Mal reined in, gazing out at the west branch herd. It was the smallest of the Reynolds' herds and Mal was in charge of the round up. One hundred and two head of Shadow's finest short horns grazed in the grassy hollow before him. Mal squinted his blue eyes against the harsh morning sun, assessing how best to get the cattle out of the gulch and moving in the appropriate direction, namely: the ranch. Finally he turned his mare and gave a few orders to the other hands.

Hans and Klaus circled around to the north while Leroy went with Hevit to the west. That left Mal with Erica on the south face. At Mal's loud whistle, the hands rode down the embankments toward the cattle. With only one place to run, the bovines headed east along the flats toward the Reynolds' Ranch.

As the grass faded to bare earth, the hooves of the cattle churned it to billowing dust. Mal yanked out his kerchief and affixed it over his nose and mouth, noting each of the others do so as well. He glanced over at Erica, seeing only her dark eyes above the red kerchief. He smiled broadly, forgetting that his smile was hidden.

Suddenly, a large calf bolted from the herd. Mal's mare was quicker than Mal and nearly unseated him as she turned to dash after the runaway. Mal quickly regained his seat and leaned forward, working with his mount.

She was his favorite cow horse. She had proven herself one of the most nimble and had worked cattle for longer than Mal had. She was a sleek bay and as such sported a jet black mane and tail. He legs were also satiny black fading to a dark reddish chestnut that covered the rest of her body. Her delicate nose was black and an even, white blaze ran down the length of her face. As Mal well knew she was very ornery and would pull any number of tricks to catch her rider off guard. But when it came down to cattle, she didn't mess around.

She focused on the stray with singular vision. Mal was just so much baggage on her back for all the work he did. She caught up with the calf in a few long strides and shouldered it bodily back toward the herd. The calf got the idea and dashed back to the bovine midst.

Mal patted the mare's dusty neck and she nickered a response and promptly kicked up her heels. Mal was prepared and rode the half-hearted buck. They fell back into pace with Erica.

The drive took much of the day as the increasingly anxious cattle kept breaking away. They were hungry and tired. Mal could understand as he was feeling exactly the same way. The six cow hands were as covered in dust and sweat as their mounts and the cattle.

It was sunset when the ranch came into view and quite dark by the time the cattle were properly enclosed in pasture.

Mal dismounted stiffly and stretched, running his fingers through his dusty hair. His mare nudged him with her nose and nipped at his shirt.

"Hey now!" he brushed her away and began to untack. After the saddle was properly stored, he wiped the mare down with a dry sack, bringing some shine back into her coat. After she was freed from most of the dust and sweat, Mal led the mare to a paddock and released her to have a good roll and feed.

Mal headed to the ranch house, walking the darkened path confidently. As always after a hard day's work, the seventeen year-old felt a pang of longing for something more. He loved Shadow, loved the cattle and the horses and the hands. Loved his mother. But he couldn’t stop the longing. Longing for the stars.

Unbeknownst to his mother, Mal had been scanning the cortex for ads. He was looking for a ship that might want crewmen. A ship that would be in the area. Mal knew the searches would distress his mother, but he couldn’t help himself. He didn’t know what would happen if he found what he was looking for.

This night Mal found it. He sat and stared for a good long while, toweling newly washed hair. The ad was simple: a freighter was shipping a cargo of live beef from Shadow and wanted an experience cowhand to accompany them. Mal glanced at the schedule. It coincided so perfectly with the planed market day that Mal wondered if they weren’t taking Reynolds' beef. The date was only a few weeks away. It would be so easy to herd the cattle into town and hire out. So easy except the part about leaving his mother. Mal sighed and turned off the screen.

Mal was still unsure exactly how he wanted to proceed, but decided to make preparations. He did so surreptitiously, packing things of value or importance into his saddle bags. He avoided people for the most part, even Erica.

Mal, Geoff, and six other hands escorted the 200 head of short-horns to the City Center Port. Mal was nervous the whole way. He hadn’t said anything to his mother, nothing more than a simply good-bye in a 'see you tonight' kind of way. His moodiness did not go unnoticed. As soon as they had the cattle penned in the port paddocks, Geoff drew Mal aside.

"What's up with you, kid?"

Mal feigned ignorance. "Whadaya mean?" He looked the foreman in the eyes.

Geoff casually cuffed Mal on the side of his head.

"Hey!" Mal glared at him.

"Don’t get yer dander up, Mal." Geoff folded his arms. "Don’t you dare, ever play me for a fool. You know by now it ain't so." He drawled. "Yer off, I can see that. This teeny planet can't hold you." He lowered his voice and leaned toward Mal. "Yer mum'll be sore, y'know."

Mal lowered his gaze.

"I see you understand. Good. That guilt'll do ya well. See, I'm not gonna stop ya. I want you to find a life that's fit fer you. Just remember to send yer mum and me a wave now and again." He lay a weathered hand on the boy's shoulder.

Mal nodded, fighting tears. He couldn’t cry now, not at his age, not at this crucial point. He held out his hand to Geoff and shook hard. Then he turned to his saddle bags and walked away, straight-backed.