My life has irrevocably changed tonight. I will never be the person I was this morning, not ever again. Tonight I took a life. Have you killed a person? No? I don’t think you can understand the line you cross.
After dinner we made our way down to the lower decks of the station hoping to find Jared Vorner. The man we assumed killed Servena D’Rose in the alley behind the nightclub. The man we suspected was a trained assassin. I was the most naive person in the world as we descended down into the cargo bays. I’m not that person anymore.
We exited the turbo lift on deck 27. The corridor seemed to stretch on forever in front of us, doors lining the path on either side. Ava Ice tossed me a tricoder from a bag. Tracklerca already had one in hand leading the way. He took the left, I took the right, Ava took the lead phaser drawn.
We were a hundred yards down the corridor, I was amazed we were the only people down here, but I didn’t make a comment. Tracklerca stopped in front of bay 13 raising a hand. We stopped and waited. Without a word he nodded toward the door. There was someone in there.
I handed the tricorder back to Ava who put it a shoulder pouch. Then she pulled the dagger from its leg holster and check the safety was off my phaser which I hand pulled.
She nodded to Tracklerca and he keyed an entry code to the door, its loud whoosh announcing our arrival. There was no element of surprise.
The bay was long an narrow, blocks of crates large enough to stand in lined either side. Ava entered first, one tentative step at a time. I flanked right, the lizard man flanked left. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Ten paces in a voice from the back called out.
“That is far enough I think.”
“We just want to talk Vorner.” I called out.
Ava gave me a hard look, I shrugged my shoulders.
“Look. I don’t want to kill civilians, I just want to wait on my ride in peace.”
“Who was your target?”
There was a laugh. “Seriously? You didn’t find the body?”
“Just the woman that tried to kill you behind the club.”
Ava and Tracklerca were moving off to the left, leaving me standing there talking to the disembodied voice.
“then you have your answer, now go.”
“But we thought she was stopping you from hitting your intended target.”
“Funny how that works out. And you thought I was her only target.”
Ava and I looked at each other.
“I did you a huge favor my friend. If it wasn’t for me, your little colony would be in a world of hurt about now.”
“How’s that?” I asked.
Just then Tracklerca tripped and fell. As he picked himself up he unintentionally extended his phaser arm in the direction of the back of the bay. There was an instant lash of green phaser fire from a crate that caught the lizard man in the arm. He screamed in pain grabbing his arm. Ava dove for the floor, without thinking I raised my phaser and fired at the fleetest of movements. There was a thud as a body hit the floor, and then the only sound was Lizard man moaning.
Ava got up and ran down the left of the crates, diving between them and then I heard her run behind them. I ran down the right, crouching down, thinking I was making myself a smaller target.
I stopped. Listened. Hear Ava holstering her phaser. “He’s down.” she called.
I ran up and around a crate and found her standing over the man. Half his head was missing. I nearly fell against the wall. Ava walked up to me and took my phaser from my hand, holding it up.
“Maximum setting.” she handed it back to me. “Remind me not to piss you off.”
I looked down at Vorner, angry at myself for losing a lead. For not checking the setting on the phaser. For being stupid!
“Come on, station security will be here in minutes and I for one don’t want to have to answer any questions.” Ava said.
In no time we were climbing a jeffires tube, avoiding the turbo lift.
Half an hour later we were on our ship waiting on clearance to leave.
Ava drummed her fingers on the console, not taking her eyes off me. I waited on station security to board the ship and drag us away.
But the silence was broke by the dockmaster releasing us and in minutes the station was receding behind us.
And all I could see was the man I had killed.
