Tramp Wars: The Enemy

by Larry Roberts

  “Fine. Anything to get rid of this pain in my head.” Mark said as he squatted down leaning down on the rail of the platform holding his head in his hands, resting his arms across the rail around the platform trying to keep from getting sick again.”

  “Good Mark. Just listen to my voice.”

  It took a while with the pain getting in the way but finally the platform stopped at Hold A’s deck and Mark straightened up and stepped off as a quick news cam replay of Jolleen’s and the Chief Master at Arms efforts to talk Dick off the edge of the platform finished running through his glasses.

  Mark stopped at the edge of A Hold’s hatch with the growing crowed of people standing behind the police tape barrier hiding him from sight. He watched Jolleen with a rope tied around her chest under her arms as she pleaded with Dick sitting on the edge of the safety net frame extending out from below the platform to catch people falling off the platform if they fell over the platform railing. The master at arms a few feet away trying to help. Then to his surprise he watched his mother walk up wearing a safety harness like he had worn falling from the Tramptown deck earlier that morning or was it the morning before now as late as it was. The cold planets late-night wind blowing her light weight night cloths around the harness straps.

  Watching the seen and remembering Dick’s confession a few hours before, Mark felt tremendous relief flood over him as he realized he no longer felt guilty for Criss’s death. But then he realized what Dick was going through, for he had sat on the edge of the same ramp a few days after Criss’s death thinking the same thoughts. Only no one had realized he was even there at the time and after several hours he had finally gotten up and walked back into life as past words from both Criss and his mother made him realize that life was too precious to waste but more importantly, killing himself would not bring Criss back and only hurt and disappoint his parents. Especially his mother who had to deal with suicides and the incredible pain forced onto the families they left behind all the time as part of her job. Something he could not put her and his father through.

  Dick seeing Marks mother in the harness and knowing her and that she was the ships Chief psychologist, quickly stood up taking a few steps farther away from Jolleen and everyone as Dick threatened to jump. Teetering on the narrow 3 inch flat edge of the safety nets outer frame (made for use in zero Gee when the ship was in space for workers to use to get around while working on the open hatch’s locking latches spaced around the hatch), Dicks mother stepped forward crying for him not to jump. To talk to her.

  Turning around to face his mother Dick shook his head. “For years I blamed Mark for his death and hating him, telling Chet and the others that it was Mark’s fault each time something bad happened to them or anything they owned, even making things up.” He sniffed as his face contorted in pain. “Always telling them where to find him and then watched as they beat the living shit out of him over and over again so many times and Mark simply would not die and now I find out it was my fault all along that Criss died. No Mrs. Collins, I can’t live with myself for all the things I have done.” Dick sat down on the edge and refused to talk to anyone else after that as tears streamed down his face.

  Mark moved back around the edge of the lock and leaned against a locker hatch in the thick hull. Trying to come to terms with all the revelations. Trying to hate Dick for getting him beat up so much but finding it almost impossible even though he really wanted to. Maybe after hating himself for so long for thinking he had killed Criss, hating Dick for anything wasn’t possible. Especially since he couldn’t even hate Chet and his friends enough to wish them dead. Though anything short of dead was fair game.

  Pushing himself away from the locker he realized what was in the locker as he started around the edge of the cargo hatch and stopped. Turning around he went back to the locker and took out a bundle and went into the men’s head next to the Chain hatch as one of the Ship’s Patrolmen that had rousted him out of his bunk came rushing out of the Chain room and ran past the still closing heads hatch looking for Mark. The second Patrolman followed a few seconds later.

  A few minutes later after looking the crowd over, the two Patrolmen split up and started looking around the still set up carnival booths around the junk piles. One finally walked into the head and spotted Mark just as he was fastening up his jump suit. The Patrolman smiled as he grabbed Mark by the arm and started dragging him out of the head, tapped his comm. “Got him taking a shit.”

  “Be right there.” Came the reply.

  Mark was practically dragged out onto the hatch with a Patrolman on each arm.

  The Chief Sgt. at Arms turned around as he saw them coming and shook his head. “Took you guys long enough. You can let him go now.” Looking Mark up and down and frowning. “You are out of uniform Ensign.”

  “What can I say Chief, I was sound asleep 5 minutes ago and the Sgts’ here dressed me. I think they even tossed me into the shower. Cold of course.”

  “Well you are here but I don’t know why the captain wanted you here.”

  Dian ran up still in her PJ’s and wrapped her arms around Mark. Tears in her eyes as she went from looking at Mark to Dick’s head protruding above the edge of the deck as he sat on the edge of the safety net frame protruding out some 10 feet a good 3 feet below deck level of the hatch. Her father walked up behind her staring at Mark with a frown. The Patrolmen that had brought her down a couple of steps behind.

  Captain Cook walked over from the edge after trying to talk to the boy who would not answer anyone now. “I got you down here Mark so you could talk some sense into your buddy. Maybe if you forgive him, he can forgive himself.” Walking over to the bar still sat up just outside the main hatch she picked up a bright red safety harness like Mark had worn climbing around the overhead tractor lift and his mother was wearing along with a dozen others around the hatch waiting. “Here put this on and go over and try talking to him. While you are putting this on I will get your mother over here to give you a few pointers.” The Captain Walked away slapping the harness into Mark’s hands.

  Mark looked at the harness and frowned. The last thing he wanted to do was put on yet another harness. Dropping it back on the counter he went back behind the bar and opened the fridge and grabbed a couple of cold beers. Taking a deep breath he started walking toward the edge of the platform as he stuffed one of the beers into his jump suit’s pocket. “Mickey can you tighten the damn net up so I can walk on it?”

  The safety net was a role of netting that started inside a pocket along the inside edge of the hatch and rolled out to the outer edge frame that was attached to a series of poles that slid out from holes in the edge of the hatch. The netting unrolling out as the poles were run out after the lock’s hatch was opened down to form a landing platform. The roll of netting would give just enough to absorb the impact of anyone falling into it to keep them from bouncing back out and over the edge of the rack holding the net. “Yes Mark, I can use the role retraction motors to tighten the net up to make it stiff enough to walk on but that is not safe for anyone falling off the platform. They could bounce off the net and over the side.”

  “Well, I don’t plan on falling off right know and I don’t want to crawl out there. I feel enough like shit as it is, to have to look like shit while crawling out there.”

  Mark walked over to the edge of the platform a few feet away from everyone as the Captain and his mother started back toward the bar and suddenly noticed he was not there.

  They turned around just in time to see Mark place his hand on the deck and step down onto the safety net that now looked like a trampoline.

  Mark tested the tight net and then started walking carefully out onto it. Taking a few steps to get used to it and then crossed to the middle of the net several feet down from Dick and stopped. Taking a deep breath he popped the top of the beer making Dick jerk his head around toward him as Dick placed his hands on the rail beside himself ready to push off.

  The Captain started to turn red and his mo
ther’s mouth dropped open but neither said a word.

  “Hold on there buddy, I just want to talk for a minute before we jump.”

  Dick watched Mark take a drink of beer puzzled. “You forgot your harness.” Then turned back to look over the side and down.

  “Like I said I’m jumping with you. After all I am the one that killed Criss. I just want to get a few things straight before we jump.”

  “What?” Dick turned around and looked at Mark incredulously. “I am the one that killed him not you. Your boots would have worked if I had not loosened them up.”

  “Well, he would not have been there if not for me. So if anyone is jumping it is me. But I will give you that it is partially your fault so we can jump together.” Taking another swig as Dick’s mouth dropped open. “I just want to ask you a few questions before we go unless you are in a hurry and then we can go right now.” Mark walked up to the edge and looked over, though he did not need to since the net was more like a window than a net. “You ready to go?”

  Dick look over the side and frowned then looked back at Mark. “What questions would you have? I told Jolleen everything.”

  Mark smiled. “Yes I know. I watched, but you left a lot out. A lot of questions.” Taking out the other beer and holding it up. “You want a beer? Still sealed so you don’t have to worry about getting drugged and falling off before you want to.”

  The beer was Dick’s favorite and he had been out there for a while now so he was hoping he would take the bait.

  “Sure.” Licking his lips. “Role it over.”

  Mark stepped back. “Come on bro.” Turning around to show he had no ropes or lines attached to him. “It is kind of stupid and pointless to jump if you got a line attached.” Taking a drink. “Besides I don’t want the rest of the ship hearing what I want to talk about.” Mark put the beer back in his pocket and started casually walking along the edge of the net until he was a couple of feet away from Dick.

  Dick watched suspiciously keeping his hands on the rim ready to push off as Mark bent down a good arm’s length away holding out his beer. “Here you hold this for me a second. I don’t want the wind blowing it off.” Then as Dick took the beer Mark grabbed onto the narrow rail and lowered his closest leg to Dick down over the edge sitting his butt down with his other leg still on the edge with his other hand next to his foot with a good hold on the flat rail. Mark leaned toward Dick as he moved his butt around finding the right place and then swung his other foot off the edge to dangle with the other. Taking his can back he placed it down onto the flat rail with a louder than expected clank and squirmed around again making himself comfortable.

  “That is better.” Mark sighed and took another swig. Then transferred the beer to his other hand and handed Dick the unopened can.

  Dick popped the top and took a big swig and then a deep breath of satisfaction.

  Mark said. “God that is good beer. I am going to miss that.” Then just sat there without saying a thing for a good five minutes sipping at his beer as he watched more and more of the cabin lights around and up the side of the ship come on.

  Finally Dick turned to Mark. “You’re the one that said you had a bunch of questions to ask me.” Shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t blame you for hating me for killing Criss. Actually that was the last thing I wanted to do. It’s just that he kept complaining about your boots being too tight while we were waiting for you to get to the airlock deck and I got tired of listening to it, so I loosen them up for him. Evidentially you knew that the boots had to be tight to work properly.” Tears started flooding down his cheeks again.

  “Hey. It isn’t your…..” Mark bit his lip and took a breath. “Hey, you remember what I told him before I left to go below?”

  Dick wiped his face on his sleeve as he sniffed. “Aaa... I don’t know? You kept telling him not to do it over and over again until I was sick of hearing it but I don’t remember anything about keeping the boots tight.”

  “Ya. You’re right about that. You remember the time he jumped off the catwalk around the hold with his homemade pair of wings?” Mark pointed back inside the hold.

  Dick looked around at Mark baffled and then smiled. “Ya he broke his leg amongst other things. He was lucky he landed on something that broke his fall instead of being impaled by a piece of garbage sticking up. So what? He was always doing things like that.”

  “How many times did you tell him not to do it? Hell, how many times did we all tell him not to do it?”

  Dick frowned and then smiled. “Too many times to count.”

  “Ya and he never did wear those bright purple shoes you got him that matched yours.” Taking another sip and chuckling. “How many times did we tell him not to wear that stupid pink and green matching jump suit, hat and shoes?” Godstar he was quite a sight walking around in those like he was a movie star.”

  Dick started smiling as he straightened his back, pulled his head back with his chin up, arms bent up like a mannequin posing and started jerking his back and hips with his legs strait out around like he was strutting. His butt getting closer to the edge with each wiggle as his legs kept working themselves farther and farther down into open air.

  Mark suddenly reached over and grabbed Dick by his belt and pulled his butt back up across the flattened rail onto the net as Dick started laughing. Not even noticing Mark had grabbed and pulled him back.

  His laughing slowed down to a couple of chuckles and then a smile as he thought for a few seconds and then he turned to Mark. “You remember him steeling old man Turners fancy red aircar for a spin around the ship with us in it.”

  Mark smiled. “Ya, he said he wanted to just sit in it for a couple of minutes so we could get pictures. Godstar I was scared to death. I still can’t believe I went along. I kept expecting to get caught and killed any second.”

  “Ya me too but he just wouldn’t take no for an answer and then he comes up with the key and fly’s it out the hatch before any of us could jump out. Talking about shitting my pants. I know we only flew around the ship twice but it felt like it was around the whole planet. I knew we were dead meet when we got back and landed. I still can’t believe we got away with it. I wanted to kill Criss for that stupid stunt. I couldn’t sleep for a week waiting for the Chief Master at Arms to show up at our cabin hatch to arrest and throw us all in the brig for the rest of our lives.” Chuckling. “I spent months having a heart attack every time I saw a Ship’s Patrolmen or the Chief himself.” Dick turned toward Mark. “Godstar! He was a stubborn dick when it came to getting his own way wasn’t he?”

  Mark smiled back at him. “Ya, tell me about it. Fact is tell me just one time he did something he didn’t want to do. Better yet, tell me one time he stopped doing something when any of us demanded he not do it? I won’t waste my time asking you about simply asking him not to do something he wanted to do.”

  “Aaa, ya, I can’t remember.” Dick looked at Mark a bit funny. “You know he was always thinking up things to do and insisting we go along. From running races outside the ship along the hull between the stars under full thrust, jumping to nearby stations to see the sights and back again before we were missed when we were in orbit and a hundred other things I can’t believe we got away with now.”

  Dick looked down at the pit far below and frowned. “It just dawned on me that he always got one of us, usually you, to go first and then went himself after he was sure it was safe. That is after he broke his leg that time.” Chuckling a smile came to his face. “Jumping ship, the hull races, the bow whip, keel hauling, wing walking the fins and all the others. He talked you into going first and then depending on how you did if you made it, even if it took you several tries, he would try once unless he suddenly got bored which was usually if it turned out to be more dangerous than we, no, he thought.”

  Mark looked at Dick as he realized that he was right. He could not remember Criss being the first to try anything after he broke his legs trying to fly off the A hold catwalk.

  “
Still if I had not loosened up his boots he wouldn’t have died.” Dick started crying again.

  Mark stared at Dick and shook his head. “I will make you a bet.”

  Turning to Mark looking puzzled sniffling. “Make me a bet? On what?”

  “That you didn’t loosen the boots and you did not kill Criss.”

  “Don’t be stupid, if he had wanted them loosened up, he would have done it himself. I just got tired of listening to him bitch so I loosened them.”

  “Ok. Then tell me exactly what you did.”

  “I reached down and unfastened the boots bindings and loosened them.”

  “Ok, what else?”

  “Nothing. What else is there?” Dick demanded.

  “Do you remember us stopping at the ship’s store on our way to the ladder head?”

  Giving Mark a strange look for changing the subject that made no sense. “Aaa. Ya, sure. Aaa, you got a soda, I got a candy bar and… and Criss got an insole that you guys put in your boots to make it fit him. So what.”

  “You are sure you didn’t do anything else but loosen up his boots?”

  “Yes I already said that. What is your problem? I loosened up his boots and after he dropped I ran for the Chain to follow. That was all. That was enough to kill him.”

  “You didn’t take out the insoles?”

  “Now even I knew that was a stupid idea Mark.”

  Mark smiled. “Good. Think about it. How did you release the fasteners?”

  “Now you are just being ridiculous. I reached down behind his boot and unlocked the fasteners and loosened them.”

  “Did you have any problems, (Unlocking) them?”

  “Well ya, a bit. I had to kneel down so I could see the tabs locking the fasteners.”

  “Ok. Why didn’t he loosen them himself?”

  “Because I wanted him to stop bitching ok. I already told you piss brain.”

  “Sorry Dick but I tightened and fastened the boots on Criss using a lock behind the calf high boot that he would need eyes in his butt to open just to keep him from loosening them. He always hated calf high boots or anything tight around his legs and even wanted me to cut them down for him.” Letting that sink in for a few seconds. “He needed you to unfasten them for him. But he is the one that took out the insoles and then moved the latch around to the front of the boot where he only snugged it down. Though without the thick arch supporting insoles holding the boot tight against his foot and his arches, the forces of the brake pads on the instep, rolled the boot around his foot pulling his ankle into the side rail of the ladder where friction burned through the boot and eventually pried the brake pads off the sides of the rails. Him taking out the insoles was why he was free falling the last few decks.”