The Black Guard: Book II: Evolution (Black Guard Series 2)

by C. R. Daems

  "Non-traditional in many ways. I want you to assume every person on Blackwood is going to try to kill you and the other Guards—like we were the client." I had a bad feeling about this assignment, not in protecting our client but in minimizing the danger to the Guard. "Duty is the highest priority, Elijah, protecting the clients and the Guard. The situation will be similar to our assignment on Molova—talk to Sergeants Catz and Nadel, they were both there—but on Molova the threat was to Prince Badal and his family and the Guard only indirectly. On Blackwood I believe the threat will be as much against the Guard as against the Omom Nastya and her daughter."

  "Because of the Gurks?"

  "Yes. They win if they can kill Nastya or her daughter because we weren't able to protect them. They also win if they can kill us and indirectly demonstrate we can't protect her or her daughter."

  "Isn't that true on all our assignments?"

  "No. How often does an assassin try to kill one of us while we are off duty?"

  * * *

  As I walked down the steps of the shuttle, a naval lieutenant saluted me. "Captain Sapir, Captain Blatt and Colonel Berger would like to speak to you at your earliest convenience," he said, appearing a bit apprehensive, which I understood. Messengers frequently took the wrath of unhappy superiors. The captain and colonel wanted me there immediately, but neither had the authority to order me.

  "Lead on, Lieutenant. I'm sure Captain Blatt has more important things to do than wait on me."

  "Thank you, Captain. In the meantime, I'll have your troops and luggage taken care of." He waved to a marine master sergeant, who stepped forward and saluted Elijah as the Lieutenant led me away.

  As we approached the captain's office, a marine sentry opened the door part way, said something, and then opened the door fully for me to enter. When I entered, both men were standing. I gave a moderately low bow out of respect for their positions.

  "Welcome, Captain Sapir. Help yourself to something and have a seat," Blatt said, waving toward a sidebar with kaffa, tea, and water. I poured a glass of water and sat.

  "Even without a briefing from Admiral Geller, your presence would scream non-traditional contract," Colonel Berger said and gave a snort. "I sometimes think everyone in the Jax Military looks forward to hearing the rumors after each of your assignments."

  "Admiral Geller has directed me to remain in orbit and for me to support you if necessary while making sure no uninvited guest crashes the party." Blatt's lips twitched into a wry smile. "You apparently upset the family-run systems with your Black Guard demonstration."

  "And if you can spare an hour or so, brief Gunny Stak on the Deathstalker's new firing range. General Lerman is encouraging all cruisers to reconfigure their ranges. You convinced him fighting inside a cruiser is similar to inside a building, and I agree." Berger gave a sharp nod as to emphasize the point.

  "And, if you have time to join me and my staff for dinner, I'd like to hear which rumors are true, if any." Blatt laughed.

  "Thank you, I'd like that," I said, not about having to repeat the story, but about the idea of bringing the various Jax services closer together.

  * * *

  I wished I had a longer trip, to spend more time with my detail. I did manage several hours to spread my enhanced paranoia, get to know the new privates, and consider some security options to protect the troops off duty. By then it was time to freshen up for the evening dinner with Blatt, Berger, and their senior staff.

  After my recap of the Outpost conference, we did manage to discuss our combined mission on Blackwood. Our presence would not only be contentious with the Gurk, but also with Outpost, Valhall, and Lariw. The Crouching Tiger was there in case one or more sent cruisers into the system with the intent to support the Gurk and in case I needed marine or other support. The JCC felt that if things went well, the Jax might get a contract from Blackwood and eventually one or more of the other non-family-run systems to provide them with a Jax naval presence.

  After dinner, I took Berger and his gunny to the firing range to discuss the changes the Deathstalker was implementing and the reasons for them. I managed five hours of sleep before having to wash and dress for the shuttle ride to Blackwood and my meeting with Nastya.

  * * *

  Our shuttle was directed to an army base rather than to the palace where the Holy One resided. When I exited the shuttle, a tall man with a white mustache in a red military jacket, white pants, and a red head-wrap met me. A junior officer and ten armed soldiers stood several steps behind him in dark-green camouflage uniforms—assault troops, unless I was mistaken.

  "Welcome, Captain Sapir, I'm General Heydar. We're meeting here, as the situation is rather delicate. Omom Nastya has been in negotiations with the Gurk for over two months. They are one of the smaller tribes on Blackwood but have had the honor of guarding the palace and its Holy Ones for the past fifty years. However, over the last twenty they have gotten bolder in their demands for money and privileges. Consequently, Omom Nastya plans to replace them with a special honor guard chosen from the Blackwood Army. She feels the transition will be contentious and didn't want the members of the army—who are from all the tribes—forced to take sides. Therefore, your coming has been kept a secret," he said, looking like he believed it. If he did, he was due for a shock—a secret was a secret only so long as you told no one, and there were eleven men standing there whom I'd wager all knew. "I thought we could develop a plan on how to proceed before we entered the palace."

  "I agree with Omom Nastya. We should not involve the military. However, unless Blackwood is unique in the universe, we should assume the Gurk know Omom Nastya's plans and the Black Guard's involvement in the transition. If so, they will be prepared for our arrival and your troops will be involved whether you want them to be or not." I paused, waiting for Heydar's comments.

  To his credit, he nodded agreement after several minutes staring off into space. "I'm afraid you may be right. The Gurk have become more aggressive over the past several years and the recent negotiations have become increasingly contentious. It's why I decided to bring a detail of ten to accompany you to meet with Omom Nastya."

  "Like you, General Heydar, I'd like to avoid any unnecessary confrontation that may get your troops or the Omom Nastya or her daughter involved. But if the Gurk are aware of our involvement, it would be in their best interest to have a reception party planned, since almost any result would enhance their position at any future negotiations," I said after thinking what I would do if I were in the Gurk's position.

  The Gurk could fire on the Guard, claiming no one had informed them of our coming and therefore they thought us foreign troops and a threat to the Holy One. If we killed the Gurk's reception party, the clans would be outraged when they got the Gurk's version of events. Alternatively, the Blackwood troops accompanying us could revolt when we started killing the reception group, or worse yet, the Gurk might succeed in preventing us from entering the building. I concluded they had little to lose and everything to gain.

  "What can we do to avoid a confrontation?" Heydar asked, concern evident in his tense tone and the nervous way he surveyed his detail. It was obvious the general had his own ideas of what could go wrong, and it had him near panic.

  "Let me borrow two uniforms from your detail. Then I will accompany you in to see the Omom Nastya. We will leave the troops out of sight until we have talked with Omom Nastya and the issue has been resolved," I said, thinking once Nastya was safely in our custody, the Gurk could no longer count on a favorable outcome to any encounter—they would then become a hostile force.

  "But what if—"

  "General, Omom Nastya knows me from the meeting at Outpost. That is the reason she has placed her trust in the Black Guard to keep her and her daughter safe during the transition. As your next Holy One, you have to trust her," I said, hoping I was making the right decision. After all, I couldn't predict the outcome. I just hoped to avoid the unnecessary loss of life.

  The General nodded. "Yo
u're right, Captain Sapir. I do have to trust Omom Nastya to lead the country. Come, I'll get you outfitted." He strode toward his detail, looking determined.

  "Lieutenant Elijah, Corporal Toch," I shouted as I followed Heydar.

  Elijah and Toch ran to catch up.

  The General stood looking from Toch and me to his detail, while worrying his upper lip. "Corporal Asesti, give your uniform to Captain Sapir." That produced grins and snickers after a moment of stunned silence. "Private Kinih, give you uniform to Corporal …?"

  "Toch," I said as I began to strip, which produced open-mouthed stares. Those stares turned to obvious disappointment when my black skin-tight protective suit was revealed. "Lieutenant Elijah, I want the Black Guard in one truck waiting out of sight for my instructions. Corporal Toch and I are going to try and finesse our way into the palace to see Omom Nastya. I'd like to avoid involving the general's troops if possible."

  "Yes, sir. We'll be ready," Elijah said and left to get things organized.

  Heydar had a good eye, and the clothes were a reasonably good fit. The next half hour was spent testing the communication equipment-link between Elijah and me and testing the accuracy of the Blackwood automatic rifles we had been given. Toch's rifle was off to the right five millimeters and high two every ten meters; my rifle was off to the left four millimeters and low two every ten meters. After five minutes of practice, we could both hit the target dead center at twenty-five meters.

  "Why?" the general asked when I finally declared us ready.

  "So I can be sure I'm going to hit what I'm aiming at. We try not to give our opponents a second chance," I said.

  "The Gurk are also good shots," he said, waving toward his limo.

  I entered the back with him, and Toch settled into the passenger seat. "I told my corporal to park where they will be unnoticed yet within a two-minute drive of the palace."

  The caravan exited the military compound into a small city. The streets were narrow, the houses old and in need of repair, and the people on the streets looked like common laborers. It took over twenty minutes to reach open country, where we encountered wooded areas and occasional small streams. The roads improved as we neared a larger city, which spread out as far as the eye could see but didn't have the tall buildings one typically saw in modern cities. The tallest structure appeared to be about four stories. Inside the city, the buildings were squashed side-by-side, giving me a feeling they were encroaching on the narrow streets. Only the occasional open market provided any relief.

  After what seemed like hours, the streets widened and opened to well-manicured areas with buildings approaching ten stories. Soon afterward, the trucks pulled off the road and parked. Less than a minute later, the limo reached the eight-meter high gates that were the entrance to the palace grounds.

  The guards at the gate saluted and waved us through when they recognized General Heydar. The palace building stood a hundred meters down a paved road with neatly trimmed hedges, beds of flowers, and carpets of grass. Halfway to the palace we encountered a roundabout with a two-story-high fountain with various animals I didn't recognize spurting water. The road ended in a three-story pink-marble building, which looked to be at least a hundred meters square. A ten-person-wide staircase of ten stairs led to the massive double doors and two Gurk guards, dressed in dark-blue jackets and gray pants with black stripes down the leg.

  Judging by the way the guards' hands rested on their weapons, they weren't sure what to do as we started up the stairs. They relaxed when they recognized the general. And as I had hoped, the addition of two Blackwood soldiers didn't raise any red flags. The reason for their nervousness was apparent when one opened a door for us to pass. Inside were fifteen Gurks in combat dress and fully armed for battle with military-grade weapons. The soldiers lined both sides of the hallway, which was wide enough for ten men abreast. They relaxed visually when they saw three Blackwood uniforms, although a Gurk major did block our path.

  "General Heydar, what is your reason for being here?" he asked, as his eyes slid over Toch but lingered on me for a moment. Fortunately, my protective clothing tended to flatten my unimpressive breasts, my hips weren't excessively wide, I never wore makeup, and I had a few minor scars, which all-in-all gave me a unisex look.

  "None of your business, Major Gowad. I have an appointment with Omom Nastya."

  "I'm sorry, but all appointments have been canceled—"

  "Sergeant Parviz, sound general quarters," the general said into a handheld device he took from his belt. "You're to bring one hundred combat troops to the palace and arrest Gurk security guards at the entrance. Deadly force is authorized—"

  "That won't be necessary, General. I'm afraid I was being overly cautious. We've had a creditable rumor that the Omom Nastya will be assassinated. You and your detail may proceed." He stepped aside.

  As we continued down the hallway, I half expected to be shot but knew it would be uncharacteristic to turn around. The rug running down the middle of the hallway deadened our footsteps, making for an ominous silence.

  The walls were decorated with pictures of men and women dressed in white robes with gold trim who seemed to be watching our progress. They were interspersed with paintings of temple looking buildings and other statues and artifacts I took to be religious in nature. Halfway, Heydar turned right into another hallway where two more Gurk guards stood guarding a door.

  "Tell Omom Nastya I'm here for my appointment," Heydar said to the senior guard. He looked to say something, then shrugged and opened the door partway.

  "Omom Nastya, General Heydar says he is here for his meeting—"

  "Send him in, Corporal," said a woman's voice followed by a whispered man's voice I couldn't make out.

  I pushed open the door and the general walked in with me a step behind. I knew Toch had stayed in the doorway to watch the outer guards.

  Omom Nastya sat at a large curved ebony desk. Behind her next to three arched windows stood a tall man in a dark-blue military uniform. Although his uniform was not overly decorated, his collar insignia indicated he was a senior officer.

  To my right and on an embroidered high-back chair sat a slender girl, looking like she had just lost her best friend. Another man in the same dark-blue uniform, a junior officer, stood with his hand on the back of her chair, and another guard, in gray pants, stood a couple of steps back against the wall.

  Two more guards stood to my left, one on either side of a similar high-backed chair occupied by a fragile old woman I assumed was the Holy One. They each had their hands on their multifunctional guns, which hung from straps around their necks.

  The man behind Nastya smiled. "You have news, General?"

  "I do," I interrupted as my thumb released the strap that held my rifle, freeing it to move. "I'm Captain Sapir of the Black Guard, here to assume responsibility for Omom Nastya's security. Anyone who draws a gun or moves, dies."

  The man's face turned to a sneer, and he gave a small nod of his head toward me to the two guards near the old lady.

  My rifle was already pointing in their direction; therefore, it would have been smarter to nod to the one on my right. As the two began to swivel their bodies to shoot in my direction, I shot both in the head. I then swept through the general's legs—to get him out of the way—as I rotated right. The senior officer's hand had just begun to reach for his shard gun, so I ignored him. The junior was just reaching for his shard gun as my rifle swung in his direction. I shot him in the head and continued until I reached the far right guard, who was in the process of removing the strap from around his neck. The bullet caught him in the temple. Instead of turning back, I continued spinning down into a sitting position, my gun now pointing directly at the senior officer's head. His gun was out and pointing where my head had been. From the look on his face, I surmised that Toch also had his gun trained on him.

  "Colonel," I said, guessing at his rank. "I'll give you two options. One, you can fight. Two, you can tell your men to go back to the barra
cks. If you choose to fight, the two squads of Black Guard I have with me will kill every Gurk guard in this building. Of course, you will not be here to see it. If you choose to leave peacefully, you and your men will live to see another day. So shoot or holster that gun," I said, hoping the killing was done, at least for today.

  He knew he would have to lower the gun to shoot me, which would give Toch and me time to pull the trigger. Even if he managed to kill me, he would die and his men afterward. Hate was written on his face, and every muscle in his body tensed as a mental battle raged within him. After what seemed an eternity—as I imagined the carnage of having to clear out the Gurks—he slowly moved his gun to the side, holstered it, and then raised his hands.

  "You have a Comm devise on your belt," I said. "Tell your men to go home, that the party is over."

  "Major Gowad, send several men to the Monarch's office to collect six dead bodies," he said while watching me. When I nodded, he continued. "Send the rest of the men back to the base. Tell the men you send to leave their weapons with those leaving. Yes, that's an order."

  "Thank you, Colonel …?"

  "Prakash."

  "I think there has been enough killing for today."

  "Am I under arrest, or can I go?" he asked quietly, having gained his composure, but his eyes flamed with hate.

  "You may go, to avoid further bloodshed. However, I do not speak for your Holy One, only for the Black Guard."

  "I understand."

  Toch and I watched as a detail came and removed the bodies. They would have liked to charge us, but Lieutenant Elijah arrived only a minute after they did. I changed while she supervised the cleanup.

  * * *

  By the time I had changed back into my uniform, the cleanup had been completed. Omom Nastya and her daughter had changed rooms, and the Holy One had been taken to her room. The new room looked more like an informal meeting room or a place for people to wait. The walls were painted a light shade of green, and the pictures were landscape paintings of rolling hills, forests, and rivers. Six comfortable chairs and a small couch sat on a hand-woven rug in shades of green with a vine pattern. Small wooden tables were next to each chair.