Chapter 13: Preparing Death

I received a dark red dress and hood, just like Dawn, someone had handed me a little golden pin with the Justice Logo and the sword. Then I was sworn in as member of the Justice Department, Corrections and Punishment Division, Deputy Executioner. That was one title and career I certainly had not dreamt about. After a two hour session under a Cerebral Up loader, cramming my head with laws and regulations, the Union Judge updated my CIT and said. “Don’t look at me like that. Even as a Klack I can see your frown. I promise you it’s going to be over soon and you will have done the Union a great service.”

The ever present Union Police officer handed me a holster with a blaster.” As member of the Corrections and Punishment Division you are authorized to carry up to Level VII weapons at all times. I suggest you do not advertise much what you are.”

Dawn came in the room and said.” I am terribly sorry for all this. I really haven’t planned it to turn out that way.”

“I know I can blame no one but myself. Somehow I have a great talent for ending up in such situations I don’t really want.”

She sighed and said. “Put on your hood. We are going to check the gallows and see the prisoners now.” She handed me an official PDD in Clip board mode and said. “This part is easy. You don’t have to do much. Just check off the points on the list and record everything I say and do.”

She too now carried a belt with a holster.

This time we went out the front door and the crows went silent as they saw us, but then someone yelled. “Make ‘em twitch a few minutes. Those bastards sold my sister to the Togar.”

After we sat in the Police flier I asked.” Do you know why hanging is used?”

She nodded. “It is one of the ten execution methods approved by the Union. Hanging is a truly ancient method of execution for pirates and is also used by the Navy to execute mutineers and traitors.”

She added. “Union member societies usually have their own methods and most are accepted by the Justice Department. In some cases the delinquent may choose the way. It really depends on the culture, the crime and the species of the delinquent. You could hang a Klack all day long without ill effect. There was one X101 execution and they simply turned him off. Hanging can be very rough and I hope it will all go quickly.”

The Gallows were a metal scaffold put up in a picturesque park. Like the rest of the city it was deep below the ice buried into the rocky core of the planet. Most of Corri-City was a network of tunnels Housing and businesses build into the tunnel walls, normally about seven hundred thousand beings lived and worked here, but the recent events and the news of the executions had swelled it to over a million, so the Police Chief told me.

The town center was built in an artificial cave of about one kilometer in diameter. Here the houses and buildings not hugging the cave walls looked very much like regular buildings with windows, doors, advertisement signs and roofs. There were ten streets coming from the tunnel arms leading to the center of the city with real Terran oaks and grass. A little fusion Sun was suspended underneath the cave ceiling.

The drab gray scaffold seemed out of place in the green park. On top of the scaffold, mounted between two upright columns, a cross beam with twenty nooses. The gallows were cordoned off by police and barriers. Robots and workers put up rows and rows of chairs on the other side of the barrier. Twenty elongated boxes were just unloaded from a cargo flyer and placed underneath the scaffold. More than the nooses it brought home to me what would happen here tomorrow.

Beyond the park and the chairs, I noticed vendors putting up tables and sales booths.

I pointed them out and Dawn said. “It is inevitable. Even though the law prohibits making executions into an entertainment circus. We cannot prohibit vendors form putting up sales stands on private property and while this aspect galls me greatly, they will do brisk business tomorrow. There will be plenty of news media, huge cheering crowds and always a few protesters, not that I think we will see any tomorrow. This is basically a military installation, even though Corri-Door is a civilian colony”

A Sentmac X101 and a blue faced Thauran in work coveralls greeted us at the bottom of the stairs. The machine being padded the hand railing. “We put great effort in making it nice and solid, Chief Executioner. The Thauran was chewing something.”It’s the biggest one we build so far for the justice department.”

Dawn turned to me. “That is Seris Seveneightseven, he runs a small specialty business building execution devices such as scaffolds for the Justice Department. I worked with him a few times before.”

I tried to keep the sarcastic tone out of my voice.”I guess he found a nice market.”

The whole contraption was quite simple; a set of hydraulic arms would yank the cross bar two meters in the air, suspending anyone attached to those nooses off the ground. Each noose had life sensors embedded and would turn twenty green lights on a small control board to red when there was no life signs detected. Trapdoors would then open and the bodies released and slide directly into the open coffins. All was thought out and very efficient, in a macabre way.

Dawn checked the equipment and tested a random noose with a test tummy. I was behind her making the required check marks when she told me to do so. She told me that the justice department basically copied the Union Fleet manual on executions and she found there was no institution in the known universe more efficient in making detailed manuals on every possible subject. Dawn took great care and made sure every detail was checked and tested and approved by her inspection. She found a little drop of hydraulic fluid at one of the lines and made Seris check, then replace the line and test the contraption again. Only then she was satisfied and we went on to the prison.

The prison was located in a prefab building drab looking building underneath a force field dome on the surface of the cold planet. Every door was guarded by at least two fully armored and armed guard and one menacing looking robot. There were at least twenty doors we passed through till we reached the cell tract with the prisoners. Dawn and I had to leave our weapons behind.

Each of the seventeen Dai was held in small cells out of solid Ultronit, with Ultronit bars and a force field closing the cells to the corridor. The Dai were kept in clear plastic coveralls, I found very humiliating.

The Prison guard who accompanied us said. “We have to keep them under High threat confinement as they try to kill everyone including themselves. The coveralls have mittens that allow the prisoner to hold food cups and feed themselves, but keep fingers away from throats and eyes. They are highly trained warriors who know dozens of ways to kill with their bare hands.”

I still found it demeaning and I was sure there were other ways to keep a prisoner. Besides if they commit suicide what was the harm, other than taking this sorry task away from the Executioner?

None of the first ten Dai Dawn spoke to would even so much as part their lips and simply stare into the distance. The eleventh looked somewhat younger than the rest and tried to spat, but his spittle evaporated as it hit the force field.” So what are you, some sort of priestesses?”

Dawn said. I am the Chief Executioner tasked to fulfill the sentence tomorrow. We came to see if you have any last wish or request or if you have anyone you like to call or talk to. Do you wish to have a priest or some religious representative present?”

It took him a moment and then he understood. “You are the ones that going to kill us tomorrow. Yes I have a last wish. I want to fight your strongest and best warrior, knifes, swords, bare hands no matter. I do not want to die by the hands of a woman.”

“This is not a choice you have. Executioners have no face and no gender. We are simply tools of justice. You may request something to eat, a special song, music, entertainment or something similar. According to your documents you refused to be pardoned by joining the Dai Clans that have become Union Members.”

“You Unions know nothing of the Dai. Offering me to become an Ulkatai slave in an enemy clan is worse than death; to be Ulkatai in a clan of Okthi-Dai not only my spirit but the spirits of all my forefathers would be shamed.

I glanced on the clip board and pulled up his information. According to this he was one of the youngest Tribal Chiefs know to the Dai and took part in the Partook massacre. According to his mind dump he had sold over a thousand Partook slaves to the Slave traders of Alvor’s Cove.

He was eager to make himself a name and was among the first tribal leaders to pursue the tribes that made the decision to join the Union and was among the first across in Union Space with blazing cannons.

No matter what Dawn said after that made him speak another word.

The rest of the Dai were as stoic silent as the others. Three of the Delinquents were not Dai. One was a thief caught with a whole kilo of Califerm at a colony 12 light years from Corri-Door and brought here to be executed after a local court had found him guilty. The second was a human Saresii found guilty using psionics to influence others to empty their Credit strips into his, and then commit suicide. I had to admit this was a case where I fully agreed with the sentence. That had to be the most heinous and cowardly way to kill someone, by making them commit suicide.

The last one was to my surprise a woman. She had killed her husband and her mother in law. She was a resident of one of the Floating cities and had been arrested in the Bubble Top restaurant celebrating with her new lover.

She cried as she saw us and pleated for her life. I was glad for the hood. It provided me with distance. She finally asked for some food dish and some perfume. She wanted to have her hair done and Dawn promised to have a hair dresser come.

Finally outside again I realized how depressing and how much the prison and the fate of the 20 had affected me. Even though it was exactly the same artificial created air I felt I could breathe easier.

Dawn put her hand on my shoulder. “You did great. I know the first time is always the hardest.”

“I don’t mind your company Dawn but I sure hope this is the last time I ever have to do something like this.”

“We are almost done; all that is left is to file the paper work and give the Justice Department my okay and then we are off till tomorrow. The Department has found us accommodations here on Corri-Dorr. So we don’t have to go all the way back to the Gas planet. We do have to get up early in the morning you know.”

Interlude 14: Galactic Politics

The First among the Saresii Algear Moansti was one of the Seven Elected. Saresii leaders were elected for life and only replaced if they retired on their own or died. Even though he was biological male and over almost 260 years old, he appeared like all Saresii to be a statuesque beautiful woman with very long silvery hair and purple eyes and like most he wore a skin tight velvet suit.

A little while ago a man from a human Colony world, he had previously never heard of came to Sares Prime One and asked for help with is deteriorating health. It turned out this human was easily on par with all but the most powerful Saresii psionic talents and displayed not one but several psionic powers. He was a Telepath so skilled he could address and talk to three or four individuals at the same time and about different subjects and had such precise telekinetic control he could influence his own cell structure to heal itself. Egill Skallagrímsson of Nilfeheim was over five hundred years old, without the aid of any modern life expanding medicine and had a Heidelberg Psi Index of over three thousand. No other human of Terran origin had ever been measured that high. There were less than ten Saresii alive with psionics that powrful When he came to Sares it was determined he suffered a rare psionic disease called Mohir Gland disease that sometimes affected Saresii of similar high talent. A careful treatment with refined Califerm and a temporary neutralization of his powers successfully restored the Old Man’s abilities; this and a physical medicine cell refresh therapy and a detoxification of his body.

Egill had become a good friend of Algear. Egill who was his planets representative came very often to Sares and Algear visited him frequently on Pluribus. The fact that Pluribus was connected via Space train and it took only 15 minutes was very helpful in growing this friendship. Algear found the Old Human not only very intelligent but they shared the same open grumpiness and the same sense of humor.

Algear shared secrets and concerns with Egill he would not share with most Saresii and certainly not with other humans. He was confident Egill kept his secrets as he had never shared with anyone that there was a fish like creature on Nilfeheim that, according to Egill gave him the psionic abilities. Algear looked forward to meet Tyr when the fish awoke from its seven year slumber. He knew the Tyr’s peaceful life would come to an end if anyone would hear about a god like creature that could bestow psionic talents and of such magnitude and therefore he would take this to his grave and not divulge this knowledge.

He had just arrived on Pluribus. There was much going on lately and while Algear was not the official Sares representative, as the Highest Elected leader he could speak for Sares at any time. As it became his habit he no longer went to the large Saresii Alcove but joined his friend in the little planet representative alcove far up in the Assembly Sphere. He had disturbing news. One of their micro drones had returned from Kermac Prime. The bald headed meddlers were again up to something. There was no tangible evidence that the Kermac were responsible for the Y’All attacks but the conversations recorded indicated it very likely to be the case. Somehow they were able to call this menace and now they wanted to call whoever created the Y’All and if the recordings of the micro drone were correct, it were the same who defeated the Celtest and destroyed all Saresii colonies so long ago, the Dark Ones.

He simply need more information on that and decided to contact the mysterious leader of the Terran Space Intelligence Service, code named Cherubim, later today and he wanted to talk with Egill about it. The Old man had little knowledge of Galactic affairs but despite or because of it he often looked at things differently and usually had a very sensible take on things.

He slipped into the Alcove and sat next to Egill, who seemed to be asleep, but without opening his eyes he grunted. “How can anyone find some rest if you make this racket with those cursed high heeled boots of yours?”

“You are just jealous because you would break that wrinkled neck of yours trying to walk five meters in those. But then no human male could.”

Egill opened one eye and grinned. “I bet my grandson could run circles around you doing just that.”

“Your grandson? I don’t think you told me that you actually have a grandson. Is he still alive, he must be quite old if he is your grandson.”

“I just don’t want to add all the Grand, grand, Grand I would have to be accurate. Human vocabulary simply did not come up with an apropiate term. I should be long dead and forgotten.

He will soon turn seventeen and is the son of a distant granddaughter of mine. He is my pride and joy and if you ever meet him and tell him I said that, I break your pretty neck.”

“You are not talking about that Sif girl, right?”

“No she is not related to me. I told you about her. It was you who helped me to get her accepted at Politica-University.”

“Yes, but despite her good looks she appears quite butch to me and I never seen her in high heeled boots.”

“If you say that she prefers woman and all that, then you are correct. It’s why Tyr has chosen her to be the first female warrior of Nilfeheim. She loved to break into this previous male domain. She is dating a Pan Saran woman right now if I am not mistaken.”

“Tell me about your grandson then, you never spoke of him and I thought I am your friend.”

“A nosy friend at that, I guess these are the side effects of your all female society. Even the men love family gossip.”

The First Saresii spread his hands.” I guess that is true to an extent, but you are just as curious about me and Sares and pretty much everything else.” Algear sat down and dialed himself a cup of Terran tea from the refreshment menu. “Has he psionic talents like you?”

“Right now he is not, but Tyr says he has great potential. Eric doesn’t really like psionics. In many ways he is as Neo Viking as you can be.”

Algear noticed the almost invisible proud smile on the usual brooding face of his friend, but kept quiet not to interrupt the Nilfeheim representative.

Egill dug in his chest pocket and handed Algear a small Holo Sheet. On it he saw a young man riding on an incredibly huge and dangerous looking fish like being.” That is Eric and Tyr. My big friend likes me, but I know Tyr long enough to know he loves Eric. He took Eric to the bottom of the Oceans and showed him places no human has ever seen. Tyr bestowed on him an extra sense, it is not psionic by the way but partially based on sonar and Lorenzii receptors, detecting electrical fields. It is still developing and will take years to truly affect him, and he needs to learn how to use it too.”

“That is quite amazing. I truly look forward to meet Tyr. So this grandson is he still on Nilfeheim?”

“No, he has left Nilfeheim and right now he is supposed to be on his way to the Union Fleet Academy, but him being Eric he ran into more trouble and even got involved in the Dai battle.”

“To the Academy of all places, sounds like a strange choice for a Neo Viking from what you tell me about your planet.”

“Eric had a very tough childhood. His father beat his mother to death before his eyes when he was five. He was tortured and abused by his father in a way you could not even imagine. Despite all this he turned out quite alright, except for a strange affliction. He likes to dress up like a girl, much like you. Out here it makes no big difference of course, but on Nilfeheim it is a curse.”

“Maybe he should come to Sares and see that his affliction is not a handicap and shared by 54 Billion Saresii. I hope no one told him to get Psycho Surgery.”

“I know his mind and he is very troubled by it, back then I did not understand it, as you know I never left Nilfeheim until recently.” Egill looked in the distance.”It was him who suggested I come to you, the Saresii to get help for my condition by the way and in a way saved my life. Tyr has a different concept of humans and gender and never advised Eric. I should have made more of an effort to help him there. I even punished him and put his mind in that of a low woman. I hoped the shock being weak and about to get raped would cure him of his desire.”

“And that turned him into a coward or what some Terrans would call a Sissy?”

Egill’s response was almost angry. “Eric, a coward? He killed a Fangsnapper when he was twelve, with a kitchen knife. Speared Rock Sharks and two Tyranno’s when he was not even fifteen. There is no man on Nilfeheim who would really dare to face him, he is the best swordsman there is.

Then he took my old submarine and rammed a space bus to save all Nilfeheim. He has a strong sense of honor and can’t stand idle if he perceives something unjust. That is why I am as proud as can be of him. He has this strange duality in him that troubles Eric very much, but he is perhaps the toughest Neo Viking of them all.”

Algear still looked at the holo print. “You should send for him, I am sure we can help him with that on Sares. Where is he now?”

“After he saved a little slum girl and killed terrorists on Twilight, he went on to pick a fight with a Dai Battle ship, in a private Yacht no less and he is on Corri-Door right now waiting to get to Arsenal.”

“You know Corri-Door is currently the focus of the entire Galaxy.”

“He isn’t interested in executions and not even he could manage to get involved in that.”

Algear leaned forward to see what the Assembly was currently discussing and checked the schedule. The Kermac diplomatic delegation had arrived to discuss the Nogoll incident. Currently the representative of the Partook was speaking and declaring that he and his people would welcome the Renegade Dai as new members, just like the rest of the Assembly had done just a day before, but only if justice was done to those caught. The Partook resembled more or less a very large squirrel just as easily agitated.” We heard that there is a problem with the execution on Corri-Door. We want to know if this is indeed the case.”