So here is a basic treatment of the story:

JERICHO

Jericho is a border town in the New Mexico Territory in the 1800's. It is the last outpost of a group of Mexican soldiers who are making their last stand since their country lost the Spanish-American War. The town is made up of regular white settlers, a small Native American tribe, Chinese immigrants, and a garrison of Mexican troops. General Richard T. Jamison sees Jericho as the last bit of Spanish spine he can break. He moves his army toward the town, taking the long way so as to frighten the town more. However, General Jamison knows that he will need a special soldier to be the heart and soul of the army since they will be attacking their own people. He needs a warrior of unparallel skill to be the tip of the spear. So he goes to Gabriel Cortez, known as Cortez the Killer; a notorious bounty hunter and gunslinger who was once a promising soldier under General Jamison's command. Jamison bribes Cortez into re-joining the campaign. This time, Cortez is sworn in as a US Marshall, giving him great power and freedom. Jamison sends Cortez to the town to put the fear into the townspeople. Arriving in town on the same day as Cortez is a Chinese immigrant by the name of Xi'an Tzu. The brother of a local shop owner, Xi'an has come to the town in order to find a new life for himself. Unfortunately for him, Cortez attacks and kills three Mexican soldiers in the store owned by his brother. Cortez threatens to kill Xi'an's brother, so Xi'an clashes with Cortez, using his knowledge of martial arts and family sword against Cortez' array of weapons and deadly aim. They both survive the clash as Mexican soldiers come in and break up the fight. Cortez, knowing the odds are against him, flees and finds refuge in a bordello where the Madame is not too found of the Mexican soldiers hiding out in her town. Xi'an is called before the town hall for his part in the brawl, he is cleared of any wrong doing, but the town asks him to serve as a sheriff's deputy. He agrees and moves in with his brother. Cortez and Xi'an run into each other a few more times as Cortez is after the Mexican commandante in the town. After a few weeks of clashing, an American soldier, Colonel Epting, rides into the town under a white flag and offers terms for a general surrender of the town. The Mexican Soldiers try to kill him, at which point Cortez helps the Colonel escape out of town and the two men ride to the American encampment. Jamison condemns Cortez for not being able to kill the Mexican Commandante, General Ruiz Velasco. Cortez returns to the town to finish the job but as he leaves, he sees an attachment of American soldiers following Colonel Epting toward the Native American tribe on the southern outskirts of the town. He witnesses the wholesale slaughter of the tribe by Colonel Epting. Cortez confronts Epting about the killing, at which point Epting tells him that it is only the beginning as American soldiers in disguise are going to infiltrate the town under the guise of a monthly delivery caravan and annihilate the townspeople. Cortez charges into the slaughter and kills Colonel Epting and his men. Before the slaughter, Xi'an was sent by Sheriff Bob Wood to the tribes campsite to talk the chief into bringing the tribe into the town so they will be a lot safer than they are out in the open with the Americans coming. Xi'an arrives late to the campsite and sees only Cortez wandering thru a field of dead men, women, and children. Xi'an attacks Cortez, thinking him responsible for the slaughter, a lengthy battles ensues with both men being sufficiently injured to slow the fight to a crawl. Cortez manages to convince Xian that he isnt responsible for the slaughter by allowing Xi'an to arrest him. Xian takes him to the town where Cortez is imprisoned in the local jail. Cortez repeatedly attempts to convince Sheriff Wood and Xi'an that American soldiers are going to infiltrate the town but they don't trust him or believe him. Everything is quite for a few days until, on the day of Cortez trial for killing 9 Mexican soldiers, the caravan arrives. The sheriff lets it into the town and the American soldiers attack. A large squad arrives in the courtroom and they kill everyone save for Judge Aaronow, Xi'an, and Cortez, who they unshackle and re-arm. Cortez tells them to kill Xi'an but as they line up to shoot him, Cortez turns on the soldiers, killing them all. Cortez tells the judge to run out to the first officer he sees since they wont shoot a local judge. Xian asks for Cortez help in getting his family out of the town, Cortez agrees and they fight their way thru the troops, get Xian family, then fight their way out of town to the West, taking horses with them. Xian tells his family to ride for California as fast as they can. As they leave, Xian and Cortez go back to the town to save as many people as they can. On the main street in the town, they run into General Jamison, who tells his men to kill Xian but Cortez and Xian manage to kill Jamisons men, leaving only the general himself. Xian faces off with the General when a bullet rips thru his chest from behind. Cortez stand with a smoking gun as Xian falls to his knees. Cortez shoots Xian two more times in the chest and Xian falls to the ground, dropping his sword. Jamison congratulates Cortez for his aid in taking the town, but he decries the amount of soldiers he had to kill in order to do it. Jamison jokingly says that Cortez deserves a medal to match the one Jamison will get. Cortez shoots General Jamison in the head, takes Xians sword, and walks out of the burning town on foot, disappearing into the smoke.

Epilogue:

A young Chinese boy living in San Francisco 15 years after the events in Jericho receives a package with no return address and no sender. The box contains a beautiful sword with burn marks on the sheath. The boys father is amazed with the sword and begins to tell the boy the story of a Chinese warrior from their family who fought a brave battle against evil men in a town called Jericho.

THE END

©2005 Huck Hinshaw for Epic Desert