"There we go, just a little bit further," exhaled Will, as he scaled the jagged cliffside. Upon reaching its pinnacle, he rose to his feet. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he peered out into the foreign landscape. Hand still above his head, he shielded his eyes from the intense light. "It's perfect."
Reaching into his pocket, Will pulled out an intricate, visibly high-tech device. With acute focus, he held it outward and began scanning the surrounding countryside. About fifteen seconds later, he heard a loud beep. Now holding the device up closer to his eyes, Will let out a sigh of relief.
"I did it," he said. "I finally found one."
Born William Henry Oakley, Will was always the adventurous type. His parents--especially his father--were fascinated with old western culture, particularly the American frontier. The frontier's tale is one of conquest, but also survival and persistence. It's the story of the creation and defense of America's first western communities, and the establishment of law and order throughout newly settled regions.
Inspired by this time period, Will's parents opted to name their firstborn son after William H. Bonney, better known as Billy the Kid. An infamous outlaw, Billy the Kid was well respected for both his gunfighting ability and membership in the notorious Regulators gang.
Coincidentally, the family also shared its name with that of Annie Oakley, a legendary sharpshooter of the Wild West, but more on that later.
Back at the cliff, Will began exploring the surrounding area. "This can't be real. I couldn't possibly be the first one here," he exclaimed. "Atmospheric conditions check out. Plenty of water. CO2 levels are a little high, but there's still more than enough breathable oxygen here."
Will began fighting his way through a few hundred feet of woodland found atop the cliff. As he worked his way on through, he began to smell something familiar. How odd, he thought. "It smells kind of like a campfire." He started to worry, but pressed on. "It's probably nothing. Just a brushfire caused by the immense heat. I'm sure it happens all the time here."
As he landed on the other side of the brush, Will found himself overlooking an enormous valley down the other side of the cliff, with a magnificent forest. His mouth, now open, fell silent as he stood at the cliff's edge for several minutes, looking down at his newly discovered world.
The entire forest, at least as far as his eyes could see, was burning. Everything was on fire.
Finally able to speak, Will uttered something faintly under his breath.
"They did this."
YOU ARE READING
The Rise of the Space Cowboy
Science FictionThe old American frontier was as much a time of chaos and unrest as it was hope and prosperity. They called it the Wild West for a reason, you could say. This story, however, focuses on a new frontier. One that reaches far beyond our home planet, bu...
