Tarik: Entry Level Warfare (14 page)

“Control this is Scout One, we are on our marks and all reports are clear.”

“Copy that Scout One,
Keep your eyes peeled
. Drop two, you are clear to make your deposit.”

“Control, Drop Two is putting the bags down now.”

Five figures dropped out of the back of Drop Two. Tarik followed the team on their chest cameras then. The team spread out and cleared the roof, Mange found himself a corner spot and set his rifle up ready to spot trouble.

“Drops, this is Control, move up and stay ready to make a withdraw from the bank.”

The drop ships moved above the compound but kept well inside the patrol area of the fighter team. Lamb set an explosive in the
center
 of the roof. When he reached the edge of the roof it detonated making a hole big enough for three people to go in at once. Tarik watched while the combat team made its way down through the fourth floor. They had only
come across
 one hostile whom Razor quickly dispatched with a shot to the neck. They moved to the stairwell when he’d heard Scout Three report an issue.

“Control, Scout Three, I’ve got a war party
headed up
 the valley. Looks like a caravan of heavy
armor
. Scanners show some light armor two wheeled vehicles as escorts. Speed is five zero and increasing.”

Tarik snapped back to Scout Three and saw the spot in the distance growing larger.

“Scout Three, Control, pull back to two five and observe. Fighter Two hover at zero point and be ready to move in.” Bink instructed.

“Control, Fighter Two copies.” Fighter Two stopped his patrol and went to the mouth of Scout Three’s valley.

The combat team was on the first floor and had taken out two more hostiles when Tarik looked back. He’d have to go back later to review the other floors.

“Control, Scout Three has developed a shimmy. Looks like my rear Calixi
stabilizer
 bar has become unsecure. War party is still inbound, no change in speed.”

“Scout Three, Control copies, wait for relief then break for orbit. Fighter Two move into Scout Three’s slot.” Fighter Two was already moving in on Scout Three.

The combat team was moving fast now. They had secured two of the three TRDR people and moved quickly to get the third. They hadn’t encountered any more resistance but kept their guard up.

“Control, Fighter two is on site, Scout Three is moving upstream.”

Scout Three had its nose pointed to the sky when the camera shook violently.

“Control, Scout Three has lost its Calixi bar. I can still make it up to …” Scout Three’s radio cut out for a moment and a metallic clank came over the radio.

The camera for Fighter Two showed a flame, and then started to fall towards the ground.

“Fighter Two going down. Fighter Two going down.” Bink started to yell over the radio.

Tarik had no idea what was happening, he stood up but didn’t know what to do so he just watched as Fighter Two came down. It looked like a controlled fall as it glided over large patches of gravel. He was expecting Fighter Two to come on the radio and say everything was okay when it crashed into a tree.

“Rye, Daze, and Tarik.  This is Redeye; get your asses to Drop Three. Retrieve Fighter Two then tell me if it’s possible to salvage his ship.” Dav said.

Tarik ran from his room and went down the “Up” corkscrew. He didn’t care if it was against the rules he needed to get to the drop ship as quick as he could. His link to combat control was still active. There were still life signs for Fighter Two according to report but no radio contact. Scout Three was screaming that he needed to
get down
 there. Bink had over ridden his controls and was bringing Scout Three back to the Beetle while Scout Three wept. Tarik jumped into the back of the jumpship. Rye and Daze were already seated and strapped in. Tarik sat but didn’t bother strapping in before he told Drop Three to go.

The ship moved quickly to the crash site. The combat team had all the packages and were being extracted from the building they called the bank. The other scout ships had been pulled out and only Fighter One stood watch over them.

“Tarik, this is control, secure the site and do not try to assist. Your job is to keep watch while Rye and Daze get to work.” It was Dav again. He must have taken over Bink's job after Fighter Two went down.

“Control, this is Tarik, I’ve got this.” He said confidently.

“Control, Fighter One, war party is getting close. Estimated time rescue has is standing at two minutes, should I engage?”

“Fighter One, do not engage while rescue team is on the floor. We don’t want them firing arty shells at soft targets.”

The drop ship had slowed down and Tarik could feel the ship spin to put its door over the crash site. The door of the drop ship had barely opened when Tarik squeezed his way through and jumped to the ground. Tarik unlocked his rifle and swept around looking for any other people. He looked over the crash site and saw the cockpit of Fighter Two had a large metal bar sticking
out of it
. He couldn’t say for sure but it looked like the Calixi bar that fell off of Scout Three.

Rye and Daze jumped down beside him. Then they made their way over to the cockpit. Fighter Two’s radio was out but they could hear muffled screams from within. Wreckage was all around them, the only good news was that none of it was on fire.

“Control, this is Daze, salvage is not going to happen. We’re moving in to retrieve the pilot.”

“Roger that Daze. You only have seventy five seconds, get it done.”

Daze and Rye broke through the cockpit window. Fighter Two was in bad shape; the bar had punctured through the canopy and went straight through his stomach. The front of the cockpit had smashed into his legs. The women went to work; they cut the bar and almost had him free when Tarik noticed movement ahead of the war party. He reached down and grabbed a handful of gravel which he placed in the improvised ammunition port. He shook the rifle to pack in some more and then closed the port. He had a full charge on the blaster but he may as well top off.

“Control, I have what looks to be speed bikes moving in.”

“Tarik, cover the exfil. Fighter One, unleash hell. Rescue, get that man out of there now!”

The women had Fighter Two out of the cockpit, well the half of him that was going to come with them. The way the cockpit collapsed it had pressed his legs as thin as paper. They did not have time to saw the whole cockpit so Daze had to burn the legs off. Rye couldn’t carry the part of the man who was alive but Daze had him cradled like a baby. Part of the Calixi bar still poked out of his stomach. Tarik could only assume they couldn't cut any closer without the bar melting to his skin.

Fighter One, rained down godlike fire on the war party. Explosions echoed through the valley. The rhythmic thumping of Fighter One’s guns kept Tarik locked on the targets, he felt excited and focused. A small party had made it past Fighter One and started taking shots at the rescue party. Tarik fired back letting out an involuntary scream as he did so. He walked backwards with the rescue party behind him. He would do his duty and make sure they got out of this.

Daze was already back at the drop ship ramp; Tarik and Rye were still twenty feet away because of how out of shape Rye was. He wanted to scream at her but couldn’t risk losing focus. Tarik was still walking backwards firing at the small group of four that slipped past the Fighter. They were firing at them from the right side and were not very accurate. Fighter One was still launching ordnance at the heavy
armor
, but he pulled up to a higher altitude in case the ground forces had anti-aircraft weaponry.

Tarik had scored two
hits on
 the group to his right when, he took a projectile round to the left of his lower back. The round
caught him off guard
 and he fell face forward. He flipped over and pointed his rifle in the direction the shot had come from. He activated his shield until he could see more. Fire from the first group on his right hit the ground near his head sending dirt into the air. Rye was on the ground only three feet from the ramp but bleeding
out of her
 hip and screaming.

“Control, Tarik, I’m pinned down.” He yelled into his mic over the sounds of Fighter One’s guns.

“Tarik, Fighter One. I’ve got ya.”

Fighter One rotated left and shot a missile at the mountainside. It wasn’t clean but it was effective, a small landslide came down the hill and Tarik heard screams coming from the area. Tarik scrambled to his feet and fired in the direction of the remaining two enemies from the first group. Daze had come down the ramp and was dragging Rye into the ship.

A Speed Bike  had broken free and was headed directly towards him. Its front guns hit Tarik’s shield so hard it almost caused him to drop the rifle. He didn’t have a plan for this, so he did what any normal human would do; he tried to
blow it
 up. Tarik threw a hand explosive at the bike and hit the rider directly in the face. Some would say that was the most skilled throw they’d ever seen but Tarik knew it was mostly luck. As the rider took the shot in the face the explosive went off and sent a flaming speed bike roaring past him.

Tarik managed to down one more enemy when his back foot hit the bottom of the ramp. He turned and made to run when a lucky shot hit him in the
center
 of his back putting him on his face again. Tarik couldn’t move his legs so he crawled the rest of the way into the drop ship with his hands. When the door shut behind him he could wiggle his toes so he was thankful there didn’t appear to be a spinal injury. Daze rushed to help him to his seat; the drop ship was already moving back into orbit.

Tarik looked to the floor where Fighter Two was strapped into the eye bolts. The man was very obviously dead. Rye was strapped down to the floor her leg extended with a grazing wound that leaked bright red blood.

Daze sat down next to him, still checking him over for injuries. Tarik pushed her hands away. He felt fine except for a few scrapes and bruises.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” Daze finally screamed when she stopped messing with him, coming to the conclusion that he was going to be okay. She was stomping her feet and her face was red.

Tarik was wheezing and couldn’t calm her; he was having trouble breathing so he couldn’t say anything. Daze launched into a string of curses that would probably make Dav question the way she had been raised.

Tarik felt funny, like he’d eaten something that didn’t agree with him, he still couldn’t catch his breath. He coughed into his hand and when he pulled it back it was covered in blood. Tarik sat staring at the blood for a few seconds when Daze looked too. Daze looked down at his hand then back to his face and then back to the hand again.

He coughed again and more blood, and again more blood. He stopped and couldn’t catch his breath. One deep breath came to him which he used for a powerful cough. The cough produced more blood and some very pale pieces of phlegm. He looked at his bloody hand and watched it glisten.

Daze unbuckled and ran to the medical kit that hung from the wall.

Tarik started another coughing fit; he stopped trying to cover his mouth. The blood was shooting out of his mouth now and droplets were falling on the body of Fighter Two and Rye.

Rye lifted her head to see what was happening and was showered with blood Tarik was involuntarily sending out of his mouth. She screamed and cursed at him but he really didn’t care.

Daze came back with something in her hand and unbuckled Tarik. She pulled him to the ground and Tarik saw black creep into his vision.

He lay up looking at her and wasn’t sure what was going on. He felt like he was underwater, if he could just get his breath he’d be fine. He tried to sit up and was pushed back down by Daze. She was yelling at him but it all sounded fuzzy. She injected something into his arm, he felt numb when the black filled his vision.

Tarik felt warm, like he fell asleep on a beach in a lounge chair. He was still tired but he wanted to stretch. He tried to extend his body but felt locked into place. He opened his eyes but was blinded by the bright lights. He tugged at his arms but could sense they were being restrained by the wrist. He pulled harder and tried to kick his feet but they didn’t work either.

“Calm down Tarik, everything will be fine.” He heard Tilla say in a soft voice.

He tried to open his eyes again but the bright light was too much.

“Lights.” was all he could get out. His throat felt like he had been forced to swallow hot coals.

“I will dim them but the doctor will need to turn them back up again shortly.”

Tarik opened his eyes again and he was in a medical pod. His body was seated and restrained in multiple places. He tried to make sense of it but last he remembered he was in the drop ship and having trouble breathing.

“Don’t try to talk again, you need time to heal. The doctor will explain soon.”

Tarik tried to look for her but he couldn’t even move his neck.

“Is he awake yet?” he heard the doctor ask. Tarik did not think the doctor did anything on time.