Officer Nedic Arn jerked his hand back from Spot. "Ow!" yelled Arn, wiping the blood off his finger. "That animal just bit me! That's it. He's under arrest!"
Benton's brow furrowed. This really wasn't like Spot at all; normally he was a very gentle soul. True, he was occasionally a little misbehaved, but never before had he been so completely out of control and vicious. "Is that really necessary, officer?" Benton interjected in defense of his little friend.
"Officer Nedic Arn. Yes it is. I'm charging him with biting me, suspicion of being responsible for the disappearance of several neighborhood pets," at that he pointed to the closest of many nearby posters advertising a reward for the return of a family pet, "disturbing the peace, inciting these other animals to riot, ruining my new uniform, and anything else I can think of. That creature, whatever it is, is a menace."
"Spot can't be responsible for the pet disappearances. We only just arrived," said Benton.
Francesca butted in, "So the tribble and his friends got a little frisky? Can't we settle this without going through all the nasty and time-consuming paperwork?"
"Not a chance," said Arn, readying a sack.
In spite of himself, Sitto Lan found himself stepping toward Officer Arn and putting his arm conspiratorially around Arn's shoulder. Sitto said, "All right, Arn. What's it gonna take? Two strips of latinum?"
"No."
"Fine," Sitto said, "three strips."
"No. Not two, not three, not ten-thousand. You can't bribe me." He disengaged himself from Sitto. "You all will have to take this up with the judge." With that, Arn scooped Spot up in his sack and tied it shut. Spot could be heard rustling about inside and squeaking pathetically.
Officer Arn turned back to Benton. "Court will be in session tomorrow morning. You can tell your story there." He handed Benton a slightly mangled slip of paper from his shirt pocket with the address of the court house, and, without further ado, walked away, sack and tribble in hand.
"Thank you kindly," said Benton to Arn's retreating back.
By this time, Francesca was practically in tears. She flustered about saying, "Oh jeez... I'm so sorry Benton... It's all my fault... I let him get away from me. Again."
Benton turned to Francesca and tried to comfort her. "Don't worry, Francesca."
"What're you gonna do, Benny?" asked Sitto.
"We'll come back tomorrow and explain everything to the judge. I'm sure justice will prevail and Spot will be set free."
"You're gonna tell the judge the truth about Spot?"
"Of course," replied Benton matter-of-factly. "We can't lie to the authorities!"
"Spot's dead," moaned Francesca.
The next morning dawned cold and gray. The clouds overhead threatened rain as three figures materialized in the glade and walked toward the small town and the court house. With Benton in the lead, the trio found the building and the right room. They waited a short time while the court took care of a few other cases.
Then, finally, it was Benton's turn. He stood before the judge's bench while the Honorable Judge Neblit Gis silently read the paperwork before him enumerating Spot's "crimes." Benton gave a reassuring look back at
Francesca, who was nervously sitting next to Sitto, clutching his arm, at the back of the room.
Finally, the judge looked up and addressed Benton. "Lieutenant Commander Benton. Uh... do I have that title correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"I assume the animal in question is yours."
"Yes, Your Honor, he is. Well, that is to say, he doesn't actually "belong" to me. We met in the wilderness on my homeworld, and we've been friends ever since then."
"Do you mean to tell me that this is a 'wild' animal?"
"Well... I wouldn't say 'wild' per se, Your Honor." In the background, Sitto could be heard groaning in disbelief.
"I see," said the judge, looking over Spot's paperwork again. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Since your starship only arrived a few days ago, I'm dismissing the charge of killing local pets. It looks like the only significant complaints about your 'friend' is that he bit a police officer."
"Yes, Your Honor. I assure you, he's never bitten anyone else; on this planet," reassured Benton, confident that his honest testimony would win Spot's freedom. That's why he couldn't understand why he heard, in the background, Francesca moan and slap her forehead with her hand.
Judge Gis looked with surprise at Benton. "Commander Benton, This seemed like a simple case. I was about to release the animal to your custody with the provision that you return it to your starship and take steps to ensure it never again returns to Slart, but I have now changed my mind."
"Your Honor?"
"I'm going to do you a favor instead," said the judge. "What we have here is a wild animal living in an enclosed space on a space vessel. Immediately upon your arrival here, it escapes to the planet surface and bites someone. By your admission, it has bitten people on other planets, and according to the report in front of me it's responsible for causing a considerable amount of commotion in a very short amount of time." Judge Gis paused for a moment, then spoke the court's sentence, "I hereby order the animal be euthanized." His gavel came down on the benchtop like a clap of thunder.
Benton stared at the judge in shock and disbelief. How could this be? Nipping someone on the finger didn't warrant a death penalty! Behind Benton, Sitto and Francesca sprang to their feet upon hearing the judge's decision and rushed forward exclaiming, "Wait a minute!" and, "You can't be serious!", but the judge had already risen and two seconds later he was gone from the courtroom.
The three officers stood in stunned silence just looking at each other. None of them had thought it would turn out like this.
Finally, Benton broke the silence. He just sighed and said, "Oh dear."
Benton sat in the center of the floor in Spot's holding cell deep in the bowels of a warehouse-type building near the court house. Spot was sulking a few feet in front of Benton, ignoring him. Benton was saying, "Is there anything I can get you?"
Spot made no acknowledgment.
"A pillow maybe?"
No reply.
"A jelly doughnut?"
Silence.
Benton sat back a moment and thought. Finally he said, "Would you like me to stay here with you tonight? I can have the Virgo beam down a sleeping bag and I can camp out here. If you want..."
Spot turned around to face away from Benton.
A feeling of dread was growing in Benton's gut. Dread that his friend's plight was, at its root, his own fault. These feelings of uncertainty and guilt would hang over his head for the rest of his life unless he found out the truth now.
Benton leaned forward again and began pensively, "Spot, there's something I have to ask you." Even though Spot looked like he still wasn't listening, Benton pressed on. "I was thinking today about that time when you saved my life back on New Kelva and uh... I know I never really asked..." How to ask Spot this now? Finally, Benton just blurted it out: "You did want to come along with me back then, didn't you? I just took it for granted. I know we never discussed it, but... I would hate to think that you came along and stayed with me all of this time just out of some kind of misplaced sense of duty when you'd rather have stayed wild and free on New Kelva..."
Spot shuffled around a bit, but made no answer.
"You wouldn't do that, would you?" Benton paused, and Spot continued shuffling uncomfortably. Benton smiled and said, "Yeah, I didn't think you would."
Just then the door to the cell clanged and rattled as someone on the outside of the cell was unlocking it. Apparently, visitor hours were over. Benton made to stand, but just then, Spot lunged toward the door himself, at least as much as a tribble was able to "lunge, in a desperate last attempt to escape. Benton suddenly jerked his left arm away from the wildly agitated tribble and cradled his wrist in his right hand.
Benton ducked through the now-open door. He turned around briefly and said, "I'll come back tomorrow, Spot." Then the door clanged shut again, sealing the angrily croaking Spot inside. The guard who had opened the door walked away, intent on his other duties, leaving Benton alone with his whirling thoughts. Perplexed and more troubled than ever, he just stood a moment outside the cell. Spot's unprovoked attack grieved him deeply, and he even considered for a moment the possibility that the judge's sentence was just and correct.
Benton took his hand away from his wrist, and the hand came away red with blood.