Tarik: Entry Level Warfare (21 page)

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.

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 his 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.

“Fine. I will sell you a Chrys gun. Twenty thousand points and it’s yours.” The dealer laughed.

“This is no joke, thief. Give me my points or my gun, now!” Mange yelled at the dealer. Some of the other stalls had gone quiet. Tarik wanted to step in but it looked like he had this covered.

“We struck a deal. Take your points and your pet out of here before we have problems.” The dealer said as he
signalled
 his business partner.

Tarik really didn’t mind being called a pet, it was a lot nicer than the things he had been called recently.

“We have problems then. I am not leaving until this is resolved.” Mange got into a fighting stance.

A Granuala stepped out from behind the tent. It was a creature most feared. Standing at nine feet, weighing a solid thousand pounds, it was bipedal with two arms that had six joints. It had tough green leathery skin and a blue mohawk for hair. The beasts were smart but they were also slow. They
made up
 for this with the pads on its hands that once they grabbed you sent electrical shocks to kill. They had a language that most of the native translation programs couldn’t handle so it would produce odd results, especially when it came to slang terminology.

“Leave from the arena non-thinking being. I am the result for the end of your life.” It said as it took its place towering over Mange.

Mange was still puffed up and ready to take the thing on when Tarik stepped in to pull him away.

“Follow the ugly monster. For the end will crush life from both of you.” It said.

Tarik stopped and let the word monster ring in his ears. He was so tired of being called that. He almost had Mange away from the tent when he turned to size the Granuala up. His EPS system picked up the building charge in its pads. Mange had stopped fighting him and was coming to his senses.

“Why did you call me that?” Tarik asked.

The Granuala didn’t answer but just looked at the Flarr who had cheated mange.

“Why in the fuck did he call me a monster?” Tarik demanded of the Flarr.

“Because you are, now leave before I have him kill you.” The dealer replied.

Tarik looked at Mange, he was rational now and looking at Tarik like they’d made a mistake coming here.

“Come Tarik, it is not a huge loss.” Mange urged him.

“I will make you a deal then.” Tarik said addressing the Flarr. “I will beat your beast in combat, after which you pay my friend here thirty thousand points.”

“And what do I get when you lose, little monster?” The dealer asked.

“If I lose, you get my rifle.” Tarik said as he pulled the rifle off the locks on his back.

“No weapons? Just monster versus beast?” The dealer asked ready to take the wager.

“Just me versus him.” Tarik said pointing to the Granuala.

“You have a deal then, I have always wanted a Kami rifle.” The dealer said.

Mange pulled at his arm advising him to not do this, Tarik just winked at him. The gesture was lost on Mange as he let go and held onto Tarik’s rifle in escrow.

A circle of onlookers spread out to give the fighters room. Tarik tilted his neck from side to side and shook the nerves out of his body. He was the most deadly human on this station and he was ready to prove it. Bets were starting to be placed on how long it would be before Tarik was electrocuted.

“The monster may not be mentally of use to know the sum of his death. I am to end his days with the pinch of lights. He will make to the night for the rest of time.” The Granuala proclaimed.

Tarik felt he could talk trash much better than this thing could so he asked “What’s your name big ugly?”

“I am Grash, the destruction of the small.”

“Well Grash, I am Tarik and I am going to
beat you
 until you piss yourself. When I am done with you your loved ones will not
recognize
 what is left.”

Grash took a moment to process the words. When he figured it all out he snarled and produced a mouth full of sharp teeth.

Tarik took his fighting stance and focused his EPS on those gigantic hands. Tarik figured no creature had unlimited energy, if he could get the big guy to waste some of it he wouldn’t be nearly as deadly.

Grash stepped a huge left foot forward and started to bring down his left paw, he wanted to smash Tarik like a bug. Tarik had plans of his own, he slipped to his left and dodged the paw as it smashed to the ground. He gathered as much strength as he could and kicked at the joint closest to him. The kick caused the Granuala’s arm to buckle and the pad to expel its charge. Grash used the moment to come down and bite at Tarik’s face. Tarik took two hurried steps backward and almost tripped on an observer behind him.

Grash threw out his right arm with the palm towards Tarik’s chest. Tarik danced to his right to avoid the electricity packed palm. The observer behind him did not get that warning and took the full brunt of not only the palm strike but the built up charge. The strike and the charge sent the creature back through a tent behind him.

Grash followed him and stood up to his full nine feet in height, turning his body ready to smash when he saw the chance. Tarik’s EPS saw that his left palm was charged up with another deadly shock, the right palm was build up a charge quickly.

When Tarik was almost at a full circle it was evident that the Granuala was waiting for him to make a move. Tarik took two quick steps forward and Grash started to bring down his right hand to smash him. Tarik retreated before the hand could touch him and it landed on the ground like a hammer striking metal. Tarik used the wasted blow to kick another joint and then move in towards the hulking body. Grash swiped at Tarik but the palm sailed over Tarik’s head. Tarik was standing inside of his arms now ready to inflict his own damage. He did not know if Granuala kept testicles in the same place he did but he sent and upper cut to that area and slipped through its legs.

Grash let out a deafening roar which caused most of the crowd to back away. Tarik could not afford to lose any momentum so he went to work on the back of Grash’s legs. He kicked and punched with everything he could muster. Grash was on one knee when it managed turn and smack at Tarik. Grash couldn’t get a palm facing him but got a backhand powerful enough to send Tarik sideways and away from the creature’s exposed back.

The flying Tarik was stopped by the crowd, although he was pretty sure stopping the weight of a full grown male human had crushed some of them. He quickly got up and back to the ring that had formed. His EPS and neural implants worked to assess the damage he had done.

The Granuala was limping and it’s right palm seemed like it was not getting enough energy to produce a full charge.
On the other hand
 he now had an extremely pissed off Granuala with a left hand capable of killing him on its own.

Tarik saw a bag someone in the crowd was carrying in front of him. He thought back to his first meeting with Lamb.

As Grash moved in to get at him he grabbed the bag and ripped it away from the person. Tarik tossed the bag into the air. Grash followed the bag with his eyes which gave Tarik his opening. He sprinted full speed and landed a powerful kick on Grash’s good leg. Grash was still distracted by the bag and he started to fall sideways. Grash twisted and stuck his hands out to stop his fall. That’s when Tarik leapt onto the Granuala’s back.

Grash tried to turn his head to see what the small human was doing but was not fast enough to get a
hand on
 him. Tarik put his knees on the massive shoulder blades and grabbed the mohawk in his left hand. When Tarik had a good hold he pulled back on the hair and set punch after punch to the side of Grash’s face.

Grash panicked and thrashed about, Tarik held on like a bull rider at a rodeo. Grash got to his feet with Tarik on his back but he couldn’t get his hands far enough around to stop the vicious blows. Grash jumped into the air and tried to come down on his back, hoping to pin and squash the human under him.

Tarik’s Statoconium implant knew what was happening before his mind processed it. Tarik’s body reacted instinctively and he let go of the mohawk and he pushed off with his knees. Tarik’s body flipped but the enhancement had him land on his feet like a cat.

Grash’s heavy body crashed to the ground. Grash had thrown himself backwards so hard his head bounced from the impact. Grash was dazed and threw his hands around like he was blind, which given the impact he may very well have been. Luckily he had not yet located Tarik with his giant hands.

Tarik took the opportunity to stand at the top of Grash’s head and stomp down with his boot. He stomped seven times when Grash stopped moving at all.

Tarik did not want to kill the beast so when it was clear it lacked the drive to fight anymore he stopped himself. Tarik was breathing heavier but still nowhere near he would normally be. The crowd hung around but nobody moved towards him. Urine formed a large puddle under the Granuala.

“Transfer the points.” Tarik ordered the dealer.

“I’ve got them, let’s go Tarik.” Mange called out.

Mange and Tarik made their way back to the Beetle, nobody seemed to know or care what had recently transpired.

“That was truly incredible, Tarik.” Mange said as they neared the ship.

“Thanks, I’m sorry if I ruined any future business for you back there.”

Mange laughed a deep grumble. “They are thieves, I would not do business there again. You did not have to stand up for me.”

“It wasn’t just for you, I’m getting tired of people calling me a monster.”

“You should use it Tarik, make it your battle sign. When people call you a monster perhaps that is the time to unleash a monster upon them.”