Read The Stars Came Back for Free Online

luck with the job. Maybe you can get out to-
    Bipasha: Yes, maybe so. We’ll see.
    They shake hands awkwardly, then she goes one way and he goes another.
     
    FADE TO BLACK

Harbin
    F ADE IN
    EXT - DAY - Desert valley
    Low angle camera, close-up view of Helton’s face as he lies face down in the sandy dirt, brightly lit by a reddish sun low in the sky. With a flopping sound a puff of dust blows by his face. He twitches, blinks his eyes, and squints as if he is just waking up. Camera pulls back for a wider view. He is lying on the ground, stretched out, with other people lying in the dirt near him. As he starts to groggily move some of the others also begin to make small movements. A big brute of a man, Slaver1, wearing something vaguely resembling a uniform, walks into view dragging two people by their collars. He drops them roughly in the dirt next to Helton and turns to walk back the way he came. Another big and rough looking man, Slaver2, wearing similar clothes, drags a child and woman and drops them carelessly. As the view expands, there are about two dozen men, women, and a few children, dropped like so many sandbags, scattered about on the dry, dusty ground of a desert basin around the loading ramp of a small anti-grav transport. A couple of them are recognizable from Helton’s dinner aboard ship. Slaver1 picks up a large canister, shaped like a two-gallon fire extinguisher, and turns it on the unconscious people, spraying a white chemical fog out over them, sweeping it back and forth as he stands on the ramp. The cloud settles down over the victims, then dissipates.
    Slaver1: Wakey wakey, sleeping beauties!
    Slaver2 thinks this hysterical and laughs loudly. People start to twitch and slowly turn over, shaking heads, spitting dirt out of their mouths, sitting up or getting unsteadily to their hands and knees. Slaver1 goes over and kicks the ones that aren’t moving. One groans and starts to stir. The other lays unmoving. He kicks her again. She lays there, unresponsive.
    Slaver1: One down already. Might have to put another bet in the pool.
    Slaver1 walks back to the ramp and hops on. He addresses the crowd with malevolent relish in his voice.
    Slaver1: Welcome to Hell. You can sit here an d die, but that’s no fun. For us, that is. Or, you can walk that way (points down a valley between two mesas) for a few days to get to the prison mine. Those that live that long will dig ‘lonium there ‘till you work off your debt. In the meantime, how many of you die on the march there will entertain us. I’m betting the pool that only 11 of you make it. He’s (hooking a thumb at Slaver2) betting on eight, ‘cause of all the weak ones he sees. But I’m an optimist.
    Passenger1: ( Unsteady but with growing rage) You can’t DO this to us! WHAT debt? When we get there, I’ll rip out your-
    S laver2 draws a pistol and BLAM! Passenger1 drops with a thud to in the dirt without a twitch.
    Slaver2: No, you won’t. ( To Slaver1) One less tough guy!
    With a c huckle and smirk, Slaver1 kicks a stack of 1 liter water bottles off the ramp.
    Slaver1: One each. You can fight over ‘em now or later, your choice. Got bets on that, too. (Evil grin) See you soon!
    The transport lifts up and speeds away, leaving the passengers gaping in disbelief. They slowly start to stand or crawl toward the water, unsteady as they recover from the effects of the sleeping gas.
    As Helton sits up he sees a very tough looking bearded Sikh in his late 40s sitting next to him, alternately looking at Harbin and eyeing the retreating flier, adjusting his turban and starting to flex and loosen up.
    Harbin: Name?
    Helton: Helton. Can’t say I’m glad to meet you.
    Harbin: Harbin. The same. ( Looks at the dead Passenger1 and shakes his head) Stupid.
    Helton: What the hell happened?
    They both move carefully to their knees.
    Harbin: Pirates. They can sell the ship and cargo . People are harder. A couple of inside guys can put knockout gas in the air but they