Death of a Galaxy Police Officer
By: Lt. Tycho
Credit for certain characters and places to their respective intellectual owners. Knockin' on Heaven's Door is the Eric Clapton version.
Two Galaxy Police officers took cover behind a pack of crates in the cold, empty warehouse. A pair of would be smugglers fired from the crates they cowardly hid behind. In between them stood the goods they would kill for. One of the officers stood up and fired at the assailants. The smuggler grabbed his knee that had been viciously hit. His partner turned and fired. The officer fell back with a smoking hole in his chest.
Mama, take this badge off of me
He saw his badge fall from his uniform to the ground ten feet from where he lay. The smuggler grabbed his wounded compatriot and fled. The officer's partner ran to the injured man. "Are you alright?" he asked dumbly half in shock and half in disbelief.
I can't use it anymore.
"No," the officer croaked back. "Not this time." That was the only reply he gave. His vision looked from his partner, to the contraband he had been trying to confiscate, to the eery depths of the warehouse, back to his partner.
It's gettin' dark, too dark for me to see
His vision began to blur causing his partner to appear as no more than a blue and flesh toned blob before his eyes. He blinked trying to regain his fading sight to no avail. "You can't die. You just can't," his partner told him. He couldn't make out the emotions in his voice. The words seemed so far away.
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.
It finally dawned on him what was happening to him. I'm dying he thought to himself. It's that simple. It seemed so distant, almost as though it was happening to someone else. He didn't feel any pain from his wound, no chill from the dank warehouse, no shame for his failure, no sadness for his coming death, no fear for what final judgement he would face. Nothingness seemed to wash over him as his eyes blacked out his vision.
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Mama, put my guns in the ground
His hand finally let go of the blaster he was clutching. It fell to the ground with only a slight thud from its half inch fall. His chest was falling and rising slower and slower by the second. Each second longer seemed as though it were an eternity.
I can't shoot them anymore.
He couldn't move his body, no matter how much effort he put into it. His mind wandered through his life. His parents, who were so proud of him for graduating from the Galaxy Police Academy. His sister, who had wanted to follow in his footsteps. His friends, who had been so festive when he had caught his first criminal. His girlfriend, who he would never be able to see again. It was painful for him to realize the grief to them he would cause by his death. He wanted to explain what had happened, but he knew he would never be able to do that, at least on this side.
That long black cloud is comin' down
He wondered if he really had given his life for a worthy cause. Here he was on a planet that he couldn't name, fighting smugglers for some measly contraband, and he was dying because of it. Anger welled in him at the selfishness of his killers. For what reason am I going to die? His mind demanded an answer.
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.
From that very same mind the answer came. To protect people, to aid those who can't aid themselves, to allow others to live more peacefully. His parents, his sister, his friends, his girlfriend, so they could all live without worrying about the same fate befalling them. It had seemed like propaganda before, but now in his final moments it brought him the comfort to face his fate and the courage to face his destiny.
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
It all went black for the officer. His head lolled back as he finally succumbed to his wound. Lieutenant Takasi Kuramitsu was dead. All his life he had done what he had thought was right. All his career he had worked to make the universe safe. What did he receive for his death. A thirty second blip read by an uncaring news anchor on the holovid.
*****
I guess it did have social commentary. I didn't intend that, but that's how it turned out.
By: Lt. Tycho
Credit for certain characters and places to their respective intellectual owners. Knockin' on Heaven's Door is the Eric Clapton version.
Two Galaxy Police officers took cover behind a pack of crates in the cold, empty warehouse. A pair of would be smugglers fired from the crates they cowardly hid behind. In between them stood the goods they would kill for. One of the officers stood up and fired at the assailants. The smuggler grabbed his knee that had been viciously hit. His partner turned and fired. The officer fell back with a smoking hole in his chest.
Mama, take this badge off of me
He saw his badge fall from his uniform to the ground ten feet from where he lay. The smuggler grabbed his wounded compatriot and fled. The officer's partner ran to the injured man. "Are you alright?" he asked dumbly half in shock and half in disbelief.
I can't use it anymore.
"No," the officer croaked back. "Not this time." That was the only reply he gave. His vision looked from his partner, to the contraband he had been trying to confiscate, to the eery depths of the warehouse, back to his partner.
It's gettin' dark, too dark for me to see
His vision began to blur causing his partner to appear as no more than a blue and flesh toned blob before his eyes. He blinked trying to regain his fading sight to no avail. "You can't die. You just can't," his partner told him. He couldn't make out the emotions in his voice. The words seemed so far away.
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.
It finally dawned on him what was happening to him. I'm dying he thought to himself. It's that simple. It seemed so distant, almost as though it was happening to someone else. He didn't feel any pain from his wound, no chill from the dank warehouse, no shame for his failure, no sadness for his coming death, no fear for what final judgement he would face. Nothingness seemed to wash over him as his eyes blacked out his vision.
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Mama, put my guns in the ground
His hand finally let go of the blaster he was clutching. It fell to the ground with only a slight thud from its half inch fall. His chest was falling and rising slower and slower by the second. Each second longer seemed as though it were an eternity.
I can't shoot them anymore.
He couldn't move his body, no matter how much effort he put into it. His mind wandered through his life. His parents, who were so proud of him for graduating from the Galaxy Police Academy. His sister, who had wanted to follow in his footsteps. His friends, who had been so festive when he had caught his first criminal. His girlfriend, who he would never be able to see again. It was painful for him to realize the grief to them he would cause by his death. He wanted to explain what had happened, but he knew he would never be able to do that, at least on this side.
That long black cloud is comin' down
He wondered if he really had given his life for a worthy cause. Here he was on a planet that he couldn't name, fighting smugglers for some measly contraband, and he was dying because of it. Anger welled in him at the selfishness of his killers. For what reason am I going to die? His mind demanded an answer.
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.
From that very same mind the answer came. To protect people, to aid those who can't aid themselves, to allow others to live more peacefully. His parents, his sister, his friends, his girlfriend, so they could all live without worrying about the same fate befalling them. It had seemed like propaganda before, but now in his final moments it brought him the comfort to face his fate and the courage to face his destiny.
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
It all went black for the officer. His head lolled back as he finally succumbed to his wound. Lieutenant Takasi Kuramitsu was dead. All his life he had done what he had thought was right. All his career he had worked to make the universe safe. What did he receive for his death. A thirty second blip read by an uncaring news anchor on the holovid.
*****
I guess it did have social commentary. I didn't intend that, but that's how it turned out.