Tarik: Entry Level Warfare (25 page)

“Not picking a fight just trying to get some information.”

“Alright but let Bink talk, he probably wouldn’t take being interrogated too well.”

Tarik just smiled and left. If Daze wasn’t in Control beating the hell out of Bink he must have made the right choices. Daze would have gone down and picked him up if it were possible.

Bink was arguing with a tall man from the bridge Tarik couldn’t remember the name of when he reached the doorway. Bink noticed Tarik first and cut him off before he could ask anything.

“I don’t know Tarik. The whole system fucked up. I could see what was happening but I could only get out a few words.” Bink said.

“Dav wants you on the bridge. I will escort you.” The tall man said.

“But what happened to the … “ Tarik started to say.

“Come on we have to go now.” The tall man said as he pushed Tarik back into the corkscrew. Tarik looked at Bink who just made a shooing motion with his hands.

Tarik followed the tall guy in silence as they walked to the extended section of the corkscrew. It was a small room that he’d run through before but was not permitted to go up into the outer shell of the ship. They took a hidden doorway which led to stairs instead of the ramps that the rest of the ship used. After a few flights of stairs they came to a small landing and another door. A scanner looked over the tall man and Tarik and the door turned green. The tall man pushed open the door and Tarik saw the bridge for the first time.

The ceiling was all smart screen, it showed stars highlighted with words next to them. Lines extended out of the stars to other stars for unknown purposes. The view tapered down all the way to the floor, a few stations were spread out but he had no idea what any of them actually did. Dav’s chair sat in the middle of the room, laid back so that he could view the stars above him. The tall man walked next to the chair to announce that Tarik was on the bridge. The chair snapped to an upright position and Dav jumped out.

“Come here Tarik, I want your opinion on something.” Dav said.

Tarik walked over to where Dav was and stood next to him.

“So Scout Two went past this small asteroid field past the fifth planet. Watch what happens and then tell me if you have any ideas.”

The video started playing on the wall in front of him before he could ask any questions. Scout Two made a pass by the planet and was moving at high speeds to check out the asteroid field. This field was denser than normal but still wouldn’t be profitable for a mining operation. As the scout ship moved through the asteroids some kind of interference caused the camera to blink in and out. Scout Two flipped over to check out what had caused the interference when it was face to face with three Kami ships. Tarik would have assumed the ships had just arrived and it was a coincidence that Scout Two was that close but something caught his eye. The asteroid that had been at that spot before was cracked into pieces.

“Did they come from inside that rock?” Tarik asked.

“So you saw it too? I think they were hiding there, not just on the outside of the rock but inside of it.” Dav said.

“They could just use beacons deposited by scout ships and that rock had one.” The tall man said.

“I'm not sure about that.” Tarik interrupted. “Look at the way the rocks are radiating out. I think they came from inside that rock.”

“That's crazy. So they materialize in rocks?” The tall man asked.

“No, I think they formed the rock around themselves to hide. Maybe they went active because the scout got so close.” Tarik replied.

“It would make one hell of a shield. Thanks for coming up Tarik. We are going to send this up to the parent company.” Dav said.

Tarik wasn't sure what to make of it but he would look at it some more when he got to his room. Right now he just wanted a shower and a meal.

The following day he was at midday meal and thinking about the Kami bursting from the asteroid. He wondered what could have cause the interference on the camera.

Goddess walked into the dome and straight up to him. She looked great as per usual with just a few scratches to show for her encounter yesterday. Tarik was worried things could get heated because of the way she spoke to him after the mission.

“Tarik, we need to discuss yesterday.” She said and her voice fogged his mind. “I realize why you did and said that I belonged to you yesterday but you must know I cannot allow that.”

“I know our cultures differ but I only said that to buy us time. If I hadn't we would not be here to talk about it.”

“As a Dereft woman that is hard for me to accept. I cannot be the possession of a man.”

“I'm not saying that you are. The native culture is that way and the only thing they would understand. You know the history of my world and you know that over time that has changed. I appreciate your independence and I do not look at you as a possession.”

“Then I owe you an apology.” Goddess leaned in and sniffed at him. “I will see you later.”

Goddess walked out of the Dome and Tarik was confused again. Human women were confusing enough but when it came to Dereft he had no idea what was happening most of the time. He looked up and saw Razor up on his perch.

“That was weird right?” He asked the old Gorrex.

“Every pup will have his day.” Razor replied.

“Umm yeah I guess.” Tarik replied. Maybe Gorrex were even more confusing.

Tarik awoke to the view of a bright yellow sun. He smiled at it. The star reminded him of Sol. He would hate to admit it but he missed home. Even though it was crowded and busy he really wished he had the money to live there. Who knows after two years he could be a real asset back there. Odds were that he would more than likely be dead but he was an optimist.

Tarik headed for the showers ready for a quiet day. He undressed and looked at himself in the mirror. His progress since joining the crew was incredible. He was trimmed and ripped. His was proud of himself and felt he had a right to be.

Tarik walked to his normal stall and Goddess opened the door to the one next to it. Instead of walking past him and teasing him as she normally did she just stood with the door open. She stepped back into the shower and motioned for him to join her.

For two beings who would be considered at the top of the physical form of their species they had the endurance to prove it. They were in the stall entwined for so long that the ship computer turned off the water on them twice for rationing. Being with Goddess was everything he thought it was going to be. Her anatomy was only slightly different than that of a human female. That slightly different part consisted of muscles which gripped and massaged him. When he came it felt like he was being milked for every drop.

When Goddess left him he felt like he had ran multiple marathons. Today was going to be a good day. Not even another beating from Dav could take the smile off his face. He would let his mind drift back to it when he scrubbed sinks and toilets. When he did go running he almost ran over several people because he was lost in his own mind. Everything bad thing that happened in the past few months did not seem all that bad anymore.

He did not see Goddess over the next few weeks which was kind of disappointing. He tried to make time to see her but even Mange said she was mostly staying in her room. Mange seemed to think the ordeal with the natives on the last contract really messed her up. Tarik was beginning to think that being with her was a mistake. He’d had one night stands before but this felt different.

They docked at a small station to off load the cargo from the last contract. The station did not have much to offer but since Tarik had a few points to spend he hit some of the bars. The first night out he really enjoyed himself. He and Scout Three had gone to a nice restaurant. Some folks thought that they were lovers and had been shocked to find out they were just really good friends. Tarik wanted to take offense but he really couldn't, Scout Three was homosexual and there was nothing wrong with it so he shrugged it off.

They were still docked when Dav called an all crew meeting. He hoped that they would pick up a replacement for Rye. He knew that Daze could use some help after the battle with the Kami.

The Dome was filling up fast when Tarik took his seat. The bridge team was seated at their table but there was no conversation. The pilots were still filing in but Scout Three and Fighter one looked like they had been waiting for a long time. They were having an intense conversation but Tarik couldn't hear it over the rowdy group of mechanics.

Three of the mechanics were locked into a loud conversation about how one of them almost blew up the ship. The mechanic in question was defending his actions saying that he knew if he inserted some component in backwards it would still work. The two accusing him were trying desperately to get him to admit fault but the third was not having it. Daze was listening in but only shaking her head. She must have known something about the situation that she refused to share.

The combat table was unusually quiet. Goddess had walked in and sat down but had yet to even acknowledge anyone. Maybe the run in with the natives really had messed her up. Mange was in full immersion doing who knows what. Scipio was back on his feet and adjusting a pneumatic assistance device he had on his right arm while Games and Tricky talked by themselves. Lamb was already at the table which suggested the meeting had nothing to do with an upcoming contract. Razor was still in his roost and had not yet come down to join them.

Early in the week Tarik had asked Lamb why Dav only did the contract meetings a few hours before they were to start. Lamb explained that security of the contract was always a priority. When Tarik prodded him for more information Lamb only said they had contracts leaked and stolen before. Corporate espionage was nothing new but he would have thought our contracts would be exclusive.

The room stood as Dav walked in and took his place on top of the raised center table. When the smart screens did not descend Tarik knew this was going to be a very different meeting.

“Alright everyone, take a seat and listen up.” Dav started but his normally commanding voice did not have the same energy. “I have some corporate news that many of you are not going to like. As of this morning our parent company has been sold to Dorm Six Exploration and Evaluation Services.”

A ripple of hushed questions spread through the crew.

“Quiet down because we are going to have many more questions that I’m afraid I don’t have all the answers for yet. I am going to tell you what I know and we can move on from there. Of the eight independently operated corps under our former parent, four of them have been sold off. That leaves Markterm protective, Goldhen flight, Yulride transport and scouting, and Caster protective all under DSEES. There will be some shuffling of personnel but we should not expect to lose any whole teams.

“Under the new company we should expect longer term contracts and not the quick jobs we have all become accustomed to. We should also expect to work in concert with the other agencies under the DSEES umbrella. DSEES does have a backlog of contracts which means there will be plenty of work for the next few years. As most of you know DSEES has been in business for a long time and they run a good tight shop. We will still operate under my management but oversight will be provided by them.

“That is the corporate speech I needed to give you. Now I’m going to add my piece to this. Over the past few decades we have built one of the most solid teams in all of the galaxy. I truly believe that too. We consistently out perform and in most cases we were the money maker for BCPS. I would lay down my life for any of you. With this buyout all of you will still have a job with me on the Beetle.

“As part of the buyout DSEES only wants the best people and as such will only keep the best people who want to be here. They have offered a payout of two hundred thousand points to anyone who wishes to leave, no questions asked.”

Another ripple of muttering passed.

“I will tell you that with the contracts that we have coming up that is a drop in the bucket. If you wish to take the money and leave I will not blame you. I expect all of you to make this decision on your own and for your own reasons. For those of you wondering, this includes any side contracts and deals we have reached.”

Dav took a survey of the crowd.

“If you have questions I am sorry but that is all the information I have been given as of late. We leave port in four days and will make our way to Alpha Six station. You have until then to decide what you want to do.”

Dav walked down from the table and kept his head down as he left. The rest of this was all on the crew. The Dome was so silent he did not think anyone was even breathing. Daze was the first to exhale a deep breath confirming his suspicion.

Daze stood and addressed the room on her own accord.

“I know I'm staying. For any of you pussies who want to bail. Hope to never see you again.” She curtsied and left.

Tarik couldn't help but laugh out loud. Most of the room gave him a dirty look but a few people chuckled with him. Tarik already knew he was going to stay. He and Dav worked out a deal and he planned on honoring it completely. He knocked his fist on the table and headed for the door.

The next three days passed quickly. He heard many rumors and possible outcomes but he was sticking to his guns here. He liked the Beetle and the crew. He sent a message out to the combat team proposing a group end of day meal. The station was small but there was a nice place that served multiple species. He thought about inviting some of the others but he felt it necessary to build some team comradery.