by C. R. Daems
"Sir, Corporal Volpe was engaged in a shooting with three security guards," Senior Catz said, looking at her Mfi screen.
"His condition?"
"Wounded but functional. He killed the three."
"Elijah, Ceder, withdraw all Guard to this floor. I want it sealed off from Room 205 to 220." I said. "You are authorized to kill anyone that appears threatening." My mind raced with the ramifications of our discovery. The rooms were being monitored for the contestants' strategies, movements, and other useful information. That meant either the information or the link was being sold. But who had it installed and who was selling it and to whom? Kesslar or someone on his team or Goebel or someone working for him, or some third party neither knew about?
The answers to those questions would be critical in determining whom I could trust. Draco had everything to lose and little to gain, so I clicked my Mfi onto Goebel's number. He answered immediately.
"I was just going to call you. Kesslar claims you and your Guard have been acting aggressive since the fire and today killed three of his security men when they refused to be searched." The words came out in a rush.
"We have a serious problem, sir. I've just discovered that the monitors in two of the clients' rooms we are guarding contain listening and in a few cases visual devises. This could end the Draco War Games."
Goebel's face turned ashen and he remained silent for a long time. "The games …" he mumbled.
"Sir, authorize an extension to the current Jax contract for marine support. My current detail can't hold off your security and guard the eight I'm currently assigned. And then there are the other fifty-six contestants who are unprotected.
"Will it help?"
"I can't promise anything, as the situation is escalating quickly. I can only promise that we will do our best to minimize the damage. The alternative is to cancel the contract with the Jax and let Kesslar take responsibility."
"No!" he shouted, then took several deep breaths before continuing. "I, Harold Goebel, chairman of the Draco War Games, do hereby authorize an extension to the current Jax contact to include whatever marines you need to protect the contestants."
"I'll be in touch." I clicked onto my link to Colonel Wolfson.
"Sapir, how are things—"
"I need thirty combat marines as fast as you can get them here. Goebel has agreed to an extension to the current contract."
To his credit, Wolfson didn't ask why, and I could hear him giving orders to someone. A few minutes later he smiled. "Gunny Trapp is getting the team together as we speak. I estimate he should arrive in less than two hours. Captain Hwang is lowering our orbit to help shorten the time. Trapp will contact you on Jax channel eighty-eight. Good luck, Sapir."
"Sir, all Guards are now in the hallway between rooms 205 and 220. We've four guarding the stairway to the first and third levels and the elevator," Ceder said after a quiet talk with Elijah. "They report the fighting is intensifying at both ends.
"That stairway will be critical. Colonel Wolfson has thirty marines on the way. I'll want to clear the lobby to open the door for the marines. What's our medical status?"
"We have three wounded: two are minor and one semi-serious. All three are functional. They are reporting seven security guards dead," Elijah said, then smiled. "That leaves only a piffling ninety-three. Are you sure we need the marines?"
I loved these people. Not a hint of nerves. Professionals engaged in doing their jobs. They didn't hate the security guards, nor would they take pleasure in killing them.
"I feel sorry for the marines up there with nothing to do, so we should save a few for them," I said, trying to look serious. Fortunately, I had sent Zenaida's three companions into another room, although Zenaida had insisted on staying, saying she wanted to witness the real action.
* * *
"Captain Sapir, we are about twenty minutes out. We could blow out the front door and save you the trouble of opening it," Trapp said, grinning. From the look on his face, he was hyped and looking forward to the coming action.
"It may come to that. Contact me when you reach the entrance," I cut the connection. "All right, the marines are within twenty minutes of the front door. I want two teams of five, designated team Alpha and Beta, ready to engage the security forces at Rooms 205 and 220, and a team of ten, designated team Gamma, to clear the lobby. The attack will occur simultaneously on my command. Teams Alpha and Beta will clear level two, then use the second stairs to engage the security force in the lobby. Team Gamma will distract the lobby forces until teams Alpha and Beta arrive."
Elijah and Ceder nodded and were out the door to get the teams organized.
"You need the marines to manage the contestants, not to remove security," Zenaida said quietly as if to herself but watching me as she did. "Kesslar will know through his contacts that the marines are coming and will have most of his troops in the lobby, thinking he can hold you up here on the second floor with only a small number of his forces. So you have them collected in the lobby, thinking the marines are the real threat and preparing to defend the entrance, not access from the stairs."
I nodded, mentally conceding I was glad Kesslar and not Zenaida was commanding the security troops.
Ten minutes later, I stood at the door to the hallway stairs we controlled. I had briefed everyone that they were to use stars and lasers only, to avoid notifying the lobby troops what was happening on the second floor. I typed, "Go in fifteen seconds," and tapped on the icon that would send the message and start the countdown clock running.
When the clock hit zero, Mintz opened the door and Corporals Markov and Preis threw stars into the stairwell—one upward and one downward—and Mintz shut the door. Random shots from automatic weapons could be heard in the stairwell as we waited the count of five. Then Mintz opened the door and first Markov then Preis slid into the landing, firing. Seconds later the rest of Gamma team and I rushed in. Two men lay on the stairs to the third level and three lay dead on the stairs to the first. When the Gamma team had assembled on the first level landing, I waited for Ceder to send, "Second level clear."
"Now," I said, and again Mintz opened the door and several stars sailed into the lobby and the door slammed shut. Automatic weapons erupted, sounding like a firing range gone mad. At the count of five, Mintz opened the door and I and then several others slid into the room. The room had been organized to provide cover for the troops, who were positioned to face the entrance to the facility. Right now the room was in chaos. A few men were standing blindly shooting waist high in every direction, wounding and killing their own comrades and drawing their fire with the sound of their weapons. Others lay behind their cover rubbing their eyes, and yet others crouched behind cover waiting for their sight to recover.
Their problem was that a large number had their backs to us and no cover.
The Guard and I were using our lasers to silently kill those standing in plain sight and those who were not protected by some object. At least twenty went down before their sight had cleared enough for them to begin to grasp what was happening and to seek cover behind something and begin returning fire, although still not able to see properly.
"They're coming from stairwell two," Kesslar's voice shouted, and troopers began shifting around and away from the stairwell we came through.
We also sought temporary cover and began picking off those stupid enough to rise up from their cover thinking their automatic weapons would keep them safe.
"Freddrix, on my command your unit will rush them. Symth will cover you," Kesslar shouted, urgency in his voice knowing the marines would soon be arriving.
I knew Alpha and Beta Teams were ready in stairwell one. I clicked on "Go in ten seconds," waited five seconds, then covered my eyes with my arms only seconds before stars came flying into the room. After five seconds I looked up to see the door to stairwell one open and several Guard slide in and begin shooting. At the same time, Gamma team was on their feet and we were moving, shooting anyone we could see moving o
r as we passed their cover.
"Hands in the air or die!" I shouted.
Slowly, men began standing up with their hands raised. About half still fought, but it was hopeless—they were all in sight of the Alpha, Beta, or Gamma team—and their own sight was impaired. Someone shot Kesslar as he rose screaming and spinning with his weapon on automatic. He hit at least one Guard, who went down.
"Ceder, the door. We wouldn't want Gunny Trapp to get impatient and blow the damn thing off its hinges."
"No, sir. It's a beautiful door," he said with a grin.
"Medics, see to the wounded," I said, hoping there were no dead. We had a huge advantage but security was armed with automatic weapons and there had been a lot of metal flying around. I clicked on Elijah's channel. "Elijah, the lobby is secure. Lock down the contestants and guests until we can get the marines in place."
A few minutes later, the marines came running in. Gunny Trapp stopped a few meters from me, saluted, and frowned. "Where's the party?' he asked, looking around the room.
"They knew you were coming and had barricades set up to ambush you when you entered. You would have won, but I couldn't live with Jax dying needlessly."
"Thank you, Captain. As much as my men and I were looking forward to a good fight, I wouldn't want any Jax dying needlessly either. Where do you want us?" Trapp said, disappointment evident in his voice.
"The assignment may not be as exciting as boarding an enemy cruiser, but believe me, there are hundreds of billions of credits being wagered on these games and there are Wanted: disabled or dead posters on many of the contestants with who knows how many bounty hunters in this facility." The chance for quick riches could make potential bounty hunters out of otherwise normal people. "That doesn't include fellow contestants who stand to get rich if they place in the top five. To make matters more interesting, every inhabitable system is watching to see if the Jax are worth the cost."
"I'll make sure my troops understand the stakes involved."
* * *
Goebel called the next day. "What's the status, Captain Sapir? Powerful families are nervous, both on Draco and other systems." He gave a choked laugh. "That doesn't quite capture the situation. If the people wagering on the games think they're rigged, Draco is finished. Not only the War Games but as a system. Isolating Draco or even a revenge strike … And if they find one or more of our citizens were responsible … war." His voice alternated between hysteria and a whisper.
"We have accounted for all of the security personnel we documented when we entered the facility—one hundred and one. The same is true for the staff. No contestants or their guests were killed, although five were injured. Your medics on staff have treated them and I'm told no contestant's life is in danger."
I paused to let him digest the relatively good news.
"We have searched each contestant's area and dismantled the monitoring devices we identified. Your police will have to determine if the security people we captured knew of the devices and whether there are any more. Of course, I don't know whether the War Game software has been tampered with."
"No!" he shouted. "Sorry, our security is extremely good and it's monitored by an independent group appointed by several of the affluent systems. For now, I'll report that security attacked the Black Guard when the Guard discovered a plot to influence the games."
"I'll leave what you tell the universe and Draco investors to you. But you have to realize that people were paying for the opportunity to listen in on the contestants and their guests."
Geobel laughed. "I think they all know and understand they are not above cheating and to some extent feel it's part of the games. It's Draco's cheating they wouldn't tolerate."
"Unless you have a reason not to let them, I'd like the games to continue on schedule. The quicker we can get down to sixteen candidates, the better I'll feel."
"Yes, the games should continue as scheduled."
"The Games currently have thirty-two contestants. The contract calls for the Black Guard to watch eight until after the second round, when we will assume responsibility for the remaining sixteen. Consequently, I brought thirty-six Black Guard, sufficient to assign two to each of the round two survivors—sixteen. Even without the loss of three Black Guard in the firefight and one on the second floor, that is insufficient to adequately cover thirty-two contestants and provide building security." I said, cursing the space gods for the bad luck.
The three serious injuries I understood, but the death had been a freak accident. Blinded, many of the security guards in their panic turned their guns on automatic and sprayed the area without knowing what they were shooting at. In fact, an autopsy would undoubtedly prove that they shot more of their own security guards than the Black Guard. Even so, our body armor intercepted most of the pellets that did hit. The killing shot had been a random shard to the eye, the one killing area not protected.
I deliberately brought myself out of the memory. "First you need to authorize another twenty marines. Without the additional marines, I can't adequately protect thirty-two contestants and provide facility security."
"I, Harold Gobell, do authorize the addition of twenty Jax marines to the current contract," he said quickly, knowing the Jax had sufficient justification to cancel the contract.
"Thank you, Mr. Goebel. I will get back to you when things get settled."
I clicked off and immediately called Colonel Wolfson, who said the additional twenty would be at the facility within three hours. Then I called my lieutenants, senior sergeants, and Gunny Trapp and initiated a lock down of all contestants and their guests. It took an hour to get everyone into their rooms.
"Here is the situation …" I spent some time detailing my talks with Goebel and Wolfson. "When the additional twenty marines arrive, I will reduce the current two Black Guards on our current eight contestants to one on each contestant along with one marine. That will leave me my senior sergeants and officers along with you, Gunny, and the remaining thirteen marines for building security."
"How are a Black Guard and a marine going to guard four people twenty-four hours a day?" Trapp asked. "That sounds impossible."
"It's only temporary, and it's more like room monitoring than guarding. For now I want someone in the room with each contestant. And no contestant will be allowed to leave the room without a Black Guard to escort him or her."
When everyone nodded they understood, I continued.
"After each round, the number of contestants will be cut in half and we will adjust assignments accordingly. The senior sergeants will have to ensure no contestant is out of their room without a Black Guard escort, and Gunny needs to ensure that the unassigned marines cover facility security. And the four of us," I looked to Elijah, Ceder, and Trapp, "will ensure nothing slips through the cracks. The world is watching the Jax. Not the Guard or the marines but the Jax. So the threat is to our family. And we aren't going to let them down."
"No, sir!" they shouted in unison.
* * *
I thought the evolution of the Black Guard would not only encourage inter-service cooperation but also require it—like now. I heard very little grumbling from the contestants or their guests. Most came from the staff supporting the facility. And there were no instances leading up to the second round of War Games.
"The situation appears stable," Ceder said at the regular eight-hour meetings I had insisted on with Trapp and my two lieutenants.
"Are all the Black Guard as paranoid as you, Captain?" Trapp asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Gunny, you are only considered paranoid if you think people are out to get you. The captain knows people are planning to sabotage the games, so she's not paranoid." Elijah grinned. "And every Guard knows she's never wrong."
"The real trouble will most likely occur as the second round of the Games begins to identify the sixteen winners. The real money is in determining who will be the top three. Disabling one of them at this stage could have huge consequences."
Looking a
round the room, I saw that everyone's eyes were downcast, thinking.
"Consider. Ms. X is scheduled to play against Ms. A and then Mr. B and would best both. Given that, Ms. A would never be in the top three. But if Ms. X is killed, then Ms. A survives to play Mr. B and one or both could wind up in the top three—Mr. B could actually win—whereas with Ms. X in the Game, Mr. B can at best place third—by winning in a playoff between the two losers of round five."
"So as a contestant loses a game, they and their guests are to be escorted out of the building immediately," Trapp said, nodding.
"Exactly. I think there are potentially two types of killers: Ones that were paid to kill a specific individual. Goebel is assuming that the most likely are the eight contestants we were asked to guard from the beginning. And those that were planted in case …"
"In case what?" Trapp asked.
"In case the right opportunity presented itself."
"You're talking about the scenario with Ms. X, Ms. A, and Mr. B. Eliminating Ms. X if it was in someone's financial interest that Ms. A or Mr. B place in the top three," Elijah said, nodding.
"So potentially someone has a list of contestant combinations," Ceder said, frowning.
"No. That would be too complex. Gunny, I want a search of the staff and their rooms. Any communication devices are to be confiscated, to be returned when they leave."
"Of course, that is the only way for the employer to identify the contestant he wants eliminated. The choice would depend upon how he is betting, the odds, and possibly other factors we don't understand." Trapp immediately got on his Mfi to begin organizing the search, and then paused. "What about the contestants?"
"Them too, but the staff first, since they are under the least surveillance."
"That is really going to ruin someone's day." Elijah started laughing.
I certainly hoped so.
* * *
