The Far Field: A Military Science Fiction Epic (Seedlings Book 1)

by Richard Sosa

“What? You’re making stuff up.”

  “No. Your impatience when I am preparing my hair for you. Your brain is so old

  you just don't get it.”

  “Get what?”

  “Duh. My hair is important. It’s important in our society, you know that,”

  Iris frowned at him, “You should have known that this is a significant cultural matter and that information was given to you as a matter course, but I bet you don’t remember.”

  Rik responded. “Your hair?” He put a hand through his hair and remembered the day she braided her hair for almost two hours, “you did the hair thing for me?”

  “You're a dense man. My hair is important. It takes time to look presentable and that is difficult with you pushing to rush out for your stupid dol-ve. Besides you gave me your mom's comb, that’s a big deal. In this culture, it’s a marriage proposal.”

  “Gods. I didn’t know. I just wanted you to have it as a gift from my heart. I didn’t intend

  it to mean that. I was just being kind. I…I didn’t know. Honest.”

  Iris laughed. “Settle down. I am just jesting with you. Don’t worry we’re not

  married. You don’t have to marry me.”

  “You sure as hell know how to yank my wires. Your immaturity compared to

  mine comes out in your relentless teasing. You’re like a mean teenage girl.”

  “I am not mean, and you dish it out to me also, so we’re even.”

  The wind blew gently across the balcony, the park was dark and quiet, a long

  companionable silence passed. “It's nice though,” Rik said, “you're right. Your hair is very nice.” He smiled at her and she rested her head on his outstretched arm and his hand caressed her bare shoulder then her soft hair. The moment was instantly awkward.

  Iris leaped up. “O.K. Let's go back inside. I am tired of laying on this hard surface.”

  Rik rolled over and stood cautiously then stretched with a side glance at ancient Aoife in the evening sky. Inside the flat Iris’ mobile unit was flashing an urgent encrypted message. She entered the keystrokes for a hard code, and it linked immediately to Rabid.

  Iris smiled. “Hey Ra, what—"

  “Get out. Someone well organized is coming for you and your boyfriend. Getaway now. I am doing the best I can from here. Run damn it.” Ra was calling from his mobile, out of breath and running.

  “He's not my boyfriend.” She shouted.

  Rik looked up quickly. “Run?”

  Rabid was desperate and shouted, “Leave. Get out now”

  He disconnected and she saw Ra’s coding destroying the message at a high level of encryption. Her throat tightened with fear and she shouted. “Rik. Grab all your stuff. Your weapon. We're leaving now. Through the balcony.”

  Rik looked around. “What?”

  They threw out their packs and leaped to the ground from the balcony and raced

  across to the darkest corner of the Field Park then dove into bushes. Immediately behind them, they saw the lights from a troop carrier scanning the park. The searchlights shined around them and passed over them as the transport silently cut across the park and quickly glided up to the pod unit’s front door. Soldiers piled out and climbed up the steps, overrode the door lock, Iris’ back up locks engaged, and the front door was breached open with a few kicks and everything was silent. Iris could only see shadows as the soldiers searched the flat, tossing drawers, overturning furniture. There are muffled sounds from inside her flat and then they began to scan the outside the unit. In a few seconds, they had ransacked the unit. A lone marine was bound and gagged sitting in the back of the transport.

  Iris used her night vision scope to observe them leaving her unit, “Crap, they probably broke all my stuff,” she saw them scanning the park, “oh shit.” She slid a hand laser up into position, “get ready they’ll locate us and come this way.”

  Rik and Iris pressed themselves closer to the ground to avoid detection. The soldiers were confused and scanned around with rifles ready, but they didn’t look toward the park.

  “Ra must be jamming their scanners,” Iris whispered, “they should have detected us by now.”

  Rik whispered back. “Shit,” then placed his weapon close to his chest, ready for a firefight.

  The transport vehicle quickly filled with the returning soldiers and then it slowly turned shining its lights past them and departed, speeding away toward the City Center. Rik and Iris were still for a long time, then Iris scanned after the departed troop transport with her night goggles. “That was Stu in the transport all tied up. Remember that pilot dude?”

  “Yes,” Rik said frowning.

  “He's must have been captured and restrained while attempting to warn us. He was trying to get to us. There are several powerful groups at play here. It takes a lot to organize this, look,” she showed her IARI to Rik.

  “What are you showing me?”

  “There is no trace or record of what we just witnessed. They were here to either capture or kill us and no one could have been identified. Gods I thought I knew how to protect us.”

  “Well if you get any ideas let me in on this because from here it doesn’t look too promising. I thought—”

  “I was going to protect you, I know. I am an F-up too, all right. I messed up. You

  can’t rely on me.” Silence.

  “I was going to say,” Rik said carefully, “I thought maybe it appeared like Stu put up a fight. I hope he got a few good punches in on those dicks.”

  “You have to go back on the commons net,” Iris said, “and tell everyone what just happened.”

  “No. I need to run.”

  Iris was calm and methodical. “No. You need to tell everyone so that we have more

  eyes watching us. Besides, run where? You can be tracked anywhere without the right technology.”

  She pulled out her Ragma-6. “I think this piece of shit isn’t working. You’ll get caught right away. No scout, information is the key to surviving. Put all this out in the open.”

  They laid on the ground a long time and finally the cold forced then to stand and slowly they walked back to the Pod units looking around and behind them.

  As they were closer to the unit Rik said. “That part about you being an F-up? I don’t believe it.”

  Back inside Iris’ flat, they began to assess the damage. Iris pointed around. “They used a gravi-mute sequencer. Not too many people have one of those lying around.”

  “A what?”

  “It’s dampening technology. They came in here and rampaged the place and none of my neighbors heard anything.”

  Rik scanned the mess. “Bastards.”

  The evening had become night, and both were cold and dirty from the muddy wet ground in the park. Iris uprighted chairs, cleaned the broken glass, while Rik went to the console and lifted it off the floor then opened the common net system. He typed into the damaged console and waited for it to came on and was relieved when the unit still worked. He opened a link to all and then used his recorder to pan the room. “Whoever you are that did this, damn you. I couldn’t give a damn about your Council and the small-minded politics or your backward religious ‘values’. Why should I die defending you? I've lost enough already. Your political and religious leaders are well funded but inept. To all free-thinking citizens, you must act and join us in the endeavor to save this planet

  yourselves.”

  Rik saw that Iris was no longer afraid and she remotely added information to

  the common net with her running display from her trashed unit, showing Rik standing by a desktop unit that shouldn’t be working. Rik continued. “If the things happening now frighten you so much you want to kill me, come at me because I sure as hell I am going to find you and gut you. I am not afraid, and I am not leaving. To citizens, I hope and wish you all survive and evolve. Sleep well.”

  A group of citizens began to mill around the outside the flat and waved at Iris when she ventured a peek out the win
dow. As it got later the group dispersed. Rik and Iris stayed awake into the night with pulse laser weapons loaded and ready. Iris was trying to complete the packing they started earlier.

  Rik peered out the window looking across the park where there are small lights and reflections. “Someone is waiting in the park, let’s keep away from the windows.”

  “Roger that.”

  Rik held Iris' free hand and gently brought her close and then stroked her hair. He released her to look at her face and eyes. “You have the most beautiful eyes,” he bowed his head, “I messed it up, I messed it up again. They won't be so nice next time. And you could get hurt.” Iris absent-mindedly ran her hand through her hair. “You think we’re going to die? I thought we’d be safe by now,” Rik wondered.

  She shrugged.

  He carefully looked out the window and was relieved. “Daylight. that’s a help. Harder to murder in broad daylight.”

  “Don’t count on it.” Iris gave him a stern look.

  A long silence forced them to look everywhere else but at each other. Rik noticed that Iris’ unit was disheveled like her life since they met. “I imagine you didn’t count on this happening. Look what a mess I’ve made of your life. I should leave. I don't want you harmed.”

  “And go where?”

  “I don't know, but I should go.”

  “Yeah, leave me here to die by myself you selfish Korpe.”

  “Damn you, I lost everyone I give a damn about, I am not going to lose you too. I can’t handle it anymore.”

  Iris was almost in tears. “You won’t lose me if we stay together. I have an idea. But you need to stay with me. You promised.”

  She touched her wrist and her IARI appeared and she started typing. “I think I can get one of Stu friends to give us a safe place to hole up. I’ve been working on it at least until Ra can repair the scanner blocks and get some other things for us. Ra thinks he can get us on a flight to an orbital where we won’t be tracked,” she continued to type, reading messages and pondering. Rik nervously watched the park. She said, “I have Rapuru-jec online and he said a contact told him Stu is in jail now and the team of them are trying to find him, but they can’t find him. He wants to know if I have any intel about his location. I can meet Rapura-jec at a secure location to talk and he also said Hangar 48 is clear and it has a net scan block so no one can see us. He said he’s sending a link scan block along this route,” She shows it to Rik, “and no one would know we left. Worth a try, I say.”

  “Can we trust him?”

  “Yeah. Ra trusts him. I don’t have any other options. Let’s grab all our stuff and some food and get moving.” Iris read more and typed ‘thank you’.

  “He said on the right side of the hangar is a large automatic door used to drive in supplies and personnel it has a monitor, but it will be disabled. Use code 8458. Ready?”

  Rik scrunched his face unsure. “Yes...but…”

  Rik and Iris took advantage of the early morning darkness and on pedestrian mobile gliders moved quickly to the isolated hangar near the industrial area. They approached closer and then began to walk slowly toward the hangar looking around and behind them. Rik pointed to the ajar side door. The hangar inside was dark, “you think someone is expecting us?”

  They used the large equipment outside as shielding and whispered while scanning for signs of movement. Iris peered through the dark. “Let’s just park here and see if anything moves. Watch our flank on the left.” They sat quietly together through the rest of the day and evening.

  Dask slammed his fist on the table. “What the hell do you mean, they left the unit?”

  The Corporal squirmed and looked straight forward. “Sir we were getting ready—

  “Shut the hell up. I want them found and brought here. Do you read me, soldier? Get the tracking software back online or I’ll have you busted down to sanitation specialist. Dismissed. Ask Sergeant Trimor-8 to step in.” The shaken Corporal almost dashed out of the room.

  The Sergeant Trimor-8 stepped through the door, watched his staff person race away and stood ramrod straight and saluted. “You’re orders, Sir.”

  Dask eyed him sternly. “Sergeant, we have a situation that is out of control. You need to step up the game and bring this to an end.”

  Sergeant Trimor-8 saluted and walked out of the room.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Iris squinted over at the control box on the wall. “O.K. let’s move out. Cover me.” She slightly stood and moved crouching fast toward the hangar, stopped behind cover for a second, and then tried to open the main large hangar doors, “Locked,” she whispered and added, “that’s good.” Then she saw the smaller door that sat on a sliding frame with a keypad. She took off her pack and whispered to Rik. “Keep covering me while I get this door open.” Rik scanned and aimed everywhere, while she stood up and entered the key code. Nothing happened. She stood up again and entered the code more carefully.

  Rik observed her efforts. “Our man was going to have the code work for us,” he watched behind them nervously and then pointed to the side door, “well that door is open what do you think?”

  “Trap.”

  Rik nodded agreement, “trap.”

  They scooted along the wall and peered into the hangar. The hangar was empty with no Flyers inside but a lot of container boxes and workstations. Rik whispered. “Humm, did we get the wrong hangar, it’s 48, right?”

  “Yeah, 48,” Iris checked her wrist unit again.

  Rik took another look into the empty area. “Maybe we’re being overly cautious. I think it’s clear.” The soldier in both wouldn’t let up and they crouched carefully, slowly, and silently through the open door.

  Something clanged softly on the ground the same instant Iris wrist unit turned red. “Down,” Iris whispered and made quick downward hand movements. They flattened to the ground and rolled under a large metal workbench. Silence. Iris pointed to her wrist and he darted his gaze to it thinking, I need one of those. Rik pointed to a makeshift stack of metal bins and cargo boxes and whispered, “professional hangar Techs wouldn’t stack bins like that.” Iris got her weapon ready. Rik scrambled on his hands and knees making noise and kicking at canisters and tools.

  The chirr of hot metal ripped by Rik’s leg, burning his pants as the lasers followed him and lasers that hit the smooth surface made sparks bounce around his hands as he rolled under another bench losing his weapon as it slid on the floor away from him, damn it, he thought. Iris was returning fire at the makeshift blind. A second volley of lasers struck the door jam and metal ricocheted into the room with sparks flying. Iris shouted. “Stay down.”

  More lasers pounded around her as she tumbled from her kneeling position to the ground. A flurry of laser fire covered the benches. Rik yanked his face to the side as a chip of concrete hit his face and hot flashes burned at the ceramic benchtops.

  Iris saw two soldiers exposed for an instant on the left and she called, “Rik,” while sliding her pulse weapon on the cement floor to him, “left side 45 degrees.”

  Rik, in one motion, grabbed the weapon and swung around and fired twice. Someone

  yelled, “damn it, I am hit.” There was the sound of boots running and two soldiers ran out the door followed by two more soldiers holding their arms. Rik slid the weapon under his legs, back to Iris, who grabbed it up and took a quick shot at the last soldier before he reached the door. The soldier fell back and crashed to the ground. A small trail of smoke was rising from his chest.

  She whispered. “Is it clear?”

  “Why are you whispering?”

  Iris made a stern face at him and shouted. “Hey Rik, behind the grey bin number 345, do you see any more movement up there? Stand up and give me a whistle.” Rik raised a rod with oil rags on it and waved it over his head.

  They waited for a long moment and with no movement, they walked up to the soldier on the ground. They stood in silence looking down at him. The soldier laid sprawled out on the ground in a fetal pos
ition, blood coming out his mouth, one arm twisted underneath him in an unnatural pose. Rik and Iris cautiously inspected around. No one else was lurking.

  She grabbed the dead man’s pulse pistol and handed it to Rik. “Check the far door and outside,” she pointed, “I am going to close and lock the one we came in.”

  Rik moved to the side door carefully looking behind containers and then re-locked the back door carefully. He shouted, “all clear.”

  “O.K. can you make sure and lock the door, I don’t want any surprises.”

  The door buzzed as the locks re-engaged. Rik came back with a serious and determined expression. “Looks like they ran away like children. I don’t understand, they had us pinned down. We were outgunned.”

  He leaned in and inspected the soldier’s insignia and recognized the military colors. “This kid is one of Dask’s people.”

  Iris bent down to inspect the soldier. “Are you sure, he doesn’t look fam…old enough.”

  Rik observed her face for a second then pointed to his collar and shoulder. “The

  regiment colors and the patch on his shoulder? Same as what I saw on Dask’s people. Also, on the soldiers that greeted me when I arrived. I remember things like that.”

  Iris assessed the building. “I wonder if they’re still out there waiting for us to come out. We may need to make a stand here.”

  “What does Dask gain by getting me out of the way like this? It doesn’t make sense now

  since everyone has all the data. We spilled the beans all over the place,” Rik paced like a cat.

  “What do you mean ‘beans’?”

  “We told the story all over the place, so everyone has the information. You said

  that would protect me. What’s the point of this ambush?”

  Iris regarded the dead soldier. “He looks so young, I bet his mother is expecting him

  home for dinner tonight. What are beans?”

  “Yeah, well better him than me. Forget about the beans. This kid is just following orders and from the looks of things, if we stepped in a few minutes later we’d both be dead. I think we caught them unprepared. Waiting as we did was a good strategy.”