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

  Dragon Tzadok and I were working on counter moves to a series of attack techniques when Corporal Yaron appeared. He stood patiently waiting to be recognized. One did not interrupt captains, particularly dragons when they were fighting. Tzadok stepped back and bowed.

  "Well Corporal Yaron, does Commander Wexler want Sapir or me?"

  "Captain Sapir, sir," he said, nodding in my direction.

  "Unless the commander said immediately, tell him I'll be delayed a few minutes to freshen up," I said. Currently I was in my workout clothes—stained with grass and dirt, and dripping with sweat. Appearing in that condition wouldn't be respectful.

  "No, sir. He said there was no rush," Yaron said quickly, which I took to mean as fast as I could make myself decent. I idly wondered if Yardon had ever been on an assignment. As long as I had been in the Guard, he had always been Wexler's secretary. He had obviously passed phase one training or he wouldn't be in the Guard. Tzadok broke into my musing as I was collecting my towel and water.

  "Sapir, tell Wexler I'm available if it's an assignment. I know you've been waiting for Hada to take you on post-assignment leave."

  "Thanks. Hopefully, it's something else." I waved and double–timed back to my quarters, had a hurried wash, put on a clean uniform, and was in his office in less than twenty minutes.

  "At ease, Sapir, and sit," Wexler said as I bowed. "I had planned to keep you off assignments until Hada returned and you had your after-assignment leave. However, General Issak has requested our help again, and he specifically asked for you to command the detail. He feels your innovative approach saved many lives."

  And resulted in the death of Corporal Narkis, I mused, visualizing his face along with the other that had died following my orders—a place of honor.

  "A similar situation?" I asked, hoping it wasn't. New Keif had turned out well considering the rebels controlled the building in overwhelming odds.

  "In his mind, I'm sure it appears that way. But I doubt they are: the occupiers aren't rebels, the buildings aren't the same, there are hostages, the army hasn't gained any access, and who knows what else." Wexler looked and sounded frustrated. "I'd like to refuse him ... Damn you, Sapir. Life was complicated enough when the Guard was noted for protecting important people inside buildings. This is a disaster waiting to happen." His fist hit his desk. Kaffa jumped from his cup and splashed onto the desk.

  I had to agree with him, although I kept my thoughts to myself. Keeping assassins out of a building was a good deal easier than kicking them out of one. Wexler and I had the same concern—the lives of our family—the men and women who would die following my orders on ever increasingly difficult non-standard assignments.

  Wexler's glare softened, and he shook his head as if to clear it and then typed on his Mfi. "I've downloaded the roster of available Guards on the station. We only have a few hours. I've been told the Black Leopard will be arriving today and the situation on Heibei is urgent."

  "Yes, sir," I said, running through the list with mixed emotions. I didn't want to take only experienced people, just in case ... but I would need the best if I were to minimize the losses. My head pounded and I closed my eyes, seeking to quiet my thoughts. After several minutes, I felt in control again and continued reviewing the list. When I finished, I closed my eyes and emptied my mind. Sometime later, I spoke, "Lieutenant Elijah, Senior Sergeants Judt and Catz, Sergeants Nadel, Ganz, and Click, and Corporals Uziel, Markov, Polak, Toch, Volpe, Preis, and Reti, with your permission, sir." I opened my eyes.

  Wexler stared at me and then checked his Mfi. "I thought you would want double that number," he said, clearly surprised. "You have forty names to select from. You're not afraid ..."

  Of getting everyone killed, I finished mentally. "No, sir. I'm neither suicidal nor consider any Guard expendable. We are not going to overwhelm them with numbers. Otherwise, the army wouldn't need us. Rescuing the hostages will require us to use stealth, not force. At least, that is my assessment here at Sasser Mountain."

  "No, you are neither. Your recommendations are approved, and I'll have Yaron notify them immediately." He typed on his Mfi for a minute and then looked up. "It's ... ironic. Dragons make me nervous because you're unpredictable, yet it's times like this I'm glad a Dragon is in charge. Good hunting, Dragon Sapir."

  I had just finished packing when I was notified on my Mfi that the Leopard was in the system and would have a shuttle on Sasser Mountain within six hours. I made my way to the dining hall, where I found my entire detail. Like any combat soldiers, we ate when we had the opportunity, because we couldn't be sure when we would have the chance again.

  The dining facility had three seating areas: officers, sergeants, and everyone else. We weren't required to sit in the area designated for our rank, but we couldn't sit in an area above our rank. I walked into the lower ranks' section while waving for everyone to follow. They quickly pushed a few tables together as I went through the serving line.

  "You can eat while I talk," I said, looking around the table. "General Issak believes the Jax situation in Heibei—that's where we're going—is similar to the situation in New Keif, and therefore has asked for our help. For those of you who weren't at New Keif, we were asked to help the army and marines clear several buildings the rebels occupied. I'll let those who were there give you the gory details. However, in my opinion, the current situation is not the same, so the solution isn't going to be the same, which is the reason for the smaller detail. I selected you because I've worked with each of you before and believe you are the best of the best." I met each of their eyes before continuing. "Unless you aren't interested in the solution, I'll see you up top in five hours."

  I hoped the solution didn't include any deaths. That was the only part that tainted an otherwise perfect life—the deaths of family.

  * * *

  Colonel Helon was waiting as I left the shuttle. I gave him a respectful bow that he returned. He stared thoughtfully at me before speaking.

  "Good morning, Captain Sapir. You have acquired quite a reputation since you were last on the Leopard. I believe General Issak feels you are the go-to person after New Kief."

  "It appears he thinks the situations are the same or, at least, similar," I said, wondering if Helon agreed.

  "I don't think they are. If you have a moment, Captain Lambar and I would like a word with you. We could bring you up to date."

  "I'd appreciate that. My information is a bit sketchy and probably out of date." I followed Helon as he led me to the captain's office.

  Lambar stood when I entered and I gave him a low bow.

  "Help yourself to something to eat and drink, Sapir, and have a seat." Lambar gestured toward an empty chair.

  I found hot water and made myself tea while clearing my mind.

  After I sat, Lambar continued. "The last information we had indicated two well-armed cruisers entered Heibei and dropped four shuttles of raiders, who broke into the Heibei Technical Labs, HTL. But before they could get away, the army surrounded the building and destroyed the shuttles."

  Lambar stopped for a drink of his kaffa. "The Heibei government immediately contacted the Jax and initiated a contract for two cruisers and one hundred fifty soldiers. By chance, the Sabretooth was in the general area with one hundred army aboard and arrived within a half day of being notified and deployed the army units. Ironically, General Issak was also in the area and arrived on the Lynx shortly afterward. The raiders haven't attempted to drop any more shuttles since the presence of the Sabretooth negated their ability to support the shuttles. And the army units are reluctant to storm the buildings for fear that the raiders will kill the hostages. The situation has created a standoff, which General Issak believes you can resolve based on your performance at New Kief."

  "What is so important that it tempted two raiders to attack the HTL facility?"

  "The HTL mines an element called Xallium-50, which their lab processes into a crystal ten times harder than diamond. The quantity is limited, only pr
oduced on Heibei, and in high demand. I believe the raiders not only wanted to steal the current batch but also might have hoped to obtain the process and equipment to make it. And that delayed them leaving."

  Lambar paused, and when I nodded, he continued.

  "And they would have succeeded if the space gods hadn't conspired against them. An alert security guard identified those who broke in as space-raiders and not local thieves—and notified the army. The local police arrived quickly in response to the security alarm but were unsuccessful in entering the building. The police presence didn't worry the raiders, so they didn't panic. But the army arrived with military-grade weapons and disabled the shuttles before they were ready to leave. Someone in the government realized immediately the army was no match for two cruisers and contacted the Jax. And because the Sabretooth was in the Merlin Commonwealth Sector and the general area of Heibei, they arrived before the raiders' cruisers could attempt to extricate the trapped raiders on the ground."

  Helon spoke up, obviously amused. "The question to you, Dragon Sapir, is what do you intend to accomplish with only ten Black Guards?"

  "Petition the space gods for help," I said to smiles.

  My duty, I mused.

  * * *

  We arrived twenty-eight hours later and were delivered planet-side without incident. The two raider cruisers weren't anxious to start a fighting war with three Jax cruisers over one shuttle, which couldn't hold more than twenty troops. Not surprisingly, a whole fleet of vehicles awaited us and took us to their headquarters. On arrival, I was ushered into a large tent, where General Issak and several high-ranking officers and two civilians stood around a table filled with papers.

  Issak left the table and waved me outside before I could give him a respectful bow.

  "Captain Sapir, I'm sorry I got you involved. I realized too late that the current stalemate puts the spotlight on you to solve the problem and that wasn't what I had intended. Oh, I wanted your advice and help but not to pass the problem on to you and the Black Guard." He looked pale and the bags under his eyes said he hadn't slept much in the past day or two.

  "Sir, we can't change people's perceptions, so let us focus on the problem. If you will bring me up to date on the situation, I'll give you my opinion and offer what help I can."

  He nodded and spoke as I followed him at a walk.

  "Thank you, Sapir. The raiders have about thirty hostages according to the HTL representative. That is the approximate number of employees normally at work during the time the raiders stormed the facility. There were also eight security men on duty at the time. Initial information indicates they were killed when the raiders forced their way into the building. So there may be more or less. On the one hand, the problem from the HTL's perspective is that the deaths of those employees could put the company out of business for years. That's equally true if their proprietary equipment is destroyed. In addition, they don't want the raiders to leave with the current inventory of crystals that is estimated to be worth close to ten billion credits, nor with the equipment—since that would again put them out of business. The Heibei government, on the other hand, would let them leave if they didn't hurt any of the hostages. And the raiders don't want to leave empty handed and know the hostages and equipment give them leverage. The Heibei government and the HTL representative want a contract with the Jax to eject the raiders, but we can't agree on terms. They want the hostages unharmed, and that seems impossible as the raiders are threatening to kill them if we attempt any action against the facility. The result is a stalemate."

  "Can you show me what the facilities look like and where you think the raiders are currently positioned?" I needed more information than I had, as well as time to think.

  Issak led me back inside the tent and pointed to each man present in turn.

  "Captain Sapir, Colonel Lothar is the commander of the Jax army unit, Colonel Kaur the commander of the Heibei army unit, Mister Nguyen is the governor of the province, and Mister Singh represents the HTL. Gentlemen, this is Captain Sapir of the Black Guard. The Captain needs a briefing on the facilities and your latest intelligence."

  "You only have eleven troopers with you—" Singh began.

  I raised a finger to my lips. "Colonel Lothar, Colonel Kaur, if you please."

  I knew it would be both frustrating and a waste of time trying to explain to civilians who wanted a magical solution that force wasn't going to work, so I resorted to the Black Guard's—or maybe rather Captain Sapir's heartless reputation—to silence them.

  I thought I saw a brief smile touch Lothar's lips before he spoke.

  "We think the raiders number around forty to forty-five. They landed close to sixty, but Colonel Kaur's timely response caught them by surprise, and they suffered significant losses," Lothar said.

  "We had to back off then," Kaur glanced toward Singh and Nguyen, "because of the consequences of storming the building." He shrugged in resignation. He had obviously been ordered to stop his attack. "There are two two-story buildings. In building one is the main lobby. On the first floor are the sales and marketing offices, and on the second, software and hardware design offices as well as the safe where we store the finished product. In the middle of the second floor, there is a walkway that connects to the second building, which contains proprietary equipment for processing the minerals on the ground floor and a finishing line on the second. Based on some early communications with the people inside and what we can see through the windows where lights are working, we think they split their forces: one half to watch the hostages and raid the second floor safe in building one, and one half to pack up the equipment and any crystals in building two. Of course, given the delay imposed by the stalemate, that may no longer be accurate."

  "Entrances?" I asked, hoping there were several they would have to cover, thus spreading their forces.

  "Only one. The building with the proprietary equipment has no windows and no doors, although in a dire emergency there are two panels on the ground floor that can be blown off. Only the administrative building has an entrance. Because of the value of those crystals and the proprietary nature of the equipment, security is tight," Kaur said. "Only a military operation could have breached it."

  "General Issak, what contracts do the Jax have?" I asked. That would determine duty and possible solutions.

  He smiled. "At the moment, only one: to ensure the two raider cruisers do not provide support for the raiders on the ground.

  "We would like the Jax to clear the building—" Singh began.

  "And free the hostages," Nguyen interjected.

  "Of course, we need the hostages unharmed," Singh said, nodding.

  "That's only possible if you agree to a compromise with the raiders, in which case you don't need the Jax." I noticed Issak frowning. "We could clear the building of raiders, but we couldn't guarantee hostages wouldn't be killed," I said, fighting the urge to panic. Trying to fight and save hostages would be messy business and significantly increase the risk to the Guard. "Can I see the building from here?"

  "No, but if you walk about a hundred meters north," Nguyen pointed, "there is a slight rise, and from there you can see them. They are about four hundred meters ahead. You can't miss them. They're the only buildings in the area."

  "Thank you." I proceeded toward the tent's opening. "Lieutenant Elijah, bring the team."

  "Yes, sir."

  I wasn't really interested in seeing the buildings. I just needed time to quiet my mind so I could think. I felt being with my family—the men and women who would live or die based on how smart or stupid my solution—would help.

  "Well, any ideas? This is an excellent training exercise," I said, collapsing into a sitting position.

  "We could try a masquerade party. Maybe they are bored and we could provide dancing girls and clowns," Sergeant Nadel quipped. She had been with the detail on Lanzhou, New Keif, and Blackwood, where disguises had been successfully used.

  "The Black Guard circus," Senior Sergeant Catz
said with a snort.

  "One of us could get captured, then misdirect them after the appropriate amount of torture," Elijah said, probably thinking of my rewrite of Captain Embry or maybe Blackwood.

  I let myself sink into a meditative state. I don't know how long I meditated, but I felt relaxed when I opened my eyes. "I like the way you people think. I'm giving you high marks for your ingenuity," I said, rising with an idea, hoping the space gods were in a helpful mood. "Sergeant Ganz, how are your acting skills?"

  "Outstanding, sir."

  "Corporal Reti, how are yours?"

  "Better than Sergeant Ganz. He's a sergeant and doesn't have to act," Reti said to grins all around.

  "Good." I made my way back to the tent with everyone following. Issak stood waiting outside. "General Issak, I will attempt to clear the building with army support if the Jax has a contract."

  He barked a laugh. "That's another stalemate. The hostages' lives continue to be a sticking point. How can you or I guarantee their safety?"

  "We can't and shouldn't, but what if we stipulate a bonus for each life we manage to save? It won't stop us from doing what's necessary, only limit some of our options. And it might make the Heibei and HTL representatives think we will go out of our way to save the hostages, which we will if it doesn't unduly risk Jax lives." I was hoping to avoid a foolish contract like on New Kief, which had resulted in the loss of far too many army and marine lives.

  After a long silence, Issak nodded and entered the tent smiling.

  I waved Elijah to me. "Elijah, let Colonel Kaur know you will need a monk's robe for me, preferably white, and Heibei army medic uniforms for Ganz and Reti and a proof-of-life monitor. Take Ganz and Reti with you. They will have to shed their protective underwear. It wouldn't pass a pat down or most weapon detectors."