An Accident (Patreon)

Sorry about all these short scenes, but I'm confident that when pasted together, they're going to turn Executioner's Gambit into a great story!

Also, I'm really loving being home and able to write during the days. This is the best!

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“Accident? What do you mean, ‘accident’?”

Sutzir knelt on his washcloth, his ears low with worry as he watched his owner pace about the kitchen. The cleaning crew weren’t out yet, but Sutzir had woken early to be with his best friend. Daskatoma had left a message for his uncle the day before and was expecting a call back early this morning, but this sounded nothing like the call he’d anticipated.

Dask froze, his eyes unfocused into the distance. “What?” he whispered. “No, that can’t be right.”

Sutz bit his lip and tears formed in the black krakun’s eyes. “Well, then they told you wrong! He can’t be dead!”

The ringel tried to listen to Dask’s half of the conversation, but his head was spinning. An accident? Krakun never had accidents. Accidents were things that happened to slaves. If any job was prone to accidents, no krakun would ever take it!

The call had to be about Daskatoma’s uncle. Who else could it be regarding? Could he really have died in this accident?

The krakun hung up and set his communicator on the counter, then rested his forehead on his arms. Sutzir leapt to his paws and rushed over. He stroked his best friend’s forearm with both gloved paws. “Hey Dask?” he asked quietly. “You okay?”

The krakun choked on tears, barely managing, “I’ve killed my uncle.”

“What? No, that’s not possible!” shouted Sutzir.

“His shuttle crashed.” Daskatoma raised his mighty head slightly and released a shuddering breath. “Keeping the shuttle maintained was my job! He’s dead because I failed!”

“No, no, no!” Sutzir patted his buddy’s arm more urgently now, distressed at how upset Daskatoma had become. “You told him that it needed repair! I remember you telling me that. You said that he had to do it because you didn’t have a … something? Something that let you go get it fixed.”

Daskatoma left the kitchen in a rush but then seemed to lose focus on where he was headed. “I have to go! They’re investigating the crash.”

“You can’t go to a crash site!” shouted Sutzir. He rushed to the counter’s edge and furiously waved his arms. “You don’t know anything about shuttles. You’ll be in their way!”

“Right. Okay,” said the giant reptile. He grabbed the counter with two claws and lowered his head until he was eye-level with the environment-suited ringel. “I… I can go to the Sailor’s Gambit I… Tori is there. She understands investigations and stuff. She can figure out if this was my fault.”

“It’s not your fault!” shouted Sutzir in exasperation. “I can tell you that right now!”

“I… I have to go!” repeated the krakun as he turned toward the door. “If the shuttle is wrecked, then I can check out a replacement from the company. I just have to go and start the paperwork.”

“You’re not going anywhere!” Sutzir yelled so loud that his ears rang inside his helmet. “Look at you! You’re a mess, Dask. You’re in no shape to go anywhere—except maybe go visit your family?”

“No, I have to—”

“Not without me, you don’t,” said the ringel, stomping a boot on the counter.

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Reviewer's link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XgGZcRstJ6NjHNxBLs-OO5uSKnaHDOoJOSBop-3Y6gY/edit?usp=sharing

Thoughts?