by CR Daems
"No, Choje. It was an easy choice," I said, knowing that I would make the same choice again. Abhaya sat quiet for a long time with his eyes closed.
When he opened them, he spoke, "You would see all those people die to avoid a whipping?"
"No, I would gladly be whipped to save even one life, but I felt responsible for the potential repercussions of allowing her to have me whipped," I said. "The choice to let me go was Isabel's, not mine."
"Repercussions?" Abhaya asked, his forehead wrinkled in thought.
"Yes, what about the next ruler who decided a Black Guard needed punishment, a whipping, or even death? The Black Guard in charge will issue the same or a similar consequence. Then it could be a million people involved. Rulers are people, some good, some evil. The evil ones will think I was bluffing and, therefore, that the current Black Guard is also bluffing. Consequently, he will not hesitate to call the Black Guard's bluff."
This time Abhaya's silence lasted for a long time. "I always thought it would be very difficult to be a Buddhist and to be in the military." He gave a small laugh. "My thoughts have been of killing just one man. Yet, you bring me real life situations where hundreds if not thousands of lives are at stake. I cannot even imagine making those kinds of decisions, yet you face them without apparent conflict."
"Does the Precept not to kill a living thing hold us responsible for other people's decisions?"
"No, but…"
"I had no way to know what Isobel would do, but I felt certain I knew what the next ruler would do if I let her punish me. He or she would think the Black Guard was bluffing and would refuse to capitulate. I would feel responsible for that outcome since it was far more predictable than Isobel," I said, knowing in my heart it was true.
"Rivka, you are an enigma. You value each and every life, yet you kill and make decisions that affect hundreds of lives without conflict. I think you would make a good teacher, Rivka. Unlike many of us who envision an ideal world, you live in the real world. The Jian Buddhist of this world could benefit from your perspective. The Precepts and the Eightfold Path are important. However, it would be impossible to reach karma, if we are in conflict with the Precepts and the Eightfold Path, because we can't reconcile the real world we live in with the ideal world they envision." Abhaya stared at me for a long time. "We need someone like you, Rivka. Many give up the Buddhist way of life because of their life's daily conflicts, and the Precepts and Eightfold Path. That is a shame. I think you could help those individuals understand that Buddhism is meant to be a path that each individual must find for themselves,
CHAPTER EIGHT
Sasser Mountain: The Contract
I returned to Sasser Mountain feeling better. Talking to Abhaya always helped to center me. He was like the eye of a hurricane, a place of safety from the storm. To my delight, Hada was on station and there to meet me as I exited the shuttle from Cordo.
"I hear you went to Tagar City, to visit Choje Abhaya, I would imagine. Have you decided to take up the Buddhist religion?" Hada asked, after a tight hug of welcome.
"I'm considering it, but I'm still concerned with the Precepts. No sense following a religion if you can't accept their ideals," I said as we strolled down the path to level one and our sleeping quarters. Abhaya thinks my path may be as a monk, and said he would be willing to take me on as a student."
Hada laughed. "I can see it now, Choje Sapir." She sobered, stopping to look at me. "Does that mean you won't be coming home with me anymore for life after the Black Guard lessons?"
"No, I'm going to need those lessons no matter what path I follow."
"Good," she said with a warm smile. "I think Wexler has been waiting for you to return. It appears he has a Draco-like project because Tzadok, Dorbin, and I are on station.
* * *
"The Black Guard is evolving faster than I can keep pace with, no thanks to the Jax Project Committee," Wexler began when the four of us had been seated. He somehow looked older and his eyes tired. "They are approving more complex projects and assigning them to the Black Guard. First Molova, then Safort, where our client was traveling, then the Draco War Games, where there were multiple unrelated clients, and now keeping the peace between warring factions."
"What warring factions?" Dragon Tzadok asked, frowning in thought. "The Grus League?"
"Yes." Wexler nodded. "The Grus League has always had an old-Earth wild-west group of planets. As a result, the planets in that league have, over the years, evolved small but well-armed fleets of cruisers that are for hire, much like Captain Gasparo but with less ethics. The planets they call home act somewhat like the Jax but far less organized, while others are more like Outpost and Valhall with ruling families. Just like Outpost last year, Mastad is attempting to form a coalition that includes Skaria, Agrye, Voflon, and Ubrein.
"Those are nasty groups by themselves, but together they would be a dangerous force," Dragon Dorbin said, rubbing the goatee on his chin. "Like a pack of wolves."
"Draco is in negotiations with Mastad to host the convention, and asked the Jax Project Committee to put together a proposal to moderate the convention and keep the peace. There is a lot of bad blood among the groups. The five planets have a long and bitter history over the past fifty years." Wexler paused for a sip of water. "The JPC has asked me to put together a tentative proposal. I don't have a clue, and thought this was better addressed by dragons."
"Rivka's the Black Guard are in command is going to fly like a bird in a cage," Dorbin said with a snort.
"What if we gave them the illusion that the cage is huge and has no bars across the top?" I said, agreeing with Dorbin, but knowing it wouldn't work without that condition.
"How do you do that, Rivka?" Tzadok asked, smiling and clearly amused.
"By letting them each wear a weapon," I said and was greeted with open mouths that slowly closed–except for Wexler–and then turned to grins.
"Will someone tell me how that will help?" Wexler asked.
"Rivka is betting that any Black Guard is faster than anyone at the meeting. I think that's a pretty safe wager," Hada said. "But the participants will think they are faster and can therefore take control any time they choose."
"Rivka, whoever claimed you were a Black Mamba in a mouse's skin, had it right."
The meeting lasted another six hours as we discussed the details of the contract. Wexler sent the draft contract to the committee the next day, and they approved it the following day, after a two-hour discussion with Wexler. He told the committee that this was Jax's first contract conceived, designed, written, and implemented by dragons.
CHAPTER NINE
Draco: Getting Acquainted
The first night aboard the War Horse, Captain Hwang invited Tzadok and I to join him for dinner. When we arrived, Colonel Wolfson and Commander Turk, the XO, were present.
"Well, Dragon Tzadok, how does it feel being assigned with the Jax Committee's trouble shooter?" Hwang asked with a slight grin playing on his lips.
"Like being on a shuttle and Dragon Sapir has decided to take a shortcut to our destination through the navy missile practice range," Tzadok said with a serious tone and no expression. Turk choked on his wine. "I can only hope it's early and no one is paying attention."
"They don't seem to give Captain Sapir assignments where Tradition and Duty play well together," Wolfson said, nodding sagely.
"Why two dragons?" Hwang asked, now serious.
Tzadok smiled before answering. "Sapir has decided on the Black Guard are the bad asses in the room–not you approach with the mercenaries. She's the badass in the conference while I'm the badass hallway monitor."
Because there would be twenty-five armed mercenaries in the building, Tzadok and I each had two teams of eight Black Guards for the scheduled five-day event. That was thought to give us plenty of flexibility and rest, so the troops would be sharp when on duty.
"General Lerman has assigned the first FIST to the War Horse and the second FIST to the Crouching Tiger,
which is accompanying us to Draco. In addition, we have the first Black Widow on board the War Horse." Hwang smiled. "So, I guess that makes us the bad asses in space."
After dinner, Colonel Wolfson led us to the marine area and introduced Tzadok and me to the first FIST unit, which still consisted of the original members I graduated. It felt like a homecoming.
"Congratulations, Gunny Sayre," I said when I saw he had been promoted to a Master Gunnery Sergeant.
"Thank you, Captain Sapir. You were right to expect us to improve to Black Guard standards. At the time, I thought that impossible. I reconstructed our firing range like we discussed, and we spend several hours each day practicing. We aren't there yet, but we have definitely improved. You've made believers out of us. It will save lives."
They put on a shooting demo for us, and I was impressed by how much they had improved.
"You have made remarkable improvement," I said after watching the demo. The firing range now included pop-up, moving, and partially concealed targets, and were timed to appear at random and disappear within a few seconds. "It won't be long and you will be approaching Black Guard standards"
Four days later, we were delivered to the Draco War Games facility in the Black Widow, a one-of-a-kind shuttle designated for use by the Black Guard, maintained by the navy, and crewed by the marines. Lieutenant O'Grady gave us a demonstration of the Widow's capabilities. "It's like a mini Death Stalker."
It was truly a wolf in sheep's clothing, loaded with offensive and defensive hardware and software, but outfitted like a shuttle for transporting VIPs.
* * *
When we exited the shuttle, Mr. Goebel met us. "Good day, Captain Sapir…" he said and looked to Tzadok.
"Mr. Goebel, this is Captain Tzadok. He and I will be monitoring the Mastad Conference," I said. "Tzadok, Mr. Goebel is the chairman of the Draco Games committee. He is responsible for security.
"A pleasure to meet you, Captain Tzadok. I hope you and Captain Sapir can keep these hot heads in check." He turned to look at me before continuing. "I understand you're allowing them to wear their weapons. Isn't that dangerous?"
"It's either an ingenious gambit or one of Dragon Sapir's less than good ideas," Tzadok interjected before I could answer. He did have a good point. Goebel turned a bit pale.
"I wasn't in favor of having the conference here, but we got a lot of pressure from the Malin Commonwealth. I'm not sure why?"
"Probably hoping they will be more predictable, easier to control, and to hold accountable if they can get organized," Tzadok interjected.
"Mr. Goebel, are you secretly taping any of the captain's rooms?" I asked, thinking that might be the Malin's objective. Goebel was silent for several seconds while he considered his response. "Sir, you can tape the conference room but not the private rooms. But you cannot release them until I and Captain Tzadok have reviewed them and given our consent. Because if you do, I can guarantee there will be trouble. I will inform the Malin representative of my decision up front so there are no surprises, and you won't be blamed," I said, and watched Goebel until he reluctantly nodded. He looked relieved. "Can you show us the arrangements you've made?"
"Certainly, Captain Sapir. They are exactly as you requested," Goebel said. "The conference table is Hexagon shaped and provides each side room for five individuals. Each captain has been assigned one room for his five-man team and each of their rooms is separated by fourteen empty rooms, including the four set aside for the Black Guard. The conference room is on the third floor, and all access doors have locks which will be keyed to you and Captain Tzadok. Cameras have been installed in all the common areas including the stairs and hallways. The facility will be locked and access controlled by the Black Guard. Lastly, I have had devices placed in all the common areas that will emit sleeping gas. The rooms will not be affected."
"Very good, Mr. Goebel." I nodded. "I'm hoping these precautions will keep the conflict to a minimum. Now, if you don't mind, I would like a tour for myself and Captain Tzadok."
We went up to the third floor and examined the conference room. The conference's hexagonal table was a massive four by seven meters, and made from a dark wood which was almost black. I walked over to the table and noticed the built-in tablet, two digital name signs, a red button, and a red light. I looked back to Goebel.
"Each position has two name tags, which will display the names of the two people at the table. The red button activates the red light to let you know the person at that position is asking to speak. Each tablet is connected to the appropriate Captain's room." Goebel pointed to each object as he talked. "Your tablet has several channels which you can use to communicate with your team and your team with you. You can also directly communicate with individual participants."
Although the table was massive, it was dwarfed by the room which was thirty by thirty meters square.
"This is more than adequate Mr. Goebel, and I like that the entrance has double doors," I said. Goebel than proceeded to take us to the second floor and walked us around the circular hallway, pointing out each Captain's quarters: room #215 Captain Balok, #230 Captain Damsan, #245 Captain Furlow, #260 Captain Tara, and #275 Captain Kobb.
"Unless you would like a different room, I've designated rooms #290 through #295 for you," Goebel said, while pointing to the placement of the gas vents. The first floor remains the same as they were during the War Games."
We walked around for Tzadok's benefit since he had never been in the facility. We spent the next two days showing our teams around the building and discussing our responsibilities.
"We are in a unique position," I said to the assembled Black Guards the evening before the conference would begin. "We are here to protect no one and yet everyone. We are like Lady Justice–the blind statue of justice holding the scales and a sword–except we are alive, not blind, and are judge, jury, and executioner. If you see someone trying to kill someone you are authorized to kill them."
"What if both men are drawing their weapons?" Sergeant Haber asked, with a twitch of her lip.
"If in doubt about which drew first, shoot them both," I said. "As I said before, we are here to keep the peace not to protect any one group or individual."
* * *
"Are you ready, Dragon Sapir?" Tzadok asked the next morning as we prepared to begin the conference.
"I'm looking forward to a new day," I said, having no expectations. The day could be bad or good, but I doubted it would be uneventful. We entered the conference room six strong, having decided to split my team into two four-person groups in order to rotate them at lunch and possibly dinner to keep them fresh and alert. The four Black Guards took up positions at the four corners of the room, while I went to the side of the table facing the entrance, and Tzadok stood a couple of meters behind me and to my right. I recognized Captains Balok and Tara, the only woman captain, as they entered the room. They surveyed the room, the positions of the Black Guards, and finally found their digitally displayed name and sat. They had barely sat when Captains Kobb, Furlow, and Damsan entered. As they sat, I stood.
"Welcome Captains. I am Captain Sapir and will be your conference monitor," I said meeting each person's eyes. Captain Tzadok will be monitoring the building–"
"How the hell do we expect a woman to keep order," Captain Damsan spat loudly as he stood glaring at me.
I smiled which caused Damsan's hand to rest on his Mfw. "You're correct, Captain Damsan. Under normal conditions, keeping men with more testosterone than common sense would be impossible, because I would be prohibited from killing you. But under the contract, I have no such picky restrictions. I'm here to maintain order, not to smooth your ego," I said, thinking it would be good to get the rules straight, and an object lesson wouldn't hurt.
"You bitch," he shouted as his hand curled around the handle of his weapon.
"I hope you've appointed a replacement so you don't waste the other captains' time having your crew decide."
"You think you can kill me?" he sneere
d.
"I have no idea, Captain Damsan. I know every Black Guard in the room would be impressed if it were a draw. I don't know when you last drew that weapon against someone of equal skill, but each Guard in this room must qualify before they go on assignment. That means hitting every target in the kill zone with a single shot. If they were to miss a single target, they must requalify or cannot go on the assignment. I'm only here to keep the peace, so whether you can kill me or not is meaningless since I'm not threatening your position. My function is merely to help you and your mates have a successful conference." I paused and took a sip of water with my left hand.
"Sit down, Damsan," Balok said. "Does she look worried? If she were, she would not have authorized us to wear our weapons. You notice not one of her guards have their hand on their weapon. She's a Venus flytrap, Damsan, and you my friend are a fly."
After a minute of glaring at me to let everyone know he wasn't afraid of me, he sat.
"Thank you, Captain Damsan," I said, scanning the table which revealed varied expressions ranging from amused to threatening. "I invited only the captains to this initial meeting to cut down on the inevitable responses to my rules for this meeting. Rules intended for your benefit if you are really here in good faith, and not for revenge or to prove something. Everyone should understand the Black Guard are not seers and will assume, if you draw a weapon, that you intend to kill someone. In that event, we will respond with lethal force." Again, I paused to meet each captain's eyes. "If you heard rumors about me and the Black Guard, it is best to believe them true."
"We heard you were a heartless bitch," Captain Tara said with an amused smile.
"Then you heard only the good stories about me," I quipped, not liking the idea that I liked killing, but in this case, it may prove to be an advantage. "You should know that the hallways, recreation areas, and this room are being taped. Your rooms are not."
"What if we don't want the meeting taped?" Captain Kobb asked.
