The Far Field: A Military Science Fiction Epic (Seedlings Book 1)

by Richard Sosa

  She pointed toward her small locker in a corner of the room, used for storage. Rik stood, walked over and then bent down to inspect the inside space. The feeling of entrapment from his pod capsule came flooding back into his thoughts, his muscles tightened, his heart rate quickened. “You want me to sleep in there?”

  “I don't have any other place for you.”

  He stooped down further to inspect it and reached into the small locker grabbed a pair of running shoes. He grimaced. “Well, O.K. but move these smelly things.”

  Suddenly she was in his face. She pushed her palm right at his face but stopped before it connected. “Kafi-ik.”

  Rik stepped back and spoke the translation that flooded his brain, “bugger off?” He held up his arms in surrender, “I am sorry, I am sorry, OK?”

  “You're rude. I am sheltering you, and you insult me?”

  “Your shoes aren't smelly leave them here,” he examined them, “small princess feet, very cute.”

  She ripped the shoes from his hands. “You’re not making it better just shut up. I am not the one who peed himself.”

  “What's your name?” Rik asked again, he thought, Rik you’re such a complete dumb ass.

  She looked him over as if letting her stare and silence burn through his shirt. “I heard you.” She made a sideways glance at the locker space and shook her head disbelieving his actions then smiled to herself.

  Rik bowed his head and wanted to kick himself. “Look I am a bit slow finding my way around your culture. I don’t want to make things worse. Thank you for helping me. A lot of people would have let me sleep in the park or the woods with those horrible beasts out there. You’re very kind.” Rik noticed his hands were gesticulating in a pleading fashion, “I don’t want to be outside and be exposed, and my technology isn’t working.”

  “I am supposed—”

  Rik held up a finger quickly to silence her. He turned his full attention to his palm-size locator unit which had come to life and he moved his thumb over it as if rubbing the side to fine-tune the data stream. The silver tube clicked rapidly and then a ping echoed that became softer until there was no sound. The ping sound stopped, and a soft buzz emitted from the unit until it went completely dead. He lifted the locator unit in the air and walked around the walls as if that action might improve the signal. He leaned over and placed his hand on his head listening inside his brain for information. The unit was silent, and Rik’s entire body slumped dejectedly. He was ready to weep and sat down hard while still fidgeting with the locator. He noticed that she was looking at him intently with her hand on a small flat box that was blinking. “Don’t concern yourself with this thing, it’s nothing. I invented it to help me and my brother stay in touch. It’s just a tool. Don’t be afraid. This won’t hurt you.”

  “I am not afraid.”

  “I’ve lost my brother,” Rik said softly. She noticed his hands continued to fidget with the unit while slightly shaking as he tried to activate it again. Rik spoke to himself softly. “Come on bro, where are you. Come on I need you. You can’t be lost. Not again.”

  “I might be wrong, but I sense you to be desperate and may be afraid,” Iris said, “and—"

  The unit came to life for a second with static and Rik jumped up while Iris backed up out of his way as Rik desperately tried to get it to work. The signal died as quickly as it had turned on. She curiously inspected his equipment from afar and then stared at the small flesh-colored disk on his neck. She lost herself concentrating on it so when Rik stopped working on his locator and suddenly looked up, she diverted her stare to her IARI unit pretending to read. He frowned at her for a long moment. “I’ve lost my brother. He’s all I have. What’s your name? Do you have a family? I am Rik, Rik Onanes.”

  She regarded him seriously. “Iris, for now, that’s all you need to know. You O.K.?”

  “I had a really bad day—"

  “Tell me about it,” Iris cut in, “I lost my communication unit this morning and then the return key on my IARI was stuck to send data only. It was ghastly.”

  “Today my mother died,” he fidgeted with his hands as if they were foreign objects attached to his arms and he didn’t know where to put them. He stared at the floor and thought, you shouldn’t have said that. A tear formed in the corner of his eye. He couldn’t help it and he blinked it back, but more tears forced him to wipe his face, he realized he was sobbing. Iris came over to him and held him without a word. He quietly sobbed for a few moments then caught himself to pull back. “Sorry I shouldn’t bother you with this. You don’t know me. I am sorry. I am such a dumb ass.”

  “You don’t have to apologize for anything. I understand ‘about’ those things. I lost my mother when I was little. Are you going to be O.K.?”

  Rik was unsure if he could keep himself together, “yes, I am going to be fine. I can’t talk about all of that right now.”

  Iris changed the subject cautiously saying, “We do need some supplies. No one's showing up. I bet some fresh air might do you some good. I am guessing you're staying through the night at the very least. I need to get my hair ready before we go out. Is that O.K.”

  Rik observed her. “Your hair looks fine, it’s very pretty, you don’t need to do anything else to it,” he searched in his mother’s bag and after rooting around he pulled out an ornate hair comb, “but, alright. I am not going anywhere.” Rik regarded the comb for a long moment. The comb had in-laid turquoise animal shapes surrounded by pearl and purple and black swirling patterns. The comb was artistic. He inspected it closely for a moment and then handed it to Iris. “Here, you can have this for being so nice to me and putting up with me, you know.”

  Iris took it and examined it. “This is awesomely beautiful. It looks otherworldly.”

  “Otherworldly? Yeah, you can say that it was my mothers.”

  She instantly gave it back to him, “No, you shouldn’t give this to me it’s yours to remember her. No. I don’t want it. What are you thinking?”

  Rik pushed it back in her hand touching her for the first time. “No, it’s yours I am giving it to you freely. I am not asking for anything. You have lovely hair so it’s fitting. I can’t wear it. I have recordings of my mother and wherever I go I can set up my multiverse storage links and view them. I’ll never lose the recordings of her. Unless I let my little brother mess with the recorders, but I learned that lesson the hard way.”

  Iris frowned at him. “Thank you for this. This is surprising. What’s a multiverse storage link?”

  “I’ll tell you about it someday,” Rik looked around her home, “this is your chance you can toss me out. I’ll find my way now that I know about those creatures in the park. I can prepare to defend myself.”

  Iris smiled at him and said, “I can, you know, just throw you out. It’s tempting. I made it up.”

  “What up?”

  “The Babstarkers, I made that up. They don’t exist. What wild creature would only kill guys? That’s absurd.”

  “Man, you’re a card,” Rik shook his head relieved, “I was thinking some wild beasts were out there ready to pounce. I was wondering why your terrace door wasn’t locked and I almost went outside to get those kids playing to go inside the yard,” Rik pondered, “thank gods that means my brother is safe.”

  Iris laughed. “Now that would be funny to watch. Explaining to the parents about a wild beast that’s going after their boy children as you tried to chase them into their homes. A good way to have the authorities take you away.”

  Rik frowned at her and looked around wanting to run, he hugged himself. “Authorities?”

  “What the hell is a card?” Iris wondered at him.

  Chapter Seven

  Two soldiers in faded light purplish and green tone camouflage lay spread eagle on the ground with the barrel of their long-range laser rifles resting on bipods. They’re hidden well in the high grass at the far side of the park as they watch for movement on the terrace of Iris’ flat. One sited in on the windows but t
he protective covering prevented them from seeing inside the building. He moved his sighting to the porch and then back across the windows. Children playing passed into his telescopic crosshairs as it moves around looking for a target. These soldiers were seasoned snippers and their faces give away no outward emotion. Their greens were torn and dirty from unknown faraway mercenary battlefields and they were crudely cut with dirty fingernails and grimy hair.

  The first soldier spoke without taking his eye off his sight. “I can’t get a clear bead they’re staying in the living room away from any windows.”

  “Then we wait.” The second soldier moved his rifle aside.

  “Maybe you should turn that thing on again he might come out,” The first soldier said.

  The second soldier fumbled with the silver tube. “This is a piece of shit,” he turned it off and it beeped, “it’s not working.”

  The soldiers continued to sight in on the flat. “What do I do if he steps out on the porch and those kids are still playing around the unit?”

  “Shoot. We have our orders. Kill the bastard. Kill them both. Collateral damage isn’t our call. I don’t give a shit.”

  “Me neither but I thought I’d ask.”

  Rik sat alone in the front room waiting for Iris to finish her hair. He lost track of time and wondered if he could step out on the patio for some air, what’s taking her so damn long, he thought.

  When she finally came into the room, he couldn’t tell what changed with her hair. Iris grabbed her bag. “All set, ready?”

  In the late afternoon, Rik and Iris strolled down into the Urban Village. She touched her hair signaling and Rik finally noticed that she had put an ornate braid in her hair that twisted and weaved to incorporate Sarah’s comb along with a thin tube that had lighting that moved through the braid with alternating colors that matched the comb, she smiled at Rik, “do you like it?”

  Rik found himself staring at the artistic hair weave when Iris wasn’t looking. “Yes, that’s just amazing.” She patted her hair again and then focused on her window-shopping peering at her IARI unit occasionally as they passed the shops. She moved her fingers apart to make the unit larger in her hand. Rik looked around cautiously and eyed everyone who passed them. Their nap sack wasn’t filling with supplies and they smiled cautiously at each other. “When you said you needed to get your hair ready, I didn’t think it was going to take so long. Just brush your dang hair. You undo the braid and then re-braided it? What a waste of time. How long did that take? Three hours?” Rik said.

  Iris watched his hand pointing at her hair and frowned. “Hours? So…what's that on your throat?” She pointed.

  Rik quickly adjusted his shirt collar to hide it. “When are we going to buy something?”

  “What’s that on your throat. It looks like a modulator medical injector or some type of external connector,” Iris pointed as if aiming at it.

  Rik frowned and said the first lie that entered his mind. “It’s a translator. I invented it myself. I am from a faraway place on the other side of your world. Normally I land in the same place I am from, but I messed up and came here. But with this, I can understand and speak your particular dialect.”

  “It’s not working. I don’t understand what you’re saying at all. You’re the one with the strange dialect. Let me guess, you’re from far away Practor?”

  Rik looked around getting nervous. “Yes, Practor. This thing on my neck is a multi-voice recognition unit and it’s linked to my brain as it scans the environment for voice patterns. The patterns are matched with a database and the language program updates. It learns so just keep talking to me, I should improve. I invented it.”

  Iris stopped by a tech shop and pulled out her IARI and tapped in her order. Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe you invented anything. You stole that technology. We don’t get to see many folks from Practor they keep to themselves and their intellectual capacity is so limited. I am surprised you have this equipment with you. Admit it, you stole it.”

  “No, I didn’t steal this, I created it. I am kind of a throwback or forward. I was homeschooled.”

  “I think you’re lying. Who needs a tri-modulator translation program while living on the same planet? Your comment about dialect is stupid. What does that mean, ‘was schooled?’”

  Rik watched others walking by, staring at him and then looking back at him after passing by. He was becoming apprehensive. “Well, it means, I was excluded from the sub-standard education given to other children and my education was technical. It was called ‘college prep’ with exclusive limited scoped tests for children of a certain ethnic race to be advantaged over others. Yes, that’s how it was done,” Rik frowned as he remembered information from another world, “maybe we should get back home.”

  “Limited scoped tests?” Iris challenged, “what’s that about. You’re a thief. You’re saying you didn’t have a hole drilled in your head and packed with seaweed? Because that’s what they do to everyone in Practor. It poisons the mind.”

  “Gods that’s barbaric,” then Rik caught himself, “no, I was educated differently so no seaweed for brains and no holes in my head. As I said I am different because my family was wealthy.”

  Iris thought further and shook her head in disbelief. “Wait, it’s the culture of that part of the world. The wealthy lead those things because they profit from seaweed sales. Why would your wealthy parents not want your brains stuffed with seaweed? That doesn’t make sense.”

  “I said they were different, I can’t explain it,” Rik looked away and silently cursed, “shit.”

  Iris remained unconvinced. She looked at him and frowned, “Are you sure you don’t

  have a hole drilled in your head let me check.” She attempted to grab his head and Rik stepped back.

  “I don’t have a hole in my head. Gods, that’s crazy.”

  “Well, you sure act as if you do. Can I test you with some simple math problems?”

  Rik tried to diffuse the conversation and said, “Look, it’s obvious I don’t have a hole in my head.”

  “Not to me or anyone else looking at you,” Iris pointed to people around them staring at him, “I bet they’re wondering the same thing.”

  Rik threw his hands in the air. “Damn it. O.K. what are the problems?”

  Iris cleared her throat. “O.K. this is basic grade school. You would have been exposed to this at Practor Primary. Are you ready? If a Flyer is going toward Treh-heic at 589 galvitecks and passes another Flyer going in the opposite direction but at an attitude of 4879 Metlacks, how far would the second Flyer travel before reaching Tech-heic? To add tenth-grade level, calculate the gravitational pull needed to arrive before the second Flyer with the shorter distance back at its starting point,” she pointed to here IARI, “I have the answer here to compare.”

  Rik put his hand on his mouth as if he needed to cover a scream. “I hate math word problems, I don’t know the answer to that,” Rik’s eyes moved to the top of his brain and he chopped each word, “I hate math word problems.”

  Iris lifted one hand, her fingers spread in the air in frustration and tried to look at his head as if searching for the hole. “Try to respond. I know you have that answer. Do you need to work it out with a training application?” She continued to scan his head, but her expression softened, and she caught herself smiling at him when she should be smirking instead.

  Rik stared back at her. “Why are you smiling at me like that? There’s no god damn

  hole in my head O.K.,” he watched Iris expression turn skeptical, “stop looking at me like that.”

  “Humm, I don’t know you seem to be unable to keep a story straight,”

  looking off into the distance toward the mountains, Iris said, “you're a good liar. Practor, I made that up. You lie like a Korpe bastard. Explain yourself otherwise I am going to turn your sorry ass into the authorities.” She raised her IARI and readied her index finger to tap a command, “your choice, they can come here and collect you or
you can stop playing games with me and stop lying about everything.”

  They stood in a standoff. He stared at her and then she broke her stare to scan her device checking her order. “You’re right,” Rik said, “I am afraid. O.K. I am afraid. You're very observant and sneaky. Normally I can hide everything in my cover shield applications, but that technology isn’t working now. I am exposed. What is this place called?”

  The tension in Iris’ face released and she let out a breath she was holding. She regarded him. “Called?”

  “Yeah, ‘called’. What is this place called?”

  “You mean the name of this village or city? EpDaaRa city. This location is village seven. Just so you know, I don’t give a damn where you’re from. You need to talk to me and stop the avoidance games. I am not going to harm you. I am going to let someone know that math word problems might be a good tool for information gathering. They seemed to terrify you and you wanted to avoid them.”

  Rik shook his head ‘no’. “Everyone hates math word problems. Unless you’re a weirdo.”

  “I don’t mind math word problems.”

  “My point exactly.”

  Rik looked around at the people going about their business and added. “I can’t trust everyone. I just can’t but I think I am safe with you. I am safe with you, right?”

  Iris focused on her typing on her IARI and reading information added from others.

  “Did you hear me?” Rik repeated, “can I trust you?”

  “Yeah, whatever.”

  A few people watched and followed and then they started taking images. Iris ignored them. A person matched their pace holding a long tube that he pointed at the ground and then raised it toward them. The man moved the pointed the tube near Rik’s face. “O.K. I’ve had enough, get that damn thing out of my face or I am going to ram it your face. Damn, I wish my weapon would update and load. I feel like shooting someone. Leave us alone damn you,” Rik shouted.