in a display of intimidation. She
hissed and growled.
Catherine hung on.
Duncan laughed. “Like that’s ever worked before.”
A man approached from behind Catherine. She became aware of him, but as she was preoccupied
with controlling Daisy, she did not turn to acknowledge him.
The spider tried Catherine’s patience, which was running thin even for an android. When Daisy
pulled back on the reins, Catherine yanked back.
“Submit to my authority! Beast!”
Daisy jerked backward, pulling Catherine off her feet and falling to the unpaved road, hard on her
belly. Catherine hung on but was dragged several feet across the tawny dust.
Having proved her point, Daisy stopped and waited for Catherine to regain her feet.
“You will comply!” Catherine shouted as she got her balance under her feet.
“Agent Mercer?” said a male voice behind her.
Catherine looked around to see the man who had approached a few moments before.
“I am Agent Mercer,” she said.
“Agent James Soto, IPS,” the newcomer said. He looked to be in his thirties, tall, of Asian descent.
“Is that you, Jim?” came Duncan’s voice from the latrine.
“It’s me, Bob,” Soto said. He looked to Catherine once more. “Here... Let me show you.” James
took the reins from Catherine.
At that exact moment, Daisy settled down. She came near him, releasing a rumble of
contentedness.
“You see?” he said. “Easy.” James guided Daisy back to the latrines.
Catherine brushed the dust from her clothes and said, “This animal does not like me.”
“Yeah, I think it’s all that ‘Submit to my authority’ stuff. You might wanna lighten up.”
Sheriff Duncan emerged from the latrine, pulling on his waistband. “Thanks, Jim. She wasn’t any
trouble, was she?”
“No, not at all.”
“Daisy can get a little spirited sometimes. That’s why we call her Crazy Daisy.”
Duncan took the reins from Soto.
“She was an absolute angel,” James said. “Right, Catherine?”
Catherine stared at Soto as the feeling of being the target of a prank sank in. She kept her thoughts
to herself and said nothing.
Duncan mounted his saddle on Daisy. “Say, Jim, I’m having a barbecue at my place this Saturday.
You’re invited.”
“Sounds great,” James said. “I’ll bring some beers.”
“Bring your little friend here, too.”
“I am not his little friend,” Catherine said, quick to make that distinction.
James smiled and nodded. “We’ll see you Saturday.”
Duncan pulled his well-behaved and obedient spider away from the latrines, kicked her into
motion, and headed down the road.
“Two-o-clock,” Duncan said before moving out of earshot.
Catherine watched the sheriff riding off on Daisy. She shook her head. “I will never understand
these people. This planet.”
“Not so bad once you get used to it. I’ve been here two years now. Kinda like it.”
“Everything is out of control. I find the people boorish and obstinate.”
Catherine walked from the latrines with no destination in mind. Just get away from there.
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