Tramp Wars: The Enemy

by Larry Roberts

  "Mickey get me Dian please I don't have her in my phone yet and I don't know her last name. Oh ya, she called me didn't she." Mark started tapping the phone on his wrist when Dian spoke into his ear.

  "Yes Mark! Have your heard what is going on down in the hold and the bomb threat? They have postponed my swearing in during the emergency. Something about a battle and a bomb. We have dozens of wounded Marines and Cargo mates up here." Her voice turned concerned. "Oh you weren’t kidding about not watching a movie. Were you in the hold? Are you all right? I thought you were just goofing off and did not want to come to my swearing in. I am so sorry Honey. Are you all right?"

  "Yes I am fine. Just starving. Care for lunch with me?"

  "Sure Mark but we have better hurry, lunch is almost over. I will meet you down there. Oh did you see the crazy guy the marines have been talking about. Some idiot was running around with a blaster shooting the guys ambushing the marines getting off the trucks. Sounds like he saved a bunch of lives."

  "No, didn't see a thing. I will meet you in the mess love. See you soon."

  He walked up to the serving line. Hundreds of people filled the mess deck. Another 5 minutes and he would have been too late and the serving line closed. He did not notice his dress white uniform torn, tattered and streaked with burn marks, smoke, grease, dirt and blood. The Blast rifle slung over his back forgotten as he held the little ball with a small disk on one side or bottom since it made it easy to sit the ball down without it rolling away. Grabbing up a tray; the line ahead of him parted. The civilians standing back out of his way. Starring at them for a few seconds he frowned and said. “Thank you but it is just a little earth tech module.” Frowning as he held the little ball up for them to see, showing them that it was harmless as they all starred at him keeping their distance. Shrugging his shoulders, he proceeded down the serving line spending more time looking for Dian than looking at the wide eyed people around him or the food being slapped on his tray. Leaving the serving line he passed the desert cart noticing his favorite treat and stopped, taking a second to figure out what to do with the module while he grabbed a nice big chocolate brownie.

  Walking out into the dining area he finally looked up to find a seat only to see no tables that did not have at least a couple of people sitting at them. The dining area was a mix of 4 seat and 6 seat tables. The nearest open table with plenty of room for him to spread out to examine the module while he eat was on the other side of the mess deck. “I didn’t time this very well did I?”

  A voice called out. “Hey you blind moron where did you get the stupid uniform and toy gun. Go back to the nursery and take a bath.”

  Ignoring the taunt he looked around hopping he would find Dian and spotted a couple standing up to leave at a 6 seat table with a couple sitting next to each other on one end leaving the other end open with plenty of room to spread out and for Dian to join him when she got there.

  He had only gone a few steps when he heard. “Hey four eyes! Sorry about your friend taking the big dive. Nice of you to make it easy for me to find you. I thought I was going to have to hunt you down. You owe me big time for ruining my vacation and my truck. You have gotten pretty good at avoiding me so why you turn stupid all of a sudden? You think that uniform is going to protect you?” The guys a half dozen tables away starred at him smiling.

  Stopping at the all but empty table he had been headed for, Mark looked away trying to look invisible and not antagonize them in the hope they would just leave him alone but knowing that they wouldn’t. Mark started to panic looking for another table on the other side of the mess deck. Kicking himself for not seeing them as soon as he entered the mess deck. He had been very good at it until today. He was suddenly back behind the loader cab scarred to death only to have Dian call him and the junk deck battle flashed before his eyes and he suddenly felt invincible as blood started to rush through his veins. Turning back around. “What? Don’t tell me. Are you blind or just stupid? Tell you what. When you figure it out, tell me. For now I am going to have lunch.”

  Mark sat his tray down with the Earth tech module next to it. Sitting down Mark felt something jab his back. He had to grab ahold of the Assaultblaster on his back before he realized what it was. Turning red he got back up pulling the rifle sling over his head and running a quick safety check on it as he powered down the charge. Then laid it on the floor at his feet as he sat back down. Thanking the couple, he looked down at his tray and realized he had no utensils to eat with. Shaking his head sadly he pushed his chair back to get up and started to walk back to the serving line but stopped. Turned and picked up the riffle throwing it over his shoulder again as he smiled at the couple. “Don’t want anyone tripping over it and getting hurt.”

  It only took a minute to grab a set as well as a glass of orange soda but as he came back he noticed that his table was empty of both couple and the earth tech module. “Shit!” Looking around. “Mickey can you?” A table lit up a few yards away. Chet and his group of sadists sat chuckling with Chet eating as if nothing was happening. Mark bit his lip as he placed the drink, knife, spoon and fork down on the table. Panic starting to overwhelm him at the thought of having to confront his old tormentors to get his module back. Standing their frozen Mark fought down the panic. Past encounters of things stolen from the four eyed baby and all his humiliating attempts to get them back flooded his mind. He was suddenly laying on the cargo deck helpless a couple days before, a hundred days before, a year before until to many images of him helpless without his glasses flashed through his mind. Scarred that anything he did this time, he would again end up as blind and humiliated as all his encounter had ended before.

  “Mark calm down everything will be alright. You are an officer and can take the module back.”

  Images of him jumping after a toy while these older bullies passed it around flashed through his emotions along with beat downs and always the embarrassment and frustrations and helplessness as long as he could remember each time he had tried to resist only to have his glasses stolen before being terrorized. The riffle dug into his back as he sat down in frustration. Then he realized that he had a weapon and could blast the monster bullies before they hurt him and take back the module. Then as he took the weapon into his hands and caressed it, the image of the Chet and his bullies being cut in half like he had done to the dead junk men filled his mind and he started to get sick again only to fight the reflex. Scarred to death of embarrassing himself in front of everyone on the mess deck, he dropped the weapon onto the middle of the table just on the other side of his plate with a resounding clunk.

  “Mark settle down. Your thoughts are turning dark. You are a young man with training from the public records I have scanned. You have taken all the self-defense classes your ship cadet program offers with several self-defense trophies. You are an officer and a Gentleman and if you use your head and make a plan you can get the module back without killing anyone."

  "Oh you think so? All anyone of them have to do is knock my glasses off and I am blind and helpless." Mark whispered. "The Cadet training classes use helmets that keep my glasses from falling off. What do you want me to do? Superglue you to my face? Besides there are four of them and in training, I only have to fight one or two at a time with a referee to keep things fair and by the rules."

  "No Mark. You do not need to super glue me to your head. I will not let them take me or knock me off of you and you only have to fight them one at a time if you use your head in planning your attack. Though in time with my training, the number of perpetrators will not be a problem. The young men sitting down at the table are at a great disadvantage but do not know that and do not expect you to do anything to hurt them. They believe they are immune from anything you can do physically because of their and your past. I can help you obtain the module without embarrassing you or letting them win without damaging the module. I can speed up your thinking, warn you before they do anything and show you what to do to defend yourself and get the module.”

&nb
sp; “What do you mean speed up my thinking?” Mark was taken aback by Mickey’s suggestions as he took a bite of food.

  “With a few seconds to hypnotize you I can teach you to focus your mind and speed your thinking as you did in the hold battle. Allowing you time to plan, see the world around you more sharply and control your body more precisely. You were able to access this ability to a small extent during the attack in the hold when you jumped up to shoot the truck cab and then the men sneaking around to kill your crew and then taking out the men using the cargo hatch and junk for cover while shooting the marines landing on the platform but you are too inexperienced and untrained to notice and use it effectively. You spent most of the accelerated time in blind shock without thinking about what you were doing. I can train you to use this ability effectively in just a few minutes by putting you in what amounts to a mild hypnotic teaching mod."

  "Oh really." Mark turned around to look at the table with the four. “Ok. Let's give it a try.” Not really believing any of it but at a loss at what else he could do. The fact that he had never been hypnotized even when supposed experts had tried, made him even more skeptical.

  “Just relax Mark and concentrate on the weapon in front of you and my voice as you disassemble the weapon in your mind like you did in the hold after the fight. Picture the parts as you take them apart and out of the weapon and even all the problems you had. See yourself, feel yourself, feel the parts in your hands doing it.” Thinking it was a waste of time, he found himself concentrated on the weapon so he did not, could not think about what had happened around him in the hold just as he did the first time. And then the weapon was suddenly put back together as he looked up. Every part and piece perfectly in place in his mind.

  “Hey retard did you lose something! Or did you forget... Already…. Talking about stupid.” Chet held up the little round ball for Mark to see before I disappeared again tossing it around the table.

  Mark shook his head as he blinked his eyes, realizing he could hear and feel and see things around him in greater detail than he ever did before. That he felt a new found confidence. Turning his head he smiled at his old tormentors as he took the riffle off the table and slide it under the table out of sight on the deck knowing he did not need it and that it would be safe until he returned. Standing up and walking over to the Chet’s table. “Ok sports; enough is enough. Hand it back.”

  “Hand what back dick head?” They all laughed.

  Mark could see the module sitting under the table cloth on the lap of Chet sitting closest to him. “Listen I have just finished... Well. I had a hard morning and I am really hungry guys. Just give it back.”

  "Mark it is a waste of time trying to reason with them. It is what they want. To tease you."

  “Give what back retard. Did you break your big black glasses and glue the lenses to your face.” That brought a laugh from the other guys at the table. “Why don’t you go and take a shower. You stink.” Chet laughed as he turned his back to Mark to put distance between Mark and the module on his lap under the table cloth. The other boys started calling him names but since they did not have the module he ignored them.

  Dropping to one knee Mark put his face down next to the 22 year olds ear. “I just got through killing a bunch of guys to get that module. Just to let you know how valuable it is. If I have to take it from you it will be very painful for you.” Mark remembered the boy from school days. He was a smart ass spoiled bully with a father that encouraged it.

  “What. You going to shoot me with that fake toy Sim gun?” Chet leered at him over his shoulder. “You think that toy gun makes you look big and important. Wooo. Maybe you should wear more of those fake meddles so someone will be impressed. Go away you retard and I might return your stupid toy when I get done eating after you pay me the 10,000 credits for what you did to my truck. No make that 20,000 for killing my vacation to. Or do me and my boys have to show you who is boss.” Then Chet’s voice dropped to a whisper as he sneered. “It was a blast watching you and your friend jump last night. Damn shame you had a safety line hidden under your jumpsuit. That was cheating.”

  Mark was thinking about just slugging Chet. Something he had wanted to do for years. “Mark don’t! If you simply grab a hand full of hair in a certain place on his head and pull back and down you will incapacitate him long enough to take the module without hurting him, much. Though it will be painful.” Points lit up on the boys head. Be swift and sure, pushing your fingers through his hair and then clamp your fingers tight like you were trying to pull his hair out. Don’t worry, hair is much too strong to simply pull out. Even if you lifted him up by his hair, but it will be painful. Pull back forcefully but not too hard. We don’t want to break his neck. The objective is to keep him off balance and helpless in the chair while you take the module. Then as long as you don’t let him stand up straight, keep him off balance and at arm’s length so he can’t get a hand on anything but your hand in his hair, you have the upper hand. Ignore his screams and anything he says until you get the module. He will be too busy grabbing at your hand in his hair to do anything else to you. But if he does try. Just pull back harder. Then once you have the module leave. Raising his eyebrows Mark stood back up and looked down at the Chet with his shit eating grin up at Mark. The same face he had seen dozens of time lording it over him before he lost his glasses.

  “Only 10,000. That isn’t half enough. I have news for you, your father’s truck is totaled thanks to you.” Shaking his head Mark reached over following the virtual hand and quickly ran his fingers through Chet’s long hair to grab a tight hand full and pulled back as hard as he could at first before remembering not to. As he pulled back and down the chair tipped over a few degrees backward as Chet’s face scrunched up in surprise. He tried to scream but only let out a moan before taking a deep breath to try again as he tried to reach for Marks hand with both of his.

  By that time the module was in plain sight. Chet had forgotten all about it and Mark easily reached down and picked it up. Turning around Mark let Chet go and walked back to his table tossing the module into the air and catching it as Chet fell over backwards with Mark’s help to the deck hitting his head with a loud thump.

  Slipping back into his chair he tossed the module into the air and caught it again. "Thanks Mickey. That was easy." Then placed the module on the table and took a bite of hot turkey sandwich then as he chewed savoring the hot food, he reached over and moved the module a few inches to one side with a half turn at Mickey’s insistence and then took another big bight of his hot turkey sandwich dripping with gravy. Savoring the taste as Chet picked himself up off the deck holding his head and looking at Mark with disbelief as he yelled for Humphrey to kill Mark. His big hulking buddy Humphrey came rushing up to Mark. As the boy swung his fist; Mark picked up the module and raised it up to his head about ear height without looking, letting the young man’s fist hit the corner of the module deflecting the blow to one side as Humphrey expecting to use Mark’s head to slow himself down fell past his chair to the floor. Mark leaned over and picked up the riffle off the deck. Without seeming to looking around or down Mark hit him in the head with the butt hard as Humphrey started to get up flattening him out on the deck again and then placed the riffle on the table. “Just in case you get anymore stupid ideas asshole. You might hurt yourself if you touch it.” Mark whipped blood off the module with a napkin as he placed it in the center of the table next to the riffle.

  Chet grabbed Dirk and Puck by the collar, growled into their ears for a few seconds then pushed him toward Mark. They slowly snuck around up behind Mark who seemed too busy eating to see them. Finely holding their hands together the boys swung at Mark from both sides and behind. Mark ducked down as he grabbed the Blaster and brought it back ramming the butt into Dirk's stomach without even looking, knocking the breath out of him and then followed around turning in his seat to slam the butt into Puck’s head. Both big young men fell to the deck writhing in pain as Mark turned back around and took another
bite of fry’s. Laying down the Blaster on the table as if nothing had happened.

  Chet finely charged Mark from their table as Humphrey got up behind Mark and lunged for him at the same time. Puck and Dirk still laid on the deck. Mark pushed his chair back and hit Humphrey in the gut with the butt again and slid to one side sticking his foot out to trip Chet as he rushed past and in quick successive blows of the riffle hit Chet in the gut, flattening them both before sitting back down to eat. Having experienced having his breath knocked out of him only the day before and a hundred other times by people like Chet, he had to smile with satisfaction at their pain after all the pain they had inflicted on him over the years.

  A man several tables away stood up. “What the hell you doing to my son you handicapped creation. How dare you touch him?” And started for Mark. Not quite weaving his way through the tables without caring as he pushed people and tables out of his way.

  Trying to ignore the big man Mark took the final bites of his hot gravy covered turkey sandwich as he approached. Trying to get it down while it was still hot and before he got up to run. He was not about to hang around and get beat up by a mad gorilla twice his size.

  “Mark calm down. You are an officer and if he assaults you. You can bring charges against him that could include 10 years in the brig or kicked off the ship. Remember how you took care of your old tormentors? How they seemed to be moving in slow motion giving you plenty of time to react and follow my directions.”

  “Oh ya, I was so scarred I forgot. But I don’t want to get anyone kicked off the ship but you are right I am an officer and Officers don’t run from trouble. Besides I should be able to think and reason my way out of this. Oh and you can still help me defend myself with that speed thing right?” Mark said in his mind as he wolfed down the last bights hopping Mickey could read his mind. But when Mickey did not answer him. “Right Mickey?”