Yaffle
Volunteer Moderator
With blues and twos at the ready, forensics already in situ, and at least one sniffer dog sniffing me in an embarrassing spot, here it is, the drabble poll on LAW ENFORCEMENT!
Voting is easy. You get three votes to vote for your favourite three from the drabbles below.
Good luck to all you brave drabblers.
1) azdour
The Wrong Target
The police vipers waited for their target.
As it emerged from the station they leaped into action forcing the pilot to return to the station for a cargo check.
Having landed in the station, the pilot stood calmly by his ship. He only had food on-board so this must be a random check.
But his expression and calmness soon changed when he recognised the lead law enforcement officer.
They quickly found the planted hidden stash of illegal weapons.
As he was marched to the cells, he thought, 'that is the last time I steal someone’s pint in the station bar'.
2) Frank
With Police Work There's No Time for Pause
Oh boy! I passed the test. I'm a police officer. I yelp with delight. I see my happy smiling partner waiting for me with open arms. I go bounding towards him and leap onto his chest and give him a big slobbery kiss.
There's no time for playing. I want to get started with my new job down at the space port. There are some very nasty people there that are trying to hide drugs and bombs and I've got a good nose to sniff these things out and if I do then my partner will give me a treat.
3) Rog
Fiat Justitia
The hunt had been months long, but they would not escape this time.
Approaching unseen from the planetoid's darkside and aerobraking to Mach 2, the small ship skimmed low, vectoring toward their pressurised dome.
Instruments confirmed he hadn't been detected. Their end would be unexpected, clean. They deserved far worse for their crimes.
Low and still seconds away, the missile was launched. Streaking through the noxious atmosphere it devastated the deviant's hideout. No survivors of course, but word would get out.
He would see to it. An example. A reminder.
Even for the Empire, certain transgressions were beyond the pale.
4) Bikky
The lahw
Striding into The Thargoid and Fer de Lance, the Officer stood there. Muscle bound and chiselled features. His helmet covering his eyes. He expected to be obeyed immediately.
Commander Illu, made a quick slink off to escape out of the back route.
‘YOU!’ called out the officer, pointing ‘STAND STILL NOW!’ The officer approached him, and took hold of the front of his space suit. ‘And what are YOU doing here?’
‘Just going about my business officer.’
‘DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?’
‘Errm I think so, You’re Dredge Judd aren’t you?’
‘YOU BEING FUNNY BOY? AH AHM THE LAHW’
5) Ian Phillips
Forcing compliance
The customs inspector sucked on his teeth whilst tapping one specific line on his clipboard with his stylus.
'The manifest just says "Luxury goods". That's not specific enough. I want to see inside this one.'
The trader rolled his eyes, looking up as a Cobra passed overhead. The engine noise swamped his initial reply, then he shook his head in denial.
‘No can do. Only for delivery to specific customer, unopened’
The customs inspector turned away, activating his comms unit. Shortly six burly men emerged from a transport.
‘I represent the law here, these gentlemen enforce it. Open the canister.’
6) Splendour
Long Periods of Boredom
Pilot Officer Shen balanced two cups of scalding hot coffee on a box of doughnuts as she hopped over the counter and the heads of the queuing cops, and landed inch perfect at her table without spilling a drop.
“Stop showing off.” Chided Grune, her wingman.
“Nothing else to do in the ready room, might as well enjoy low gees if we’re...”
Her response was cut short by the wail of a claxon. As they ran towards the waiting Vipers, Grune grumbled “Probably some kid fired at the station by accident.”
“Yeah, we’ll still smoke him.” grinned Shen, boredom forgotten.
7) Gibbonici
Bad Year For Galcop
Even though he'd been given enough sedatives to kill a Sloughian bull Brontok, Galcop Captain Honshor twitched, muttered and kicked his leg. His office was wrecked: papers were strewn everywhere, his desk was upturned and shelves lay broken across the floor.
"What happened?" Recruit Pallas asked the crowd who stood by watching.
"30 years ago someone attacked the station," Sergeant Kalavar said. "They deployed Vipers but the attacker just sat outside killing anything that came out. We lost 43 Vipers that day. Honshor was the duty captain. He just got the news."
"What news?"
"The guy's coming back this year."
8) Yaffle
There's laws and Laws
Azard was spinning badly, a result of flight assist being off and a hit from a railgun. The risk was worth it; he’d turned on the adversary and destroyed him. His problem was one of conservation of momentum; the projectile had spun him and his systems were unresponsive. Sparks and smoke showered his face, nausea flooded his being as the moon, far too close passed his line of sight again and span away.
He smashed his fist into the chair, he was headed for it, stuck with the law of gravitational attraction. Some laws do their own enforcing. He screamed.
9) Dar’koba
Where does law begin or end?
Jump into system. Quiet. No traffic. Nice.
A blip. Who?
He approaches.
He's like "Match trajectories. Prepare for boarding."
Am like "Who say?"
He's like "I say, am the law these parts."
Am like "No way."
He's like "WAY! Match now or die."
Am like "OK, OK."
We match paths. He extends a boarding tube. It links.
He's like "Maintain course and speed."
Am like "Yeah, yeah, OK"
He's crossing the tube. He's like "Open your hatch"
I open the outer hatch. He's close.
I hit the throttle, breaking away from the tube.
Am like "My ship, my law. Yeah?"
10 The Lone Gunman
State Political Directorate
Barry stood tall at the checkpoint, his uniform gave him status, a man to be feared
"FIS! id" Barry could see the terror in the woman’s eyes as she scrambled to find her id card, not producing meant a trip to FIS headquarters
He sneered at her petty state
She looked up, panic, pleading "no id? shame, take her away!"
The queue tailed long, no murmurs, no dissent, just silent prays, eyes avoiding his
"Barry" Hands grabbed his arms "we note you didn't vote the right way in the last election, come with us!"
Law enforcement was guaranteed for all
11) Darren Grey
Frontier laws
Prostitutes are jailed whilst their pimps walk free. Small traders get fined but the mega-smugglers make millions. Bounty hunters rake in huge profits killing off small-time criminals.
The station spins, the lone focus of justice in the void. The vipers, fanged and ready, sit and wait their orders.
But the orders come from the law, and out here there ain’t one law for everybody.
Small-fry, little men, the poor and desperate – they don’t stand a chance. It’s the big guys, the fat cats, the superrich, that can do what they want without rebuke.
On the frontiers, money makes the law.
12) insanephoton
Zelada Station Blues
Officers lived by the creed 'Protect and Serve', it was on their badges and the side of their Vipers. Sometimes they paid a high price upholding that ideal.
Sergeant Estherhaus looked up from his desk and noticed the empty spaces at roll call. There were five officers missing. Three in the sickbay and two in the morgue. Renko and Timpkins would be back in a few days. Hollister was in intensive care. Lopez and Delaney were dead, killed by pirates.
Esterhaus finished briefing the remaining officers.
'All right, let's roll. And one last thing people, let's be careful out there.'
Voting is easy. You get three votes to vote for your favourite three from the drabbles below.
Good luck to all you brave drabblers.
1) azdour
The Wrong Target
The police vipers waited for their target.
As it emerged from the station they leaped into action forcing the pilot to return to the station for a cargo check.
Having landed in the station, the pilot stood calmly by his ship. He only had food on-board so this must be a random check.
But his expression and calmness soon changed when he recognised the lead law enforcement officer.
They quickly found the planted hidden stash of illegal weapons.
As he was marched to the cells, he thought, 'that is the last time I steal someone’s pint in the station bar'.
2) Frank
With Police Work There's No Time for Pause
Oh boy! I passed the test. I'm a police officer. I yelp with delight. I see my happy smiling partner waiting for me with open arms. I go bounding towards him and leap onto his chest and give him a big slobbery kiss.
There's no time for playing. I want to get started with my new job down at the space port. There are some very nasty people there that are trying to hide drugs and bombs and I've got a good nose to sniff these things out and if I do then my partner will give me a treat.
3) Rog
Fiat Justitia
The hunt had been months long, but they would not escape this time.
Approaching unseen from the planetoid's darkside and aerobraking to Mach 2, the small ship skimmed low, vectoring toward their pressurised dome.
Instruments confirmed he hadn't been detected. Their end would be unexpected, clean. They deserved far worse for their crimes.
Low and still seconds away, the missile was launched. Streaking through the noxious atmosphere it devastated the deviant's hideout. No survivors of course, but word would get out.
He would see to it. An example. A reminder.
Even for the Empire, certain transgressions were beyond the pale.
4) Bikky
The lahw
Striding into The Thargoid and Fer de Lance, the Officer stood there. Muscle bound and chiselled features. His helmet covering his eyes. He expected to be obeyed immediately.
Commander Illu, made a quick slink off to escape out of the back route.
‘YOU!’ called out the officer, pointing ‘STAND STILL NOW!’ The officer approached him, and took hold of the front of his space suit. ‘And what are YOU doing here?’
‘Just going about my business officer.’
‘DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?’
‘Errm I think so, You’re Dredge Judd aren’t you?’
‘YOU BEING FUNNY BOY? AH AHM THE LAHW’
5) Ian Phillips
Forcing compliance
The customs inspector sucked on his teeth whilst tapping one specific line on his clipboard with his stylus.
'The manifest just says "Luxury goods". That's not specific enough. I want to see inside this one.'
The trader rolled his eyes, looking up as a Cobra passed overhead. The engine noise swamped his initial reply, then he shook his head in denial.
‘No can do. Only for delivery to specific customer, unopened’
The customs inspector turned away, activating his comms unit. Shortly six burly men emerged from a transport.
‘I represent the law here, these gentlemen enforce it. Open the canister.’
6) Splendour
Long Periods of Boredom
Pilot Officer Shen balanced two cups of scalding hot coffee on a box of doughnuts as she hopped over the counter and the heads of the queuing cops, and landed inch perfect at her table without spilling a drop.
“Stop showing off.” Chided Grune, her wingman.
“Nothing else to do in the ready room, might as well enjoy low gees if we’re...”
Her response was cut short by the wail of a claxon. As they ran towards the waiting Vipers, Grune grumbled “Probably some kid fired at the station by accident.”
“Yeah, we’ll still smoke him.” grinned Shen, boredom forgotten.
7) Gibbonici
Bad Year For Galcop
Even though he'd been given enough sedatives to kill a Sloughian bull Brontok, Galcop Captain Honshor twitched, muttered and kicked his leg. His office was wrecked: papers were strewn everywhere, his desk was upturned and shelves lay broken across the floor.
"What happened?" Recruit Pallas asked the crowd who stood by watching.
"30 years ago someone attacked the station," Sergeant Kalavar said. "They deployed Vipers but the attacker just sat outside killing anything that came out. We lost 43 Vipers that day. Honshor was the duty captain. He just got the news."
"What news?"
"The guy's coming back this year."
8) Yaffle
There's laws and Laws
Azard was spinning badly, a result of flight assist being off and a hit from a railgun. The risk was worth it; he’d turned on the adversary and destroyed him. His problem was one of conservation of momentum; the projectile had spun him and his systems were unresponsive. Sparks and smoke showered his face, nausea flooded his being as the moon, far too close passed his line of sight again and span away.
He smashed his fist into the chair, he was headed for it, stuck with the law of gravitational attraction. Some laws do their own enforcing. He screamed.
9) Dar’koba
Where does law begin or end?
Jump into system. Quiet. No traffic. Nice.
A blip. Who?
He approaches.
He's like "Match trajectories. Prepare for boarding."
Am like "Who say?"
He's like "I say, am the law these parts."
Am like "No way."
He's like "WAY! Match now or die."
Am like "OK, OK."
We match paths. He extends a boarding tube. It links.
He's like "Maintain course and speed."
Am like "Yeah, yeah, OK"
He's crossing the tube. He's like "Open your hatch"
I open the outer hatch. He's close.
I hit the throttle, breaking away from the tube.
Am like "My ship, my law. Yeah?"
10 The Lone Gunman
State Political Directorate
Barry stood tall at the checkpoint, his uniform gave him status, a man to be feared
"FIS! id" Barry could see the terror in the woman’s eyes as she scrambled to find her id card, not producing meant a trip to FIS headquarters
He sneered at her petty state
She looked up, panic, pleading "no id? shame, take her away!"
The queue tailed long, no murmurs, no dissent, just silent prays, eyes avoiding his
"Barry" Hands grabbed his arms "we note you didn't vote the right way in the last election, come with us!"
Law enforcement was guaranteed for all
11) Darren Grey
Frontier laws
Prostitutes are jailed whilst their pimps walk free. Small traders get fined but the mega-smugglers make millions. Bounty hunters rake in huge profits killing off small-time criminals.
The station spins, the lone focus of justice in the void. The vipers, fanged and ready, sit and wait their orders.
But the orders come from the law, and out here there ain’t one law for everybody.
Small-fry, little men, the poor and desperate – they don’t stand a chance. It’s the big guys, the fat cats, the superrich, that can do what they want without rebuke.
On the frontiers, money makes the law.
12) insanephoton
Zelada Station Blues
Officers lived by the creed 'Protect and Serve', it was on their badges and the side of their Vipers. Sometimes they paid a high price upholding that ideal.
Sergeant Estherhaus looked up from his desk and noticed the empty spaces at roll call. There were five officers missing. Three in the sickbay and two in the morgue. Renko and Timpkins would be back in a few days. Hollister was in intensive care. Lopez and Delaney were dead, killed by pirates.
Esterhaus finished briefing the remaining officers.
'All right, let's roll. And one last thing people, let's be careful out there.'
