Okay, this is one of the best stories I have read so far. The theme adherence was brilliantly pulled off. I felt like I was watching a western movie but in the future. I like westerns, by the way. Up until the last few paragraphs, I kind of likened it to High Plains Drifter or Pale Rider with the mining claim disputes. Those who are not into American Western history or movies might not get this quite as well as I did. After this, you then you turned it around and brought something else in out of the blue for a little twist. The only thing I may have to suggest that I was slightly disappointed in is that I expected the initial character you introduced would be more of a hero figure in some way than a bystander. Nicely done.