Free Sons of Abraham: Pawns of Terror by Joseph Ray Page B

cattle ranches that stretched for hundreds of miles, all the way to the east coast of the western continent. The city grew quickly as the ranches became successful, creating the second largest trading post in the system. Other planets would send ships from the corners of the terraformed galaxy to retrieve loads of beef that the Taurus ranches provided, forming its own stock market overnight.
    Other businesses had sprouted up as well, ranging from equipment merchants to advertising agencies. The latter was thought to be a joke at first as the entire galaxy knew where to go for beef. However, as other planets were terraformed, the advertising became necessary, as was the stock market that dictated the price per pound. If the ranchers weren’t competitive with the markets of other planets, the business would slowly die, leaving Earth as the only place in need of their services. The government on Earth had attempted to prevent other planets from exporting their beef, keeping Taurus as the chief supplier to the galaxy. Monopoly laws, however, still remained in effect. Thus, the competitive prices were allowed to flourish, causing a fair amount of the smaller ranches to sell out to the larger ones. It seemed that the galactic monopoly gave way to the planet monopoly, causing four ranches to buy up all the usable lands they could afford in order to remain in business. Skirmishes had broken out amongst the competing ranches, forcing Taurus to create a security task force to maintain the peace. The task force grew, becoming the chief source of policing for the continent, as well as their own form of internal military. The incidents between the ranchers and the task force became so common that the MA’s were forced to intervene, forming their own outpost on the outskirts of the ranching community.
    Due to the flourishing trade amongst the blossoming shops and businesses of Taurus, spaceports became necessary. This is where Julius Quaid had opted to land the Hopper, the group agreeing that Bullsrun was large enough for Abraham to steal a data pad and inquire about himself over the stream. Per his request, the Cyber had left the ship on his own, not wishing to risk any of the crew on his mission. The laws of Taurus were harsh, adopting an eye for an eye mentality that was seldom seen in modern times.
    Abraham walked down one of the dozens of streets in Bullsrun, noting the variety of cultural influences upon the planet. Many of the buildings were made from wood, given the mild winters and availability of forest for building supplies. One whole street of the town had been dedicated towards the Old West on Earth, offering a line of wooden storefronts and trading post. The windows were the typical transitional plastic, a mainstay for those wishing to keep their electrical use to a minimum. The saloons on the street had glass doors that swung in both directions, a wooden cover shaped like the wooden doors of old, the glass allowing for the building to be sealed off from the weather.
    The nostalgic feel of the wooden structures was short lived as the buildings on the parallel street were towering monstrosities that left the Old West in its shadow. The tall buildings were surfaced in glass, rather transitional plastic, with only small bits of the building’s structure visible from the outside. To Abraham, they reminded him of the Divinity Corporation building where he’d liberating Cybill. His inability to repair her damaged processor flooding his mind, making him wish to look for a computer supply store rather than a public place to steal a data pad.
    “You look a little lost,” a woman’s voice called out from behind him.
    Abraham turned around to face the question. The woman was short, her hair hidden beneath a woven hat, red in color. Her dress matched in color, but she wore a pair of slacks beneath the dress, with small loafers peeking out.
    “I’m sorry, this is my first time in Bullsrun,” Abraham replied. “I’m afraid I am