by C. R. Daems
"Yes, sir." Elijah got Ganz and Reti and they entered the tent.
I stood readying myself for the coming confrontation or maybe for the consequences of my decision.
* * *
Sometime later, Elijah returned with Ganz and Reti in army uniforms with Caduceus arm patches and white berets with red crosses. Two male Heibei medics were with them.
"Ganz, Reti, I want you to get with the medics and learn as much background as you can of their lives before and while in the military," I said as I began undressing.
Issak and Colonel Lothar joined us a short time later.
"That uniform doesn't look very safe," Lothar said, frowning.
"I'm going to be the Heibei negotiator. I'm from Blackwood, here visiting friends, and offered to help. I've enlisted two medics to help as a goodwill gesture. General Issak, have you secured a contract?" I almost wished he hadn't. This operation had more unknowns and was therefore riskier than New Kief.
He smiled. "Yes, a very satisfactory one. I think they felt a large bonus per person would guarantee they all got out alive."
"We'll try, but the priority will be clearing the building with the minimum loss of Jax lives," I said to make sure he understood and only continued after he nodded. "I'd like you to have the army in position to attack the front entrance on my signal."
"What signal? You don't have any Comm equipment." He was looking me up and down like he'd missed something.
I held up my proof-of-life bracelet. "The signal is if this bracelet indicates I'm dead." I held up my hand to stop him from saying anything. "If I take it off, it will stop recording, as if I'm dead. In that case, storm the first floor and secure it. Don't enter the second floor. Lieutenant Elijah will be responsible for infiltrating the second floor."
"Why?" Issak asked.
"Teamwork. You know how to force your way into a building and secure it. The Guard knows how to clear a building with minimum damage. I'm relying on the Heibei's information, which indicates the hostages are on the second floor. Given that's right, you can use military grade weapons on the ground floor without having to worry about killing hostages. The second floor will require a different technique to which the Black Guard is better suited."
"What if you are actually killed?" Iaask asked.
"Then you and Lieutenant Elijah will have to revisit the strategy." I couldn't stifle a laugh at the look of panic on their faces. "Let just hope the space gods are in a good mood, or the raiders decide to cooperate with us, or better yet both."
"How can three of you …?" Lothar questioned in disbelief.
"I'll let you know when it's all over," I said with genuine amusement while waving
to Granz and Reti to follow. "We'll walk down to the buildings so that the raiders have plenty of time to identify us and the army has time to get into position."
"What's the plan, Captain?" Reti asked.
"To kill the bad guys and go home," Ganz said, smiling.
"More or less. First we need to talk our way in without getting killed, and then you will treat the wounded while I negotiate. Ideally, we secure the hostages and signal the army to attack, and Lieutenant Elijah and the detail help us kick ass. However, if the raiders don't cooperate, then we may have to revise the plan."
"Duty, sir?" Ganz asked, seeking focus for when the doss-bomb exploded.
"Clear the building with the minimum loss of Guard lives."
The contract was to clear the building. Protecting the hostages or minimizing collateral damage was a bonus, which I hoped we always took into account whether it was a part of the contract or not. But the contract—duty—and the Jax came first.
"Yes, sir." They chimed in unison.
By now we were within fifty meters of the front entrance of building one, administration, and had certainly been noticed. I hoped they wouldn't shoot for fear of ending the standoff. Before we had climbed the five black-marble steps to the entrance, one of the double doors opened and two men with multifunctional guns appeared.
"Far enough. What do you want?" the oldest of the two asked.
"I'm Omom Sudar from Blackwood. When I heard what had happened, I volunteered to negotiate a peaceful solution, and I thought you and the hostages might be in need of medical assistance. These very brave individuals have volunteered to help if they can."
While keeping his Mfw leveled at me, he clicked on a handheld communication device. "Lieutenant Ralph, I have a … negotiator and a couple of medics at the front door. What do you want me to do with them?" He nodded while he listened. "Petra, keep an eye on the other two. All right, Sudar, step up to the door so I can search you." He motioned me forward. I climbed the steps, stopped a couple of feet in front of the man, raised my arms, and spread my legs. The man was very thorough, but to my surprise, he didn't take liberties during the search.
The lobby was a twenty by twenty meter open room with an assortment of beige lounge chairs and couches, metal and glass tables, and a long curved silver reception counter near the back wall, which had a group of six men playing cards. Military grade weapons lay scattered on the counter. Behind the counter, the wall looked like a window into space, where galaxies could be seen. Four other raiders were lounging off to the right side with Mfws lying close to them. His gaze settled on them. "Two of you get over here and watch these medics."
Judging by the shredded furniture and the holes in the walls and reception counter, the room had seen some serious fighting.
A few minutes later, an elevator door could be heard opening down a hallway to the left and a short stocky man came striding into the room, appraising me as he neared. He had a laser strapped to his hip and an Mfw hanging from a strap on his shoulder.
"What do you want?"
"A peaceful solution for everyone." I gave a small bow while forcing my eyes to break contact with his.
"That's unlikely to happen. Sooner or later the Jax are going to attack."
"Why would they do that?" I asked with genuine interest.
"Why else are they here?"
"As I understand it, the Heibei are negotiating a contract with the Jax, but nothing has been finalized. If there were a peaceful solution, there would be no need. Since the Jax are mercenaries like you, they wouldn't fight without a contract."
He surprised me by changing topics.
"You brought medics?" he asked, looking out through the open door.
I nodded. "I don't wish to see anyone die."
"Petra, search them and then let them in. There are a couple upstairs who could use a medic," Ralph said, giving me a hard look. "If this is a trick or they aren't real medics … Negotiators usually stay out of danger. Aren't you afraid we will kill you?"
"No. I believe in life after death, so my early death would just speed up my transition to a place where those who did their best to follow God's word through his prophets will live in peace forever. But I am concerned for the medics. You could let them leave after they finish helping."
He laughed. "And leave them to report our numbers and positions?" He seemed amused at the thought.
"Would it matter? You are outnumbered ten-to-one on the ground and can't hope for any support from your cruisers." This was a good time to begin sounding like a negotiator. Who knew, I might even be able to reach a peaceful solution, since the raiders had no winning options.
"The Jax are good, but we have two cruisers to their one." He grinned.
"I guess you haven't heard. The Jax troops you're facing arrived on a second cruiser—"
"That makes the odds worse, but our ships are well equipped and the crews experienced. We could still win."
"A third Jax cruiser arrived several hours ago with more troops," I said.
"Well then, it doesn't look like you or I will die of old age." His face lost its amusement, and he looked toward the door. "Lester, you and Petra bring the medics upstairs after you're certain they are clean." He looked at me and pointed toward the hallway. "Come, the major will want to talk with you."
The hallway had two elevators and a door labeled Stairs. The second floor contained a glassed-in conference room and offices running around the outside wall, creating a large open area in the middle, which had once contained desks and chairs for lower level administrators. The desks, chairs, and portable partitions had been stacked in four of the offices, and the hostages—twenty-two men and nine women—were sitting on the floor in the cleared area. They were tied together, so I doubted they could move quickly even in an emergency. As Ralph walked me to the back of the building, I counted twelve raiders in the area: two stood watch over the hostages, one appeared to be standing watch out one of the office windows, another five were searching the offices, and one office had four men on the floor covered with blankets. They looked like they were seriously wounded.
He walked me past the hallway that connected the two buildings to the rear, where he led me through a security door into a room with no windows and a large impressive floor-to-ceiling vault at the far end.
"Major Batten, this monk claims to be here to negotiate a peaceful solution. She brought two medics with her."
Batten was a tall man with an athletic body and a scarred face that indicated he had seen action. As he strode toward me, his face was expressionless but his eyes were evaluating me. When he was within arm's reach, his fist shot out. I forced myself to take the hit I knew was coming and with extreme effort didn't try to negate the force of the blow. When it hit, my head snapped backward and I lost consciousness for a moment, stumbled, and fell backward onto my back. I tasted blood and felt it dribbling down my chin.
Clever man, I mused as I lay there waiting for my head to clear. A monk was unlikely to make a defensive move, whereas a trained commando would reflexively react. However, although Black Guards were very reflexive, dragons had quiet minds that could overcome that reflex.
He drew his laser and pointed it at me.
"Who are you?" His voice was low and menacing.
"Omom Sudar."
"Why are you here?"
"To seek a peaceful solution."
"What if I don't want one?"
"Then you will sentence your comrades, including those in the two cruisers, to death."
"What about me. Won't I die?" He laughed.
"I'm no seer. You may survive the Jax assault on the building and end up in a penal institution."
"How do you propose we arrive at a peaceful solution, Omom?"
"Everyone must accept a less than satisfactory arrangement. You and your comrades can go free but without the crystals, the Heibei get the hostages returned unharmed, and HTL keeps their crystals and sustains less damage to the building and equipment but don't see you punished," I said, rising to my feet while noting everyone's position: Batten stood slightly to my left, Ralph to my right, his eyes wandering from me to the five men inside the vault, and three men were scattered around the room searching the desks and computers.
Batten's frown deepened as he stood silent, watching me rise.
"You are assuming the Jax cruiser can destroy our two cruisers. After they destroy the Jax cruiser, my odds of leaving with the crystals are excellent, so why should I compromise?"
"During the stalemate, you lost that possible advantage. Two more Jax cruisers are now in Heibei space. They brought reinforcements for a potential contract with Heibei to remove you and your friends."
"It wouldn't work anyway, Omom. They wouldn't trust us to leave without stealing their crystals, so they would want to search us and for us to leave without the hostages. We, on the other hand, wouldn't trust them to let us leave once they knew we didn't have the crystals and had released the hostages. And even if I were inclined to trust you, which I'm not, you have no authority except to act as an intermediary. So you see, a peaceful solution isn't in the dice, even though we will all probably be less than happy with the final arrangement."
He paused for a moment, and then smiled.
"If we surrender, they will hang us, or worse seal us away in some prison. If we don't, sooner or later the Jax will force their way in and kill us. So, we have nothing to lose. I'm going to let you and the medics go deliver a message. Consider it a goodwill gesture and assurance I have no desire to harm the hostages if we are allowed to leave. Tell them that we will be leaving with the hostages and we either all survive or none. Their choice." He shrugged.
He was right. Neither side would trust the other to keep their word.
Ironically, his solution would clear the building, which was what we had been asked to do—not save the hostages. We wouldn't get a bonus, but no one could blame the Jax for the outcome. If, instead, I tried to clear the building by force, I might save hostages and earn the Jax a bonus, but it would put my detail at risk and could result in several of their deaths.
I closed my eyes, seeking calm.
"I think the Omom is relieved she's going to live," Ralph said with a laugh.
"Major, we've opened the last box. We'll be ready to leave in a few minutes," someone shouted from within the vault.
At peace, I opened my eyes as the major turned his head to look over his shoulder toward the man in the vault.
"Good timing, Carlos—" His head snapped around.
I stepped into him, grabbing his hand with the laser with my right hand and driving my left elbow into his temple.
He released the laser into my hand.
I slid my left arm around his neck to support him.
It took Ralph a few seconds to grasp what had happened.
By then, I had slid behind Batten. We fired simultaneously.
He fired reflexively into Batten as my laser burned through his left eye into his brain.
I stepped backward toward the vault, jerking Batten's dead weight around to face the vault. Carlo was drawing his Mfw as my laser pierced his forehead, and he stumbled backward. Again, I jerked Batten around so I leaned against the open vault's door and used my weight and Batten to shove the door closed.
The three men in the room were now staring at Batten and me.
I shot the one reaching for the Mfw lying beside him on a desk, stopped to spin the wheel on the safe, locking it, and then managed to kill one of the remaining two men when he hesitated to shoot with Batten in front of me.
Several pellet blasts slammed me backward as the last remaining man began firing. Most of the pellets hit Batten, but several hit my arm that was holding him. The man fired as he ran toward the security door, but his shots missed.
Not wanting to take any chances, my first shot tore through his leg, causing him to stumble and fall face first onto the floor. My next shot hit him in the temple. The room was quiet, and I released Batten, who slid down me like a rag doll.
Now that it was over, my logical mind understood my decision. If I had done nothing, the Jax cruisers would have had to engage the raiders and many would have died, and while I consider the Guard close family, the Jax military were also family, if a little distant. And my odds here were not bad. This room was sound proof, so if I could manage to take them by surprise … I collected a laser and Mfw and then treated my wounds. Only one was bleeding badly. I applied a tourniquet, which reduced the flow significantly.
I opened the security door just enough to see but not enough for it to appear open at a glance. The two men who had escorted Ganz and Reti up here had apparently gone back downstairs, because the two men standing guard weren't the same. Two were still standing guard over the prisoners and four were still searching the offices.
It was time for a distraction, which I hoped would permit Ganz and Reti to overcome their guards and then help me with the remaining six. Hopefully, by then the rest of my detail would join us before the ten to fifteen in the other building could come running to help.
I removed my proof-of-life bracelet and threw it on the floor. Less than a minute later, the building shook as several explosions rocked the bottom floor of the building. I opened the door enough to see the entire floor. The result was close to perfect. Everyone ha
d turned toward the stairs or the front of the building.
I shot the two guarding the prisoners while noting Ganz and Reti dispatching their guards.
The four in the offices came running out, two firing in the direction of Ganz and Reti, shattering the office glass.
I shot one and either Ganz or Reti shot the other.
The remaining two turned their fire on me.
I took another several pellets in my side and leg, which were visible from behind the door.
But caught in the crossfire and having no cover, both men were dead in seconds. In the silence, the raging battle downstairs could be heard. I exited the door and waved to Ganz and Reti to cover the stairs for any retreating raiders while I covered the walkway.
A minute later two raiders appeared. Ganz let them reach the landing before killing them. I thought that a wise decision; otherwise, they would have fallen down the stairs, giving everyone notice the upstairs wasn't safe. Two more appeared shortly afterward. Reti shot one and Ganz the other. Then black uniforms came swarming up the stairs and into the room.
"Lieutenant Elijah, reporting for duty, sir," Elijah said, smiling after having looked around to find the area had been secured. Then she frowned. "Corporal Uziel, come see to the captain, she's been wounded."
"Lieutenant, assign Guards to cover the walkway to the second building. If the Heibei intelligence is right, there are ten to fifteen raiders in that building. And there are four locked in the vault." I nodded to the security door. Feeling weak, I sat. Elijah came over and laid my protective underwear, weapons, Mfi, and uniform next to me.
"You may want put those on before you engage in any more firefights, sir."
"I agree. It's hard to be careful against modern weapons; they spew too much metal too fast. How are Ganz and Reti?" I asked, knowing they hadn't been wearing protective equipment.
"They looked all right—" Elijah spun around, gun at the ready, as gunfire erupted from the middle of the room. Four men lay dead a few meters from the walkway connecting the buildings. I sat debating whether to send my detail into the other building to finish the job, or to let the army do it. I doubted the raiders were going to surrender. I wasn't sure of the laws on Heibei, but I wouldn't be surprised if raiders were executed. As I sat arguing with myself, General Issak and Colonel Lothar came up the stairs, looked around, and then headed in my direction. Issak was smiling.
