Executioner's Gambit: Climax 2 (Patreon)

Will Tori get her man?

———

The trio froze, turning their heads to stare at the geroo with the green sash and cane.

“And look at that wound!” said Tori, sucking a breath from between her teeth. Sutzir ducked behind her, peeking at the others from around the investigator’s hip. “Nija really did get a piece of you, didn’t she?”

They stood in silence, but only for a moment. “C’mon Thojy, we’re almost there,” said Besho, ignoring Tori’s taunts. She took a couple cautious steps forward, then paused to make sure her mate was following.

Tori shook her head as she peeled the strand from her arm. “You’re not going anywhere.” She poked at her contact list. “Sese? I’ve got him. Escape hatch on ’25. Hurry.”

Thojy glared at her. “Get out of my way, Tori. I’m not letting you stop me.”

But despite the confidence and determination in his voice … he hesitated.

Tori bit her lip, grasping for a strategy. She felt sorry for Besho and wondered if any of this mess was her fault. The courts would surely find her guilty—and perhaps she was—but it was every bit as likely that her only true crime was trying to keep her family.

Tori knew almost nothing about her apart from her name—Thojy had mentioned it when he was hanging out at the neighbor’s apartment. But how far would the suited geroo go to get past Tori and Sutzir?

Tori was in no shape to fight, but then again, neither was Thojy. That left Besho and Sutzir—presuming that the little ringel would even take Tori’s side. Besho was loaded down, but she could set their son aside. Sutzir looked strong for his size, but that size was unimpressive.

“I’ll tell you what, Thojy… Let’s make a deal,” said Tori. She pressed herself against the wall and left as much room as she could between herself and Daskatoma’s tail. “I’ll let your mate and son get on that shuttle. I’ll forget that I ever saw them … but you gotta come in quietly.”

Besho straightened and then turned her helmet completely to shift her gaze between her mate and the investigator determined to take him away. “No!” she shrieked from within her helmet. The cub in her arms began to cry as well. “I’m not leaving without you!”

“You sure about that?” asked Tori. She waited until Thojy’s mate turned to look at her once more. “You want to face a charge of aiding and abetting a serial killer? I promise, the court isn’t going to let you off with a fine. It sure would be a shame for your son to grow up an orphan.”

“Don’t listen to her, Thojy!” Besho begged, but from the way his ears drooped, Tori could tell that he saw the reason in her words.

He leaned his back against the wall, freeing his paw to touch his mate and cub once more. “No, she’s right,” he said, quieter now. “You have to go on without me.”

“No!”

“You have to! Hurry!” he said with renewed panic. He glanced around, searching for other officers from security, but there was no guessing how much longer they had. Tori hadn’t stayed on her call to Sese long. For all she knew, she could have woken the big geroo from a sound sleep, or she could have been patrolling the next corridor over. He begged, “You have to go before security gets here.”

“No!” she sobbed. “I can’t.”

Thojy nestled his face between his mate’s chest and their squirming cub. With his free, he gave the cub a reassuring squeeze. “You have to, hon. This is your only chance.” He looked up and stared into her visor. “I’ve screwed everything up, and … this won’t fix it, but this is the only way any good can come from it.”

Tori could barely hear, “I love you.”

“I love both of you,” he replied, “always.”

And with that, she turned and ran. Both Tori and Thojy waited in silence until the orange suited figures leapt over the hatch’s rim and disappeared around a corner.

“Good decision,” said Tori, turning back to the Viper.

But Thojy was supporting himself with one paw against the wall again, taking slow and steady steps toward the airlock. “I’m still getting on that shuttle.”

“What?” Tori gasped. She took a panicked step backward to open up some room between them and nearly tripped over Sutzir. “We had a deal!”

He glared laser beams at her, not stopping. “My deal is with Dask. If I get on that shuttle, I’m good to go.” He shook his head. “You’ve got nothing, no killer, just a theory. I’m a ghost.”

“You’re going to be a ghost!” Tori shouted at him. She lifted her cane to keep some space between them. The thing was light and felt fragile in her grip, but it was all she had. She was in no shape to throw a punch, and she’d fall on her tail if she tried to kick him.

“Guys! Guys! Please don’t fight,” begged Sutzir. He stepped out from behind Tori, but was wise enough not to put himself between the two. “We can all be friends.” Tori realized that the three had been speaking in Geroo the whole time, leaving Sutzir to take just his best guesses at what they said.

At the raised voices, Daskatoma shifted his weight, desperately trying to turn far enough to see behind him. “What’s going on back there?”

“Hold still, Dask,” Tori shouted back, still holding her cane high, “unless you want to crush us!”

Thojy took another step forward. “I’m getting on that shuttle,” he promised, “and no cripple is going to stop me.”

“You’re a murderer, Thojy,” she growled back, the cane in her paws trembling. She retreated one more step, but her words remained firm, “and if I have to beat you bloody to keep you here, I will.”

Focus.

“Look at you! You couldn’t stop a door.” He stepped forward, backing her off a second time, and then a third. His voice turned low and deadly, “And for your information, I’m not a murderer. I’m an executioner.”

“No, you’re not,” she said as she backed away. “Executions are above board. Executions are official.”

She shook her head as she backed up. “Sneaking around, poisoning people’s drinks… That’s murder, Thojy. That’s why you’ll be tried and executed.”

At that, he paused. His voice turned less menacing, almost conversational. “There’s no need for that. Just let me go,” he said, advancing once more. “Dask told me to do it, and he’s entitled to execute anyone he sees fit.”

She shoved the cane toward his face, stopping only centimeters short before she backed away once more. “I can’t do that,” she said. “If I don’t bring you in, then the captain won’t authorize the surgery I need. I’ll die.”

Tori growled deep in her throat and her red fur bristled, standing on end. “So, either you die, or I do. We can’t both walk away from this.”

Plan.

He stepped forward once more. Tori glanced back. The hatch was growing near. Only one more apartment remained between them and the airlock—one more apartment and some electrical panels or some such. She didn’t dare take her eyes off Thojy long.

“We can!” Step. “There’s a third way.” Step. “Dask can authorize the surgery.” Step. “The captain can’t override him.” Step. “Then, you can let me go before security gets here.”

“No, he can’t,” said Tori, holding her ground for several seconds. “The captain used to follow Daskatoma’s orders on the presumption that he spoke for his uncle. But Troykintrassa is dead. Dask has no authority unless and until the company hires him to replace his uncle!”

Visualize.

Thojy lowered his head and snarled. The insides of his ears were pale. So were his gums. “I don’t want to hurt you, Tori,” he rasped, “but I will. Now, get out of my way.”

Tori took another couple steps back, past the last apartment door. She steeled herself. “You’re going to have to kill me, Thojy. I’m dead either way.”

Thojy stepped forward again, this time with both paws in front of him, claws grasping for her.

Afraid he’d pull the cane from her paws, she yanked it to the side and up across her shoulder. Focus, she reminded herself, swinging hard but not with all her strength. She needed to remain on her paws. She needed to hit the target. Visualize.

The cane’s rubber tip whistled through the air—directly into the kidney that Thojy had stopped keeping pressure on.

Execute.

The white geroo fell to his knees, cradling his wounded side once more. He howled in agony, and Tori took another step back.

Sutzir had tears in his eyes. He waved his paws. “Please stop fighting!”

The white geroo drew hard breaths and snorted the air back out his nose. He put one blood-slicked paw to the wall beside him and struggled to stand once more.

Tori held the cane before her once more.

“Get out of my way!” he shouted.

“No, never!” she shouted back.

Thojy closed his eyes and rested both shoulders against the wall for several breaths. He called out, “Help, Dask! Just order Tori’s surgery.” He let his head hang low, each breath labored and loud. “Authority or not, Captain Gutassi will listen to you!”

Daskatoma didn’t reply.

“Your policy is the only thing keeping her from getting surgery in the first place!” pleaded Thojy. “There’s no Commissioner. Perhaps there’s no policies?”

They both stared back at the krakun, waiting for … something.

“I…”

Tori set her ears low. She called out for both Thojy and Daskatoma to hear, “Are you sure you want to drag Dask into this?” Thojy turned back to her. “Maybe he wants to hear about victim number ten?”

“The list had ten names on it!” he roared, advancing two more steps.

Finally, the krakun had something to say, “We took that last name off, Thojy! The pill bottle only had nine pills in it.”

Tori grinned.

“It had ten!” shouted Thojy, advancing once more. “You wanted all ten dead.”

Tori ducked past an electrical panel and rested her shoulder against an access hatch. “And is Dask okay with how you killed Nija?” she called.

The white geroo lowered his voice. He shook his head, pleading. “Please don’t do this, Tori.”

Daskatoma asked, “How did you kill—”

But Tori interrupted as she took another step back. “You wanna tell him how you beat Nija to death with a pipe?” She cocked an ear, listening for a reaction. “I know you didn’t get her in one blow. I read the autopsy. Did you kick her once she was down?”

“Thojy?” asked the krakun in disbelief.

Tears ran down Thojy’s cheeks. He begged, “Oh, please, no!”

“Should I keep going, Thojy?” called Tori. “What about Nija’s son, Asui?”

“I didn’t kill him!” he shouted, advancing again.

“You nearly did. You set an innocent cub up as your patsy.”

“Is this true?”

“He was safe!” Thojy shouted with another step. “No court was ever gonna convict him.”

“You have no idea what court is like then,” said Tori. “Besides, Gutassi nearly did it. He was going to sacrifice Asui to save everyone else.”

Another step and the airlock hatch loomed close behind her. Tori could see it from the corner of her eye. “What about number eleven?”

Thojy’s eyes went wide and tragic, terrified that she’d destroy the friendship he had with the commissioner. He begged, his voice so low that Daskatoma couldn’t possibly hear. “Don’t do it, Tori. Dask couldn’t see how his uncle was using him, working for free for decades. Please don’t do it!”

“Number eleven?” called the krakun, heightened concern in his voice. “Who’s number eleven?”

With one more step, Thojy backed Tori up against the hatch’s edge. He was practically home free. With one shove, she’d topple over the rim, and he’d be safely inside before she could get her paws beneath her once more.

Tori felt the deck shaking beneath her paws. At first, she thought it was just her heart beating so hard it could burst, but soon she realized they were krakun footsteps.

“Deputy Commissioner Daskatoma?” roared Officer Jintauroka.

Tori and Thojy turned. There was nothing to see, just the hind end of an enormous krakun, but still they waited in silence. What would the dull green krakun think if he discovered this battle? How could they explain this?

“Uh… Hi?” said Daskatoma.

Grunting, scraping, the sound of a second krakun crawling into a narrow passageway so he could stick his face right up into the commissioner’s…

“What in the dead gods’ names are you doing here?” growled Officer Jintauroka, his voice lower now, but still it shook the walls, the frequency of the sounds matching the natural resonance of the aluminum panels.

The black krakun swallowed. “This is my ship,” he said, quieter. “I’m responsible for managing—”

“This ship is a crime scene!” Jintauroka shouted in his face.

“A crime scene?” gasped Dask. “What crime?”

“All untimely deaths are treated as suspicious until proven otherwise,” said the officer. “Now, get off this ship before I haul you in for tampering with an investigation!”

“Okay, okay, okay…”

Tori could hear more scrabbling, more struggling as Jintauroka reversed, pulling himself from the corridor. Daskatoma started backing toward the airlock as well, but much slower, much more cautiously. The hinges on a hatch groaned.

Tori stared at The Viper, her ears low and serious, her voice only a whisper. “Don’t make me do this, Thojy,” she begged. “You know he’ll never get over it. He’ll never forgive himself. Please don’t make me.”

“Just let me go…” he pleaded.

Suddenly, Tori blew out a huge breath of relief. She lowered the cane and squatted down against the airlock’s outer wall. Then, she closed her eyes and rested her head back on the wall behind her. For one shining moment, Thojy’s eyes lit, and his ears raised with hope that he had won, but Sese’s paw on his shoulder ripped that away.

“Thojy, you’re under arrest for the murder of Computer Chief Nija, and nine other officers, administrators, and supervisors,” she said. “Come quietly, or I’m going to make you wish that you had.”

“You have…” Tori panted as she rested her forehead on her knees, “great timing, Sese.”

“Sorry,” said the larger gal. She shoved Thojy into the corner and squeezed in with him, trying to leave as much room as possible for Daskatoma to back up. With her chin, she gestured toward the krakun. “I would have been here much earlier, but there were a couple wide loads blocking the way. I had to work my way through the engineering access corridor.”

Tori smiled, and Sese mouthed to her, “Promised I’d be here for ya!”

———

Reviewer's link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HJpjxKXlpE17ISyobWK-wikVYjQvgsIhzEl62FuooNk/edit?usp=sharing

Thoughts?