{"id":2794,"date":"2025-07-13T16:37:56","date_gmt":"2025-07-13T23:37:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2794"},"modified":"2025-07-13T16:37:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T23:37:56","slug":"youve-been-served","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/13\/youve-been-served\/","title":{"rendered":"You’ve Been Served"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Write a story about an unlikely criminal or accidental lawbreaker.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor wanted to sprint. Every fiber of her being urged her to pump her legs and run full speed, but the half gravity of the small moon made that impossible. Instead, she fought against instinct to maintain a loping stride that covered ground faster than her pursuers could hope to keep up for any length of time \u2026 as long as she stayed under the canopy of the thin, alien trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The slow descent on each stride gave her time to react to any irregularities in the ground. She wondered if it was how the world felt to cats. The thought of her cat back home took her attention away from what she was doing, and she pushed off at a bad angle. Taylor wasted the energy from the step that should\u2019ve propelled her forward to leap almost straight up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She corrected on the next step and scolded herself for losing focus. Far too soon, the edge of the forest approached. The clear light of the system\u2019s sun mixed with the reflected pink of the gas giant the moon orbited, painting the ground beyond the forest a pale puce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With no choice but to continue, Taylor maintained her pace past the edge of the trees, and across the cleared fields. The hope of safety was still kilometers away. The odd pace wore at her. It was more like climbing stairs than running. She\u2019d run 20k races, half-marathons, and one full marathon, but this was punishing in a whole new way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She passed a small pile of stones that might mean nothing to others, but to her it meant she was only nine kilometers from the ship. She forced herself to keep up the pace while sweat dripped from her brow and blurred her vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first she knew she\u2019d been caught was when the net tripped her up, even as she ripped through it with her momentum. Before she could get back on her feet, a warning shot heated the ground in front of her, creating a small pool of black glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vehicles surrounded her, tall, blue-grey aliens manning turrets atop each one, all aimed at her. Her job had put her in dangerous situations before, but this was ridiculous. As far as she could tell, these guys, gals \u2014 or whatever \u2014 were military. The very human<\/em> wildlife photographer she\u2019d just served was not remotely involved with any military, especially these aliens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is this? A ransom situation?\u201d she asked. \u201cYou won\u2019t get anything out of my employer, and none of my friends or family have ransom money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are under arrest for violation of the Aqualarius treaty, section nineteen, part twenty-two,\u201d the synthetic voice of the translator came over a loudspeaker. \u201cDo not move from your position until instructed by the officers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAquarius what?\u201d Taylor groaned. \u201cWhatever. I\u2019m not moving anywhere. Don\u2019t shoot me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An hour later, she was seated in an interrogation room in a ship breaking orbit from the moon. Her own little runabout had been towed in and docked in the aliens\u2019 ship. The furniture was built for them, her feet dangling above the ground, and the table high enough to lay her head on without bending over too far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interrogator entered, dressed in the usual black attire of the aliens rather than the camouflage that the arresting team had worn. \u201cI\u2019m investigator Sirlian. Sorry we don\u2019t have a booster seat for you,\u201d she said in perfect English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery funny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was being serious.\u201d Sirlian spread her three-fingered hand on the table to start up the recording devices in the room. Each of the three fingers and the thumb were all overly long with one too many joints. \u201cLet\u2019s start with the basics. Who are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTaylor McAllister. I\u2019m a public process server will All-Where Services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re from Sol three?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor nodded. \u201cYeah. Earth. And before you ask, I\u2019m originally from British Columbia and currently reside in Berlin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sirlian titled her head. \u201cWhat were you doing on the wildlife sanctuary moon Ixaros?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy job. I was serving papers from the 14th<\/sup> Division Civil Court to Mr. Jason Betham.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat were those papers about?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor shrugged. \u201cNot my business. We don\u2019t ever know. We serve the papers, get paid, and that\u2019s the end of our involvement. Although, based on how he acted, my guess would be divorce or someone\u2019s suing him for being a massive dickhole.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell enough.\u201d Sirlian leaned forward. \u201cAccording to the Aqualarius treaty, section nineteen, part twenty-two, predatory species, including humans, are not to visit designated vartaloon habitats without a permit which requires prior authorization, vetting by conservationists, and predatory feature disguising camouflage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVarta-whats? And what\u2019s that treaty?\u201d Taylor asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVartaloons,\u201d Sirlian answered, showing a picture of a small, eight-limbed creature that looked like the cross of a frog with a spider-monkey. \u201cThe treaty is a multi-species treaty that deals with conservation, and in cases of fragile ecosystems or creatures, requires permits. Mr. Betham has such a permit. You, however, do not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got my travel papers and visas in order, and there\u2019s nothing on or around that moon that declares it\u2019s a vartaloon sanctuary.\u201d Taylor groaned. \u201cBesides, I didn\u2019t see anything like that down there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course not. Anything with forward-facing, binocular vision sends vartaloons into flight mode, and they scurry to hide in whatever nook or cranny they can find.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow much of a fine am I looking at?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFine? You think you can violate a multi-species treaty and it\u2019s fine?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFine, as in fee, as in, how much do I have to pay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh, yes. I\u2019d forgotten that form of the word. No fine, but you are facing 90 local days of conservation work as restitution.\u201d Sirlian tapped her long fingers on the table. \u201cHow did you locate Mr. Betham in the first place?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHis comms device was on. Just locked on and followed the signal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you saw no signs? Heard no broadcast warnings about the nature of Ixaros?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNope. Nada. Nothing.\u201d Taylor blew out a deep sigh. \u201cDo I get an attorney? Am I free to go until the trial?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t go anywhere.\u201d Sirlian rose and left the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor waited as the minutes, and then hours crawled by. She was curled up on the floor, taking a nap when Sirlian re-entered. \u201cSorry that took so long,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019re free to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat changed?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor didn\u2019t think the aliens could look frustrated, but Sirlian proved her wrong. \u201cWe re-flew the approach to Ixaros, and the warning beacons were all off-line. In light of that, we don\u2019t feel we can successfully prosecute.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor stood and stretched. \u201cI\u2019m sorry you went to all that trouble for nothing. But don\u2019t you think your officers were overdoing it with the vehicle-mounted weapons?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, those were sanctuary wardens. Those weapons are for fighting poachers who come armed to hunt hellabira.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre those the big things?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLargest known land animal in the galaxy,\u201d Sirlian said. \u201cThe hunters are heavily armed and armored.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t see the sport in hunting them, though. I chased two of them off while I was trekking from my ship to the forest where Mr. Betham was. All I had to do was wave my arms and yell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sirlian froze for a moment. \u201cYou \u2026 scared off<\/em> two hellabira?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taylor shrugged. \u201cLess trouble than a guard dog. I have way too many run-ins with those in my job.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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