Tarik: Entry Level Warfare

by K. A. Kerr

  Mange came storming into the room with a blaster pointed at Tarik. When he saw Tarik wasn’t hitting Bink he moved his blaster to Bink. Mange stood over them ready to shoot whoever reacted next.

  “Mange, can you help me get him out of here?” Tarik pleaded.

  “What happened here?” Mange asked either of them.

  “He killed her, He fucking killed her. Now I’m going to kill him!” Bink screamed.

  “I opened the door because I thought he wanted to talk then he came after me.” Tarik got out before Bink went on his next screaming fit.

  “Drop the blade Bink.” Mange told Bink. “I’m serious, drop it or I shoot.”

  “Fuck you! I’m going to kill him!” Bink shouted out refusing to drop the weapon.

  Mange fired his blaster at Bink’s head. It was a low power stun shot so it didn’t cause any serious damage. Bink stopped for just a moment as his head bounced off the floor, and then he tried to power on. Mange shot again and it finally knocked Bink out.

  Mange moved his blaster to Tarik’s head. “Release him and move to the hallway.”

  Tarik thought about reminding him this was his room, but then again the one with the blaster makes the rules in this situation so he did as he was told. Tarik stood in the hallway as Mange dragged Bink from the room by his foot. Still pointing the blaster at Tarik he got Bink away from the door and motioned with the blaster for Tarik to go back in.

  “Stay in there and lock your door. Answer for no one except Dav.” Mange ordered.

  Tarik did just that, staying as quiet as possible while more arguments broke out in the hallway. He honestly just wanted to go back to sleep but he doubted that was going to happen. The screaming outside of the doorway would intensify and then die down repeatedly over the next half an hour. Tarik turned off the EPS system; he didn’t want to know who was against him. He felt awful, not physically but emotionally. The weight of this day was just too much for him to handle.

  A few hours later an all crew ship meeting was scheduled. This would be a mandatory meeting, even medical was expected to be there. A note was attached that any absence or violence would mean an automatic fine of a year's pay and a contract cancellation.

  Tarik opened his door and glanced from side to side, ready to fight off another attack. The hallway was empty so he cautiously made his way to the Dome. Tarik paused at the doorway to the Doom listening for any commotion within. He’d hear a few heated words then everything would die down again.

  Tarik stood in the open door, assessing the situation before he committed himself to entering or running away.

  Every eye locked on to him. There was no way around it he was the topic of the meeting and everyone here knew it. Some of the looks were of sympathy, a young man thrust into a bad situation. Some of the looks were fearful, what would the monster do next? Some of the looks contained daggers, ready to put him down like a rabid dog. Regardless of the intent behind it, every eye watched him for his next move. Tarik thought about running right then, he was scared. It would be easier for them to rip out his implants and leave him on the floor of some surgery center gasping for breath. One part of him wanted to scream out in frustration. Another part of him wanted to pull his dick out and piss on something like the dog they thought he was, marking its territory. He took a deep breath in and met the stares with his own steely gaze and walked to his seat. He didn’t do anything wrong and he had a right to be pissed off.

  Tarik didn’t take his seat but stood against the wall right behind it. He held his shoulders back and tightened his muscles ready to brawl as soon as someone approached him. Razor took his own stance ready to tear into Tarik if he threatened anyone. Tarik wasn’t concerned, he was fairly certain he could take the old bird if it came down to it. The problem was he wasn’t looking for a fight. If anything he just wanted a few hours of normalcy. Bink sat at his seat with a few of the crew putting hands on his shoulders in support. Bink’s stare bored a hole into Tarik. Daze sat at the end of the table looking alone and frightened.

  Mange held his stare but was the first to break it and looked towards the raised table in the center of the room. A few others followed his lead, leaving only the most hateful glares trained on him.

  Tarik forced himself to look away from them and stare at the center table waiting for Dav to address the crew. His eyes wondered once to find Daze, she was looking at the floor now; her face was red and her cheeks were puffy. Tarik fought the urge to go over and comfort her, she was like his little sister and he hated seeing her like this.

  Dav walked into the room with lamb at his side. Lamb broke away and joined the combat team’s table while Dav walked with purpose up the chairs to the top of the table. The room stood as Dav took his place over the crowd.

  “Stay standing.” Dav ordered the room.

  “Scipio, you disagreed with the lifestyle Scout Three and Fighter Two led. Did you not?” Dav asked.

  “I did.” Scipio responded, shocked he was being addressed.

  “Did you modify the Calixi bar on Scout Three’s ship in an effort to kill him?”

  “No Sir! I did not.” Scipio responded angry at the accusation.

  “Scout Three, you and Fighter Two had a fight five weeks ago, didn’t you?” Dav asked of Scout Three.

  “We did.” Scout Three answered with a look of hurt on his face. He didn’t want to remember that part of their relationship.

  “Did you engineer a way to drop your Calixi bar onto Fighter Two?”

  “NO! How can you say such a thing?” Scout Three said just before he burst into tears.

  “Listen up! Anyone accusing Tarik of killing Rye is doing the exact same thing I’ve just demonstrated.”

  The screens came down from the ceiling and took their normal places. A video showed Tarik eating first meal in the Dome. He was eating a piece of fruit, talking across the room to Scout Three.

  “This is what Tarik was doing when Rye entered the bathroom.” Dav said as the screen split and showed Rye walking down the hall and entering the bathroom alone. When she walked into the bathroom the video showed Tarik laughing at something Scout Three had told him. he wished he could remember what that was, he could use a laugh right now.

  “At the time of Rye’s death Tarik was still in the Dome. Tarik then left the Dome and collected his cleaning supplies.” The video showed Tarik attaching the spray bottles to the side of the mop bucket. “Just as he told me during interrogation under polygraph he went to clean his first scheduled bathroom. Tarik scrubbed the sinks and clean the toilets with the exact chemicals he told me and this was verified through actual forensic testing. I asked him everything I could think of. Even the amount of strokes he made with his mop was accurate.”

  The video showed Tarik leave the first bathroom and head to the second with a smile on his face.

  “Tarik could not have done anything to Rye. More to that he wouldn't.” The video changed to Tarik covering Rye as she slowly made her way to the drop ship on the last mission.

  “As it has been pointed out he could have left her to fend for herself during the rescue. It would have been a hell of alot easier to leave her for dead back there.” The video ended and a picture of Tarik while in surgery showed on the monitor. “In fact he took a few rounds because she slowed him down. I’m not picking on a dead person but that is a fact.”

  “Despite all of the evidence to the contrary some of you still believe he killed her. You think we have made a monster. A real life Kami or perhaps even an Altered. So let's test his endless bloodlust. Tarik, step forward please.” Dav pointed to a spot on the floor Tarik was to occupy.

  Tarik walked forward, unsure what was going to be asked of him.

  “Bink assaulted you a few hours ago with the intention of ending your life. Bink stand there.” Dav pointed to a spot about five feet in front of Tarik.

  When Tarik got up and started moving Dav pulled a hand blaster from his belt and sent the screens back up to the ceiling. He then handed the blast
er to Tarik. Tarik tried to refuse it but Dav thrust it into his hands.

  “Tarik, shoot Bink in the head.” Dav ordered.

  Tarik just looked back up to Dav.

  “Go ahead, you are perfectly within your rights to kill him. This man assaulted you in your own room.”

  “No, I'm not going to kill him.”

  “Okay, Bink go back to your seat. Doctor, come take Bink’s place.”

  The doctor did not move.

  “I said get over here. You will follow my order or I will put you out of the airlock myself.”

  The doctor finally moved. Everyone believed Dav would do it.

  “Some of you know the doctor and Tarik have no love for one another. Let me tell you some of the things I have recently found out. The doctor here has lied and hurt Tarik on purpose. The doctor told Tarik he would be fine with only one lung. What he neglected to tell Tarik and myself was that both of his lungs were damaged beyond repair. If Tarik did not have his surgery he would have died in three weeks.” Some of the crew shifted at this uncomfortable news. “The doctor has had Tilla strip Tarik nude knowing that she would smell his pheromones. He did this for no other reason but to embarrass them.” Some of the crew understood that but Mange hissed aloud. “The doctor kept his voice control on Tarik for forty hours over the required time and took away his means of calling for help. Then after all of that the doctor fueled every rumor about Rye’s death even though he knew it to be false.”

  The doctor stood tall like he was proud of the accusations.

  “Tarik, shoot the doctor.” Dav ordered.

  Tarik didn't move.

  “No? Okay then Tarik, shoot me.” Dav ordered.

  Tarik only sent him a questioning look.

  “I'm the one who beat you and embarrassed you. You had to walk around like a swollen piece of fruit in agony because of me. So shoot me.”

  “No, I don't want to shoot you.”

  “Well fuck it. Shoot someone here, we're getting bored.”

  “I don't want to shoot anyone here.”

  “You are the most boring monster I've ever seen.” Dav motioned for his blaster back, which Tarik was glad to be rid of. “Go take your seat. Doctor, if you ever treat one of my crew like that again I will leave you on the next rock we have a mission on. Fuck off back to medical. Bink, you are banned from alcohol for the next three months.”

  “Tarik is not a murder. That has been proven and now presented with indisputable evidence. Tarik did not kill Rye. Daze did not cover anything up because there was nothing to cover up. If you still have a problem with him you can get off when we make our next stop in nine hours. That's the end of this.” Dav said nothing else as he left the room.

  A few people milled about waiting for something to happen but most of the people left without giving Tarik a look. Bink looked at him but it was far more confused than anything else. Daze just stared at the floor and didn't make an effort to talk to him.

  Razor was the only one to openly talk to him but it was to compare him to a wild Gorrex. He said something about an unproven dog needing a pack. Honestly he thought the old bird was out of his mind.

  Tarik thought about returning to his room but figured first meal was coming up so he would stand tall and not hide. He really wasn’t looking for a fight but everyone should know by now that he was innocent. He figured it was about time he stopped hiding, if someone had something to say they could say it directly to him.

  Tarik checked his log for the day and found there was nothing scheduled for him but the optional funeral service for Rye. The service will be held in port in ten hours but he wasn’t sure if he should go. He’d have to think about it, it may be in bad taste but he thought as a crewmate he owed it to her. On the other hand she was not a friend so it may seem like he was being defiant.

  Tarik finished his first meal and went to the gym to work off all his pent up aggression. He may not have wanted to hit or shoot any of his crewmates but he did want to hit something. He wanted to lift weights and clear his mind. By the time he got to the gym he was shaking in anticipation just the idea of having some time to himself and not cooped up in his room. It had him ready to break out of his skin.

  He started out with some light lifting but quickly added more weight. His new lungs did wonders for his control and stamina. He pushed past his personal bests without even wanting or needing a spotter. His muscles still had lactic acid buildups but the increased oxygen quickened his recovery times. The gym was still empty and he had just hit the ‘pump’. He felt like his muscles were going to burst right through his paper skin. He felt alive and he wanted to smash something like the monster they accused him of being. Tarik went to the heavy bag and tested a few jabs on it. He put wraps on his hands and then turned off his EPS. He just wanted to be in this moment and nowhere else. He didn't want his mind wondering; he just wanted to hit the bag until he couldn’t lift his arms anymore.

  He was hitting the bag with jabs and hooks dancing around it and only locked in on his anger. He started to throw in some kicks and knees; things normally reserved for his training with Dav. The bag was made of Grangia Whale hide which was several inches this so it could take serious punishment. Tarik didn’t get tired but his hands were starting to hurt. He pushed through the pain and kept hitting. His shoulders started to burn but he used that pain to hit even harder.

  Tarik lost track of the amount of time he spent thumping on the bag. He felt joy every time the thump echoed through the gym. He threw a right hook so hard that the cable securing the bag ripped from the ceiling and the bag fell to the ground in a satisfying crash. He was going to kick it when it was on the ground when he looked up and noticed the crowd that had formed at the edges of the gym.

  Goddess, Daze and Lamb sat on a weight bench looking at him in equal parts awe and concern. Five of the pilots stood near a cable station confused. Scipio and Games stood near a rack of dumbbells; they looked more pleased than anything else. Bink and a mechanic stood at the doorway showing no emotion at all; why either of them would be in the gym he didn’t know. Scout Three and Tilla stood just a few feet away from him. In his blind rage they had apparently been calling to him but he blocked them out.

  Tarik was not mad or embarrassed, in fact he really didn’t care how long any of them had been there. He was working out and not bothering anyone. He was doing this for himself, if they wanted to pass judgement on him again then so be it.

  Tarik looked down at his hands, they were both swollen and the right one was dripping blood through the wrap. When he looked closer at the bag he could see splatter marks. What he thought was only sweat on his face had droplets of blood mixed in.

  In his mind he felt like maybe they were waiting for him to say something, explain his actions. Maybe he should talk about his pain of the past few days. Emotionally he did not have it in him; that was kind of the point in him coming to the gym alone. So he settled on the only action he could do, he dropped his head down and let his shoulders sag and then he shrugged. He was worn out, first emotionally and now physically.

  Scout Three walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. Tarik lifted his head to look Scout Three in the eyes. Scout Three saw Tarik’s pain of being ostracized; Tarik saw the pain of Scout Three’s loss. They hugged for a quick moment and Scout Three walked off after coming to the conclusion that Tarik was going to be okay. Tilla cut the wraps from his hands and the crowds broke up to go about their own business. Tarik refused Tilla’s attempts to provide further medical attention.

  Tarik left for the showers then with a clear mind. “Peace through battle.” He said to the empty hallway as he walked.

  10 - Battle assets

  * * *

  The service for Rye was actually very nice. Bink stood on a raised platform over the open coffin of Rye telling stories. The entire crew had showed up to send her off on her journey to the stars. Tarik stayed by the doorway but nobody looked at him funny. They were apparently over the idea that he was responsible for hi
s death. If they weren’t they at least heeded Dav’s warnings.

  Dav granted everyone station leave for six hours the following day. Most of the crew had gone off to the bars or to find temporary mates. Tarik didn’t have any money or any interest for those things. Mange came into the Dome with a box and asked if Tarik wanted to come to the markets with him. Tarik was getting bored and could use some time off the ship so he agreed. His hands still hurt but the swelling had decreased significantly.

  The open market was in the center of the station. It was originally designed to be a park but loose laws on the station allowed the vendors to set up a tent city to sell their wares. It was a maze of canvas in varying degrees of the same fading beige color. Every vendor seemed to be cooking something and the fumes were fighting to see which could assault Tarik’s nostrils the most. He had been ready to call it quits and head back to the ship when they arrived at the tent Mange wanted to go to.

  The dealer was a Flarr, like Mange, but had a Sornain business partner that he routinely consulted with. Tarik was still trying to choke away the latest smell that almost had him vomit when he tuned into their conversation.

  “No, it’s a real Chrys gun; a relic from my time on the home worlds.” Mange said selling the item to the dealer.

  “Ahh, I will give you twenty seven for it.” The dealer said.

  “Deal.” Mange replied and handed over the box.

  The vendor initiated the transfer and handed the box to his partner. Mange had begun to walk away when he stopped dead in his tracks and turned back to the dealer.

  “You must have made a mistake, you only transferred twenty seven hundred. The deal was for twenty seven thousand.” Mange said.

  “The deal was for twenty seven hundred. Take it and leave, we are done here.”

  “We are not done here, either give me back the Chrys or give me the remaining points.” Mange said as he puffed up.