has to be fast and we have to leave the moment the body drops. Your duties will be to carry out the sentence and then get us to the shuttle. I can fly us from there.”
He nodded. “I am aware of what you need. I am at your disposal.”
She jerked slightly as images of her naked with him kissing the curve of her shoulder sprang to mind. She had never had a perspective like that, so it had to be his imagination.
“Whoa. None of that. I need to trust you with my life, not necessarily my body. Sex just gets in the way.”
He chuckled. “Not if you do it right, but I will respect your wishes in the matter. Where is our first assignment?”
Jayd laughed. “Right here. I have to sign warrants for arrest and formalize other agreements. You can either wait here or get me a cup of caf.”
“With those as my options, what do you take in your caf, Judge Dex.”
She gave him the order and he left, closing her door securely. Dex was her number, not any mutation of her name; it stood for Judge I-ten of the Nyal Imperium. It wasn’t a bad name and it kept a distance between herself and the people she was there to judge.
It was odd to become exceptional and then be turned into a number, but Jayd adapted.
She flipped through the warrants. Three were without legal precedent or any basis, so she dismissed them and sent a note to the officers to get slightly different information and resubmit. If they did it in the next six hours, she would be able to sign off on the documents and they could get their targets.
The other nine warrants she signed without hesitation. Twelve was the limit for any visiting judge. Some days she wished she still got sick when she saw the details of the warrants. Her exposure to the grotesque things that other beings did to each other had caused her to look at the motivations of others with a certain skepticism.
Life was very different away from home, but the larger the populations, the more atrocities it seemed they could fit into an average day.
Not all of the planets in the imperium had death sentences, but those that wanted a more final end to their troubles called in a judge. She could come in, pass fair and equitable judgement and her companion would carry out the sentence immediately. Whether he was incarcerating someone or executing them, she needed a companion to act as bailiff and executioner.
Jayd smiled as her new partner entered the room. Having him being fun to look at didn’t hurt as long as they didn’t act on it.
She sipped at the caf that he handed to her. He was cute and he didn’t mind getting caf for her. “This might just work out after all.”
He resumed his seat. “I am very glad to hear you say that.”
She finished the authorizations for mating matches as required on Neiaki. An in-depth search of familial ties indicated that they were all suitable by local standards. All families were properly matched and the female was always the one with higher social standing.
“You sign off on weddings?”
“For the high families, yes. They sometimes like official authorization from the imperium. It makes everything so much more civil.”
She finished her caf and got to her feet. “I have meetings with some of the local councils and other judges, will you accompany me?”
He lifted a data pad and brought up an acceptance contract. “Sign for me and I am yours.”
She tried to hide her blush as she did as he asked, but the images in her head were now all hers and far more X-rated than they had any right to be.
This partnership was going to be hell.
Chapter Three
“You are quite well respected.” Ex-Hess’s voice was admiring.
“You don’t need to sound so surprised. I have people skills, though I rarely apply them. Do you have everything you need?”
He lifted up two bags. “I have my kit.”
Jayd had her own bags and they looked like any two travellers heading to the spaceport.
Two days of meeting with other judges and getting case updates had
He nodded. “I am aware of what you need. I am at your disposal.”
She jerked slightly as images of her naked with him kissing the curve of her shoulder sprang to mind. She had never had a perspective like that, so it had to be his imagination.
“Whoa. None of that. I need to trust you with my life, not necessarily my body. Sex just gets in the way.”
He chuckled. “Not if you do it right, but I will respect your wishes in the matter. Where is our first assignment?”
Jayd laughed. “Right here. I have to sign warrants for arrest and formalize other agreements. You can either wait here or get me a cup of caf.”
“With those as my options, what do you take in your caf, Judge Dex.”
She gave him the order and he left, closing her door securely. Dex was her number, not any mutation of her name; it stood for Judge I-ten of the Nyal Imperium. It wasn’t a bad name and it kept a distance between herself and the people she was there to judge.
It was odd to become exceptional and then be turned into a number, but Jayd adapted.
She flipped through the warrants. Three were without legal precedent or any basis, so she dismissed them and sent a note to the officers to get slightly different information and resubmit. If they did it in the next six hours, she would be able to sign off on the documents and they could get their targets.
The other nine warrants she signed without hesitation. Twelve was the limit for any visiting judge. Some days she wished she still got sick when she saw the details of the warrants. Her exposure to the grotesque things that other beings did to each other had caused her to look at the motivations of others with a certain skepticism.
Life was very different away from home, but the larger the populations, the more atrocities it seemed they could fit into an average day.
Not all of the planets in the imperium had death sentences, but those that wanted a more final end to their troubles called in a judge. She could come in, pass fair and equitable judgement and her companion would carry out the sentence immediately. Whether he was incarcerating someone or executing them, she needed a companion to act as bailiff and executioner.
Jayd smiled as her new partner entered the room. Having him being fun to look at didn’t hurt as long as they didn’t act on it.
She sipped at the caf that he handed to her. He was cute and he didn’t mind getting caf for her. “This might just work out after all.”
He resumed his seat. “I am very glad to hear you say that.”
She finished the authorizations for mating matches as required on Neiaki. An in-depth search of familial ties indicated that they were all suitable by local standards. All families were properly matched and the female was always the one with higher social standing.
“You sign off on weddings?”
“For the high families, yes. They sometimes like official authorization from the imperium. It makes everything so much more civil.”
She finished her caf and got to her feet. “I have meetings with some of the local councils and other judges, will you accompany me?”
He lifted a data pad and brought up an acceptance contract. “Sign for me and I am yours.”
She tried to hide her blush as she did as he asked, but the images in her head were now all hers and far more X-rated than they had any right to be.
This partnership was going to be hell.
Chapter Three
“You are quite well respected.” Ex-Hess’s voice was admiring.
“You don’t need to sound so surprised. I have people skills, though I rarely apply them. Do you have everything you need?”
He lifted up two bags. “I have my kit.”
Jayd had her own bags and they looked like any two travellers heading to the spaceport.
Two days of meeting with other judges and getting case updates had
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