The Forced Assassin

Tom Jackson finds himself in the middle of a plot to kill an alien ambassador.

A man named Andy Rennick pushes a heavy-looking revolver across his desk to Tom. He wants Tom to use it during humanity's first contact with an alien species.

Rennick is the commander of the orbiting space station on which this historic moment will occur. He knows every move that Tom could possibly make.

The worst thing, for Tom, is that Rennick's argument for the assassination makes sense.

Under constant surveillance, unable to get a message back to Earth, Tom needs to make a choice. Will he shoot the alien ambassador?

This science fiction short story runs approximately 3800 words.