Recipient: Admiral Vincent Schiaparelli,
Space Trade Authority sector 1, STA Capital Cruiser SS New Denmark
I recognise that a formal report has been filed on the arrest of Denard Portnom, captured after desperately trying to escape from myself and my partner when we attempted to write him up for parking dangerously and improper vehicle registration, but I felt it was necessary to contact you personally. You see, shortly after we brought him into custody for a routine detention, and while we decided whether or not to charge him with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer, he repeatedly stated that he would not talk, but asked just as often for a pencil and paper so he could write a confession. When provided with these, he scrawled the attached document and proudly handed to me, saying, I remember clearly, "There you have it: the best-written and most enthralling confession you'll ever see. You got me, so I figure it's best if you hear the story from me, in my own words, than in your bland STA write-ups, or rumours from those who might wish to see me in hotter water than I am now. Besides, I wanted an official record of my exploits in case something were to happen to me, not that I expect it to, before I am able to write an even longer and more thorough account. Good day." Following this, he sauntered back to his cell, closed the door, and began closely examining the walls. He clearly did not realize what we had arrested him for, and believed the law had finally caught up with all of his illegal exploits, which as you can see, are numerous. I have dispatched a squadron to apprehend the fugitive described in the confession, who appears to be a Pierre San Martinèz, would-be Prime Ministerial assassin had he not attempted the crime with a flamethrower during a speech to the firefighters' union, based on the arrest warrant from Paxius Tellus. As yet, no luck, but we are redoubling our efforts.
I write to ask you for advice on how to handle Denard Portnom. First, do you think this "confession" will hold up in court despite the fact that it appears to be little more than self-aggrandizing fiction? Do we have to reduce his sentence because he confessed, or do the sheer number of his crimes outweigh that?
I do realise that you are a very busy man, but I must request a speedy reply. I have no doubt that he is trying to escape right now, as he has covered his cell windows with his sheet, and short-circuited the e-lock somehow, rendering access from the outside impossible. Please hurry, as any waste of time could prove costly.
Sender: Sergeant Richmond Valence,
Space Trade Authority sector 230, STA District Command Ship SS Arctica
YOU ARE READING
Space Travel
Science FictionThis story was a lot of fun to write. I don't know how much else there is to say, except that this is my first, and, as yet, only foray into the science fiction genre. While writing, I just sort of let the story develop, and I'm pretty happy with wh...
