by Richard Sosa
Dask regarded Rik disdainfully. “Every bone in my body wants to kill you right now. I don’t give a shit about you. If you won’t help us, you have no purpose here. I swear I am going to kill your girlfriend the instant you defy me again. Runaway or you endanger the girl. Simple”
Iris ran toward them at a fast pace and screamed. “Don't hurt him. He's done nothing wrong. Don't murder him.”
Dask ordered to his troops. “If she doesn’t stop, shoot. Kill her.”
Rik rolled over and put up a weak hand in the air to stop her. The guards raised their rifles and Iris stopped in her tracks with hands up. The guards assigned to keep her at the bunker were catching up and stopped immediately to move out of the line of fire.
Dask shouted to her. “He's done nothing that’s for sure. He’s a damn distraction. You’re helping him destroy us,” then he glared down at Rik and whispered, “tell her you're a fraud, tell her you can't help us, tell her anything,” then in a lower voice, “or she's dead.”
He tossed a credit holder at Rik’s back. “Here’s your girlfriend’s advance payment,” he bent closer towards Rik’s face, “she's my thief. She took the cube from you, right under your stupid nose. She directed you around like you had a leash around your neck. Now, no one trusts you.”
Rik was lifeless in the mud. He buried his forehead on the ground trying to catch his breath. Mud covered his face as he tried to get up, but he could only manage to speak a few inches from the ground. “He told me to run. It’s all I have left.”
Iris saw Rik prostrated, small looking and laying in the mud. Her face was cut and bruised from her fight to escape the bunker. Rik sobbed, “He told me, run. My da. He said ‘Run’. I shouldn't have. If I lost the cube, then he and mam died for nothing.” Rik closed his eyes and saw the images that refused to let go even with his eyes tightly closed. The fire was everywhere. Droids, death, soldiers dying, his father roughly turned him around and shouting, ‘Run’. The word echoed in his mind.
Dask and Iris watched Rik struggle as if he’s a rag doll with no strength to stand. He clawed handfuls of purple mud and said. “I can't help any of you. I mess things up. I couldn't save my family,” his dark eyes rose to Iris, “I trusted you.”
She stood in shock with water soaking her hair and running down her face. “What are you saying?” She moved to help him up.
Dask glared and shook his head ‘no’. “Don’t you dare. In a week you’re back on full commission level three and you’ll be assigned to Gartmar-Seven, so start packing. I want you out of the way, far away, got it. You’ve done an excellent job of screwing things up around here along with him. You’ll finish your commission out there.”
Iris was almost in tears. “There’s nothing at Gartmar, Rik and I can help.”
“There’s nothing here,” Dask pointed at Rik, “this is a coward. This man is weak,” Dask bent closer to Rik’s face, “I think Rik here is remembering his duty to us and you. Make us proud, speech boy, or you know the drill.”
Rik sat up slowly, face dirty, bleeding, then bows his head. “I am a fraud. I can't help anyone here. I trusted you and then you steal from me? I am going to leave.”
Iris was shocked. “Leave? No. You god damn liar. No, you can’t leave,” she stood frozen and stunned looking down at him, “Damn you. You promised to stay.” Tears streamed from her eyes, blurred her vision.
Dask had no sympathy and said to Iris, “As you can see, we're disappointed in him too,” to his guards he said, “I can take it from here, dismissed and take her with you. I am done with these two.”
The guards walked away escorting Iris. She didn’t look back.
Dask started to walk away slowly. Rik got up and stood with great effort. The sun was trying to peek through dark clouds. “Wait. Damn you,” Rik said, “I am not a fraud. I’ll do what it takes to save Iris. I am not afraid of you. At the rate this is going she's dead either way. I know you have my brother or worse and I am staying here and eventually will die with all of you, but the first chance I get I am going to put a laser in your thick head. I swear to gods.”
Dask stopped and turned around slowly to face him. “Jasfper, come with me.” Dask approached Rik fast and roughly grabbed his arm almost lifting Rik off the ground. They walked fast while Rik was being forcibly hauled forward while trying to hobble and keep upright. Then Dask let him go, pushed Rik on the back and he fell forward stumbling to the ground. Dask said. “Get the hell up and follow me.” Dask led the way to the backside of the Hangar. Rik was apprehensive and he glanced at Dask’s sidearm. Dask warned. “Don’t even think about it, smartass.”
They walked to the backside of the hangar. Dask looked around to make sure the guards were long gone. He pointed to the ground. “Here.”
Rik was confused.
Dask pointed down. “Here.” He pushed Rik down, but Rik collapsed to his knees and began to choke back a sob.
Rik whispered. “What is this? No. What? No. What’s going on? No. No. No.”
Dask stood over Rik for a long moment looking down at him with contempt. He moved his hand over his holstered pulse weapon. Rik touched a flat headstone. The words engraved in the soil colored marble read, ‘NEIL RE ONANES 4-15-5439 to 19-26-5526 REST IN PEACE’. Rik traced the letters with a shaking finger, silently sobbing, his body trembled, and tears streamed down his face. He began to cry uncontrolled. “What's happening? Everything's messed up. I am lost now. Neil. Bro? What the hell?” Rik spoke softly as if remembering, “momma. I couldn't. I didn't… God… I didn’t take care of him for you. What did I do wrong?”
Dask stepped back and examined Rik, frowned sadly and said coldly, “I told you, if you’re a Jasfper you won't see tomorrow's suns. His last wish,” Dask wondered if Rik even heard him and the seconds counted by, “his last wish was to be placed here under a stone with those markings. He said it was custom for the dead on Da-earra and he kinda liked it. He said he used to jog at a cemetery. I don’t know what that is, but it’s related to his last wish. He said you would know. He’s ‘buried’ here.”
Dask bent down to see Rik’s face, to see his eyes and trying to read his expression. “That’s my father.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Rik felt ill and between sobs, he caught his breath. “I don't have anyone. Neil, what happened? Gods, what happened?”
Dask responded, ignoring the rhetorical question. “He lived a long life, got old. He spent his life looking for you as well. You two must have been close.”
Rik said quietly, “He was my life. I am not leaving. I don't have anything to live for, not anymore, it's all lost, my entire family is gone. All my family is gone.” Rik struggled to grasp the crushing loneliness covering his soul like drowning in a murky tidal basin. He took a deep shaky breath, “I loved my little brother with my life, and I let him die alone.”
“You're not leaving that’s for sure,” Dask said, “you have family here, dumb ass. He didn’t die alone; we were all present. We celebrated his life and he planned this event called a funeral that was like a block party. You need to complete your brother's work,” Dask looked at his time unit, “he used to say you stayed with your mom when he wanted to run. Admired you. What's that mean? Said you're not a coward and you'll fight. I am not so sure.” Dask was distracted for a second and looked at something beyond the hangar, “I have something for you and also I need to show you something.” Dask dropped a broken watch in Rik’s lap. Rik held the tattered pink band with green unicorns for a long moment in his open hand just staring at it. His eyes blurred with tears and he crushed the watch to his chest.
Dask’s words made him jump. “It doesn’t work. He said it belonged to you. I could never get it fixed. Is that thing mission-critical?”
Rik sat cross-legged for a long time with his head bowed. “No, just a watch, a timepiece. It wasn’t accurate when it was working but I gave it to him after our mother died.”
Dask observed Rik’s actions as he sat and clutched the watch. “I u
nderstand how that is important to both of you. Son, I don’t do the touchy weepy thing very well. You can come back here anytime. Right now, I really do need you to stand up, stop bawling like a little girl, and compose yourself. Everyone should be at their posts, waiting for us”
Rik started to stand but slipped back on his butt. “You're a right bastard, Dask.”
Rik touched the headstone gently and used it to straighten himself a bit shaky. He wiped tears with both hands as if his entire face was tired. “Watch yourself, big guy, if I get a chance, I am going to kill you.”
Dask rolled his eyes. “That would sure piss off your family. I want to trust you, I need to trust you, Rik. Can we just drop this shit and get on with the business at hand?”
Rik pondered the consequences. “We don't have a choice.”
Dask pushed his hand through his hair. “Da sacrificed everything preparing for this day, his family, his relationship with us, friends, the life he should had had here. He said he wanted to fight them at least once in his life. What does that mean?”
“Revenge. I wanted to protect him and so I spent most of my time keeping him away from any fighting.”
Dask looked down at the headstone. “There were many who hoped to silence him and steal his technology for profit. We spent more time and energy protecting him and making sure the equipment was safe and now we're out of time.”
“Technology?”
“Come on. There’s a bunker in the side of the ridge. It’s the science and military set up that Da created.”
Rik and Dask walked at a rushed pace without speaking a word. They got closer to a large black Hangar with a large bunker entrance directly connected to it, Bunker Fifty-two. Rik realized the suns were out and the rain had stopped at some point. They approached the hangar and bunker, passing guards, and overhead drones monitored their approach. “Everything I have including my reputation,” Dash spoke harshly, “was hanging on making sure we knew who the hell you were and especially that you’re the brother of Neil. I had to make sure. I make no apologies.”
They stepped through the side door and moved to the center of the large bustling building, where men and women conferred over monitors, working with strange tools and larger versions of IARI’s. The large area was filled with the sounds of torque and mechanical tools being used. Sparks flew where people were using futuristic welding devices and large machines were lifting the Flyers in the air without block and tackle.
Rik scanned all the activity, “Garage?”
Dask frowned. “I am not sure what that means. This is munitions and fighter engineering.”
Scientists were working under the flyers and looking at monitors. Dask pointed over to the far end of the bunker where a figure was approaching and nodded in that direction. “Doctor Karl.” Rik craned his neck to see him. A slight man in a white lab coat was walking toward them. His gray and black speckled hair was messed up as if he had slept on it the night before and his hands and coat were stained with red fluid. One shoe black and the other brown. “He discovered the cure for the Trig Met Plague which saved millions,” Dask said, “our children and many adults were caught up in that thing and died, old and young died, pregnant mothers. It was the shits. But he solved it. Now we're putting the survival of the planet back on his shoulders again.”
“Is that the long-term fallout from the bio-weapon story from ancient Aoife?”
“Yep, he knows all about you. He’s a commons net geek type. Everything Iris shared was taken up by his group and reviewed independently. If you can't share it with me, please share it with him. He's a good man but brace yourself.” Dask handed the cube back to Rik. Rik was surprised to have it. Karl finally reached them. Dask peered forlornly at the cube in Rik’s hands and said. “For all our sakes, do the right thing, Rik.”
Karl came into Dask’s personal space. “Dask, I am not getting this thing to concentrate the pulse fire just right. I can’t get this thing to work out. I am stuck.” Rik was confused and Karl switched his intense stare to Rik, “from the stream cannons. What should I do?”
Dask pretended to follow what he said. “Humm. From the stream cannons you say?” then introduced, “Karl, Rik,” pointing to each in a quick introduction. Both men quickly glanced at each other. Dask said, “Rik you have any ideas?” He hunched, then turned back to Karl, “you'll figure it out, you always do but remember we don’t have a lot of time old man. Maybe Rik here can help?”
Karl ignored Rik and said. “I am at a place where there is only one solution left and it leads to only one option. To make it work I need a way to create an alternate cycled power source. That's the only way my idea will work. We have part of the solution only. The change in direction means more time and I don’t have more time. Rachel, give me strength.” Karl put his hands up in the air as if pleading to god.
Rik said. “What's going on here?” he stared at Dask’s face, “what’s he talking about?”
“Karl’s complex problems are starting to weigh him down,” Dask said, “he’s losing hope, he needs someone to help with the math. We’re counting on your advanced evolution. I hope you can help. But you need to act fast we’re out of time.”
“Me? You have the wrong man. I am a soldier, not a mathematician.”
Dask stared off to the far wall with a bitter expression. “Damn it.”
“Who’s Rachel?” Rik asked.
Dask was exasperated with Rik. “The man lost his wife. But that’s none of your business.”
Karl was obvious to the conversation and Rik and Dask watched him. Karl said softly as if unsure. “The pulse cannons need to fire together on one focused location. I am sure of that. It’s the only way to break that compound chemical bond. It needs to be a concentration of firepower. I know that’s the key, I can’t get the math right. I can’t use my rockets. We need to destroy them in space,” Karl suddenly looked directly at Rik and leaned into him, “Right? We need to destroy them in space. That’s what you said?”
Rik stepped back from the intrusion. “What?”
Karl threw up his hands. “What's the use. All of you are children.” He walked away tapping his head saying, “I need someone to help me. How to do it. In space at a very high speed.”
Dask looked at Rik expectantly. Rik said. “Don’t look at me math is not my strong suit.”
“Well then you’re worthless,” Dask said but smiled for the first time, “Karl when you figure out how to pierce the outer core of the Orb then maybe I can land my marines on the Orb surface and fight our way in.”
Karl looked at him for a long moment. “Haven’t you been listening? No, I can’t figure it out. That is probably the most puerile idea I’ve heard all day. We can’t land troops in space traveling at .001 speed of light. Gods. Stop wasting my time. There's no other way with current technology to pierce the armor.”
Rik caught up with Karl’s conversation and said. “Wait, Wait. Slow down. Doctor, I can help with that. Let me think, let me just damn think. You're right, we'll need a focused energy source.”
Karl looked at him for a long moment. “Why are you re-stating the obvious? Do you have advanced gravity-cycling subatomic mathematical skills or mathematical simulation programming skills?”
“No, I hate math, especially word problems.”
“Why the hell am I talking to you? Both of you get the hell out of my shop.”
Dask smirked at Rik. “Word problems? Do you know who you’re talking to? You’re an idiot.”
Rik glanced around noticing hundreds of Flyers with their wings folded for space-saving. Mechanics were working and re-fitting technology and Flyers were being prepared for a test flight. In the back was a group of pilots on standby to test anything the lab produced. “You’re probably right, the Orbs are going to bury us but not without a damn fight,” Dask said.
Rik grabbed Karl’s arm. “Doctor. I didn’t mean any disrespect. My translator needs to catch up to your speech pattern. I think we can use a Flyer. We'll need a lot of th
ese and then point them at the central thrasher on the Orb.”
Karl stopped reading and yanked his arm from Rik. “Why the thrasher?”
“Because a large explosion there has a better chance of reaching the main pores.
“Why do I get the feeling that you and I are on the same side?” Dask said with his hand on his chin in thought, “just so you know we have four hundred eighty hangars just like this one and one hundred thousand Flyers with support and heavy ships in space to take the fight out there. Da said, ‘this time I'll be ready’, whatever the hell that means,” Dask became stern again, “This is my father's work and it has nothing to do with you.”
Rik returned the hard stare, “There's no love lost between us. Do your job and I won't have a problem with you.”
“Stay out of my way smart ass and I won't have a problem with you.” They slightly smiled at each other.
Karl looked to Rik and then Dask. “Stop acting like schoolboys, that idea won't work because I need more power by a factor of a thousand.”
Karl moved away from them and he stood alone engrossed in his notes and looked up at the ceiling defeated. Dask ran his hands through his hair. “I am out of time Da. All the times I thought you were just a crazy ass. I should have prepared more. Then he shows up.” Rik stared at him wordlessly. Dask glanced at his younger uncle and watched Karl shuffle further way, “Smartass. My soldiers would have located you and your skinny girlfriend and if we needed to take you both down you would never have seen it coming.”
Rik nodded agreement but hailed a Technician and took his IARI and tapped it to his laptop then started typing without looking up he said, “she's not my girlfriend.”
