I waited alone in the judge's chambers for a long time. When he finally entered the room, it was with such suddenness that I nearly wet myself. He threw his black robe onto a coat rack and sat behind his desk all in one motion.

 

"Mr. Albert Pierrepoint. Is that you?" he asked, swiping his finger on the screen of a tablet.

 

"Yes, sir," I answered. "They told me to wait here for you. Is… something wrong?"

 

"Wrong? No, but unusual. It looks like the Colony Selection Committee has made a special request on your behalf. Do you know why?" the judge asked.

 

"I… think I do. I'm on the short list for the next colony ship. The committee said I needed to demonstrate more community involvement. They suggested CJD as a way to do that."

 

"Well, you're a lucky man, Mr. Pierrepoint. Typically, Community Judicial Duty involves tasks like jury service or clerical work within the courthouse. That can take days or weeks to fulfill. Since the final colony ship departs in two days, you don't have time for that." He spoke the last sentence while gazing at me over the top of his glasses.

 

"But you've been assigned a task that might have you out of here and signed off by the end of the day!"

 

With that, the judge pushed a button on his desk, summoning his clerk from the outer office.

 

"Yes, Judge?" she said.

 

"Beverly, I'd like you to take young Albert here and prepare him for this afternoon's proceedings. He is to implement the verdict of the community in the matter of Citizens v. Britland."

 

The older lady looked a little shocked by that, but she obediently turned and said, "Yes, sir. Mr. Pierrepoint, follow me, please."

 

* * *

 

At precisely two o'clock that afternoon, Beverly led me into a room in the basement of the old courthouse. I still didn't know precisely what my task would be, but she had instructed me to wear a flowing black robe, much like the judge's, and a black hood with tiny eyeholes that barely allowed me to see where I was going.

 

The clerk guided me to a specific spot in the room before she left my side. Immediately, I heard the judge speak from a dark corner. I couldn't see him, but his booming, authoritative voice was unmistakable. He was speaking on the record now. This proceeding was being recorded.

 

"Mary Ann Britland," he began by announcing the prisoner's name. As he did, a light came on within a small booth situated directly in my view. Behind a full-length pane of frosted glass, I could barely make out the figure of a person standing within the booth. The poor visibility of the hood I wore and the lack of transparency of the glass made it impossible for me to discern any details of the person's appearance.

 

The judge continued speaking. "You have been convicted by a jury of citizens of this community of a crime so heinous as to demand the ultimate punishment. You have therefore been condemned to die by lethal injection, to be administered on this date by an anonymous executioner who represents the Community in toto. Do you have any last words?"

 

What?! I was too shocked to speak, and the prisoner within the booth didn't say anything either. There was a moment of silence, which the judge took as an answer to his question.

 

"May God have mercy upon your soul," he said. Then, directing his speech toward me, he concluded with, "Executioner, carry out the sentence!"

 

"Wait just a second," I said. "You expect me to do this without even knowing why? What did she do that was so terrible?" The small device Beverly had placed in my hand before entering the room suddenly felt hot and evil.

 

The judge stuttered a bit when he replied, "Th… the community has ruled on this. That's all you need to know. As duly appointed executioner, you must carry out the sentence imposed by all of us."

 

"It's… It's not right. It is morally wrong to kill another human being! We all know that! How can you ask me — "

 

"I'm not asking you anything!" boomed the judge. "It's your civic duty to perform this act! And you don't need to know the exact details of the case. Now press the button that was placed in your hand, and let's get this over with."

 

The shadowy figure behind the frosted glass began to fidget and move nervously. I gently caressed the button on the device that Beverly had given me and mumbled under my breath.

 

"No, I won't do it. I can't do it. It's not right."

 

The judge screamed again from his dark corner, "You MUST do this! In the name of the community! Push that button!"

 

"No, no. I can't. I just…" I closed my eyes and took a breath.

 

Then I pushed the button.

 

I felt pinpricks on either side of my neck. I grasped the hood and ripped it off. For a split second, my vision improved enough to get a better look at the prisoner behind the glass.

 

As the drugs I'd injected into myself began to steal my consciousness, I saw the truth. The frosted glass was really a mirror.

 

The condemned prisoner was… me.

 

* * *

 

It's hard to say how long I was out. Honestly, I was surprised to wake up at all. As I lay in my own bed, the tablet beside me announced a pending message from the Colonization Committee.

 

Dear Mr. Pierrepoint,

 

We regret to inform you that you failed the final qualifying test and have been deemed by the committee to be unsuitable for passage on the Colony Ship Orion. Your willingness to allow an ill-defined social moral code to override your own intrinsic ethical core indicates you are incompatible with the Orion's colonial constitution.

 

This is not to say you are a bad person. There will be plenty of jobs here on Earth during its final years or decades whose requirements match your tendency to obey orders from perceived authority. The need for peace officers, managers, and soldiers will be acute.

 

We thank you for your application, and wish you and all our friends and family the best of luck.

 

May God have mercy upon your souls.

 

* * *

 

A deafening roar from outside my window caught my attention. I wept as I watched the final chance to escape this dying planet slowly lift off, charting a course toward mankind's next utopian dream.