Kid Quislet was about a hundred meters up - still trying to limp forward, but now dragging his leg behind him.
Shooting a quick look behind me, I saw I was out of the line of sight of Tamper's guys. Craning around like that, though, made my foot slip on the crater wall, and I knocked down a few rocks. The noise echoed down, making Kid Quis spin around and trip to the ground. He struggled to get back on his feet again - but whatever he messed up jumping out of the hover was looking like it was gonna take him down for the count.
I continued walking toward him.
"You can't do this, Ex!!!"
His shout echoed across as I continued advancing. "You don't bump guys! You're not like them... you're not like those animals back there!"
I kept walking.
Kid Quislet tried again to get to his feet - but he only took one step before he collapsed again. He turned again to shout back to me.
"It's not right, Ex! They can't do this! They can't make us different people than we are! We're not muscle... we're just two guys caught in a wrong situation. Somebody hands me an angle, I play it - it's just my nature. I don't deserve to die for that! Do you think I do?!"
What was he talking about? What angle? The Security Office scam? He wasn't making any sense.
"I get that you're mad at me, Ex... I get it! I shouldn't have lied to you - I know that. You were just so angry when I told Tamper you were at Zaryan's that night. I didn't know what you were gonna do... so I just... I just said the first thing that popped in my head - what I thought you wanted to hear. I know it was dumb. The Security Office? Ha... I know... dumb, right? I should have known you wouldn't buy something like that for long."
I stopped in my tracks.
What? Was he trying to say that he wasn't a Security Office mole?
No... no, this couldn't be true... the guy just knew his number was up and he was saying anything he could now to save his tail. I started walking again.
"What was I supposed to say... huh? What do you want to hear? That I'm a bum? That I was in so much gambling debt that I'd take whatever kind of loan I could get... even if it was from Tamper Lad? Is that what you want to hear? Fine! Yes! I tried to pay him back... I did... but it just kept getting bigger and bigger. You don't know what it's like... I had to agree to go to Earth for him... it was the only way out! But... that's all over, OK? I can pay him now... the money from Junior Handsome is going to be..."
I stopped again. I was now close enough now to talk to him... and to take the shot.
I went with the first.
"What?" I demanded, looking down at him. "What did you just say?"
"Junior Handsome," he said, seeming to relax a little now that I was finally talking. "Now that Junior is getting the money from his sister's death, I'll be able to pay Tamper... and... and you, if you want, Ex! Yeah... Ex... just turn back... just tell them what I said and I promise I'll cut you in. Really... it will be enough to..."
"I don't want your money! " My anger was starting to rise. "I want the truth! What the hell business do you even have with Junior?"
"Wha... I... Ex... I thought you knew... I thought he would have told you....it was me that helped Junior get his sister's death declaration pushed through the courts so quickly."
"You did what?" I shook my head in disbelief. "What the hell would you do that for? You knew I thought the Security Office was after me... why would you give them more ammo?"
"It was just the money, Ex... plain and simple! I had to get out! I... I wasn't even thinking about the murder case."
"You weren't thinking?" I started to seethe. "You weren't thinking? That's two times, Kid! Two times now I got thrown right into the line of fire because of you! And the whole time... you're just feeding me a line about the Security Office? You expect me to believe that?"
"It's the truth, Ex... I'm not with the Security Office."
"The truth? What do you take me for?! Grife... everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie! You're not with the Office? What the hell do you think Tamper sent me out here for? Huh? Because you owed him a few credits? That's a bunch of nass and you know it! You think you're the only person I talk to? You think I don't know about My Whee Fem?"
"My Wh...?"
"Yeah... what... you think your little afternoon coffee shop visits were just gonna go unnoticed? She told me there's a mole! She told me there's a sting going on! But... I guess she just made all that up, huh? I guess you weren't meeting with her yesterday to hand her over coms?"
"I... I wasn't... I..."
"Bullnass!" My anger was reaching a fever pitch with this guy. I reached into my coat and took hold of the blaster.
"Ex! Stop... you can't do this! Just... just... yes... OK! Yes... I met with My... but it wasn't anything to do with the Security Office. My's just a client of mine... I'm handling some things for her about her paren..."
"Enough! Enough with your lies!"
"It's not a lie, I swear... when I told Tamper that My Whee was..."
"What?"
My arm extended - almost on its own - pointing the blaster right at Kid Quislet. He raised his arms over his eyes.
"Ex! Please... you can't do this!"
"You stupid dirj!!!" I thrust the blaster closer, pointing it almost right in his face. "You told Tamper that you were meeting with My?"
"Ex... it was a mistake... please... this isn't us! This is just a dream... I can't... I can't die!"
"You stupid sprocking... shut up! Do you know how many lives you've put in danger? Because you couldn't keep your mouth shut?"
"Please..." his voice starting to crack as he began to cry, "...please... I can't die out here in space... like an animal... like some dumb animal..."
"Shut up!"
My arm holding the blaster tightened and started to shake. The air was suddenly broken by a voice calling out from above.
"HEY... NEE-HILL!"
It was Tamper's man, Al, standing at the lip of the crater with Rocco. "Ha... look at 'im, Rocco... the bigshot is freezing up. Hey, hurry it up, Nee-Hill, huh? We gotta get outta here."
I looked back to Kid Quislet, still weeping - his arms over his face. His words choked out.
"I'm begging you... look in your heart, Ex..."
"Forget this!" Al's voice echoed down as he pulled out his own blaster. "Nee-hill! You got exactly five seconds to pull that trigger, or I'm gonna pick you off!" He aimed his blaster across the chasm, lining me up in his sights.
"Look in your heart... I'm begging you..."
My arm shook, the blaster aimed right at Kid Quislet.
"FIVE... FOUR..."
"Look in your heart, Ex..."
"THREE... TWO..."
"Look in your heart..."
"ONE!"
The shot rang out, echoing across the crater.
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