Journeys of the Shepherd

Chapter 5: Turn Of Events

The next morning Smith returned to the Space Shepherd with a truck. Luke and Ash were called in to help put the barrels of petrol on the trailer. The loading took an hour, and they were exhausted when they were done. After the truck delivered the payload to Smith's storage terrain just outside Port Liberty, they went along with the captain, Foley, and Smith to a bar in town. They sat down at a table in the corner, and Smith ordered five glasses of rum. ''Round's on me.'' He said.

The waitress put their glasses on the table, they thanked her and gave her a tip. Luke wiped the sweat of his forehead, and drank from his glass of rum. He looked at his canvas shoes, he had been wearing them since he got on the ship. By now they were worn-out and covered in dust. It would probably be a good idea to buy some new shoes while they were on Ares ''So are you guys going to the festival tonight?'' Smith asked the pirates.

''What festival?'' The captain asked confused.

Smith looked at him as if he was from another world. ''Are you kidding me? Forgot what day it is today?''

''Sunday?''

''Independence Day!''

The captain slapped himself on the forehead. ''How could I forget!''

''I'm sorry if I sound like an idiot, but what is Independence Day?'' Luke asked curiously.

''You're not from the zone?'' Smith asked him. Luke shook his head. ''Well, you see. Thirty-four years ago...'' 

''It's the date when we finally got our freedom from the Federation.'' Foley interrupted Smith. There was a moment of silence, until Smith started talking again. ''So are you going to the festival?'' He asked them again.

The captain emptied his glass. ''Ofcourse! Would be a shame to miss the Independence Day festival.''

~*~

Sid hastely walked through along the street, and crossed Town's Square. Because of the preparations for the festival, Port Liberty was exceptionally crowded that day. The man walked into an alleyway, and stopped in front of a house. It looked neglected, the windows were boarded with wooden planks. He hesitated for a second, and knocked on the door. 

He could hear a loud voice.''Who's there?'' 

''It's Sid, sir.'' The man said, out of breath. The door opened.

''Get in, now.''

Sid looked around, he could barely see anything. In front of him stood a figure with one arm and a slouch hat. ''What brings you here, Sid?''

 ''I saw the Space Shepherd just out of town last night, Mr. Baker.''

''So the rumors are true, Hamilton is back in town.''

''It seems so, sir. You've got a plan?''

''The festival tonight, the whole town will be there. I'm sure Hamilton will be there too.''

''Is there anything you want me to do, sir?''

''Yes,'' Baker said. ''Gather your men. Because tonight, that bastard is gonna pay.''

 Luke was standing in a little store, looking at some shoes in the shelves. One pair in particular caught his attention: a pair of black leather jungle boots. Marshall stood next to him, and picked up the pair of boots from the shelf. ''Now these are some good quality shoes. True craftmanship, boots like this will last for years.''

''Do you think I should buy them?'' Luke asked, still doubtful about purchasing the boots.

 ''I don't know, it's your money. But I don't think your old pair will hold for much longer.''