The Black Guard: Book II: Evolution (Black Guard Series 2) (20 page)

"I was fortunate. The Angels of Death also had a
bad contract, so they were eager to help get it all canceled."

"Probably thought they would run out of Angels
before you ran out of Guards," Ramos said.

"Ironically, the Marquis, that is what they call all
the Angels' intermediaries, is a retired senior Angel and a true professional
who felt the same way about her people as we feel about ours. The thought of
losing additional Angels was tearing her apart, so she was receptive to the idea
of working with me—not as friends, but as professionals with a mutual
problem."

"Why? You were winning. You had killed five Angels
without losing a Guard," Matney said, surprise written on his face.

"I had doubled the normal guards on each person and
added extra patrols, making for eight hours on and four off. The strain was
beginning to show, and it would have eventually resulted in slower reflexes and
mistakes in judgment. The Angels had time on their side, and a lot of Angels
and Guards were going to die if the contract dragged on—and it was an 'until
death' contract."

"I'm afraid you've just made yourself the JCC's
troubleshooter. I don't envy you," Hawkins said to nodding heads.

I had seldom been so relieved to get back to Sasser
Mountain and home. Our standoff with the Angels of Death could have been a
disaster—and would have been without Somiko's help. I seriously doubted I
could have managed to keep one or more of our clients and my detail from
getting killed before the king's money ran out. Eventually the Angels would
have found or created a weakness to exploit.

The only thing missing was Hada's presence, but she was
currently on assignment and not due back anytime soon. I considered taking my
post-assignment leave but knew I wasn't ready. And truth be told, I was afraid
to be on my own. I consoled myself with the thought that I had years to get
ready.

I missed having Hada to help with my after-action report;
the all-night party last time had been fun. Instead, I took my time and
finished it three days later and turned it in to Commander Wexler.

"An interesting report, Sapir. We need to have our
usual Black Guard debriefing, but I'm not sure I want to share your solution publicly.
Negotiating with the enemy isn't the kind of message I'd like to give to our
assignment leaders." He frowned. "I know the dragons will understand
you didn't consider her the enemy—but she was."

"I think it was more
the enemy of my enemy
type situation. The Angels and the Guard had
a mutual problem caused by the Angels' client, so it made sense to work
together to solve it without abandoning our contractual agreements."

"Gives me a headache just thinking about it,"
Wexler said, shaking his head.

In the end, Wexler held the usual meeting and made the
interaction between Somiko and me sound like I was dealing with a hired
intermediary. He briefed Tzadok and Dobrin, who had been on station at the
time, separately. The dragons thought the interaction hilarious.

The weeks flew by. There was always plenty to do:
helping to teach the current Guard candidates, helping those practicing the
whip, Wuji with whoever was available, weapon practice, and reading the
philosophers. Most of their insights applied equally today as they had back in
the ancient past.

* * *

"Excuse me, Commander, but why is Safort so
important to the Jax ... beyond the obvious money from the contract?" I
asked wanting to understand, although it didn't impact my duties or me.

Wexler gave a snort of amusement.

"Although we have a civilian component to our
system of government, Jax is a military state. Members of the JCC feel strongly
that a Helix Alliance is an attempt by Outpost, Valhall, and Lariw to weaken Jax
through isolation and alliance laws created to govern the Helix sector. It
would take years, but it is one possible scenario—one of two with a high
probability."

"The other?"

"A war that we could actually lose." Wexler
sat back and took a sip of his kaffa.

I sat stunned. I could imagine the Jax losing a battle
but not a war.

He sat quiet for a long while, probably giving me time
to come to grips with the idea. "It's obvious Outpost also envisions a
similar scenario, since it appears they are targeting Safort like they did
Blackwood."

"How? I thought Safort was a democracy."

"It's a government elected by the people. But in
reality few governments are elected by the total population or even by the
total that vote. In most cases they vote for representatives who then vote for
them. Further complicating matters, representatives are seldom elected by the
same number of voters. Safort is an excellent example. The body that has the
most power and would decide whether to be part of an alliance is the Safort Upper
Chamber, SUC. Each of the seven states has two representatives in the SUC who
are elected by the state's population—a democracy. The states do not have
equal population, yet they have equal representation. You can see what I
mean."

"I see that the law may not represent the majority
of the people on Safort, but I don't see how Outpost can influence the
vote."

"On Safort, if a representative dies or is for some
reason disqualified, the person with the third highest number of votes in the
last election fills in until the next five-year election, unless there is more
than two and one-half years remaining." He paused, although it wasn't
necessary.

I smirked to let him know I saw the potential weakness
in the system.

He nodded. "Yes, the present members have served
for three years, and yes, there were two members whose deaths would create a
majority who favored the alliance. One died in an accident last week."

"And the other one doesn't think it was an accident
and wants protection," I said, now that the situation was clear. "And
General Lerman wants me because of Outpost and Blackwood."

"The JCC is unanimous in wanting you. They know you
because they have been following your assignments; they don't know Tzadok, who
was the only other dragon on the list of currently available personnel. You
have a blank check: you can have whomever you want, any size team, and a Jax
cruiser will stand by to support you. That's how important they believe the
situation on Safort."

* * *

I asked Wexler for time to think and made my way to our favorite
meditation spot, mine and Hada's. Today the wind was gusting in swirls and the
spray from the falls had both the area and me soaked in minutes. But I hardly
noticed as I pondered the problem—not who to pick, but how Outpost could
affect the vote. That was what my duty would encompass. In the end, I concluded
the potential dangers to the client were from murder, coercion, and bribery.
That settled, I returned to my room, changed my uniform, had dinner at the
officer's club, and contacted Wexler.

"You're joking?" He glared at me. "We are
guards ..."

"Who are evolving with the JCC's permission and
encouragement."

"How do you expect to stop coercion and
bribery?"

"By protecting the source of coercion and by being
willing to exceed the bribery." I had given it considerable thought.

"How do you do that? No, don't bother explaining. I
know you don't have any idea. You will just respond as it arises, the exact
thing that makes the JCC and me so nervous. We like predicable, and you
aren't." The frustration in his voice and slouched posture was clear.

Then suddenly he straightened, smiled, and turned on his
Mfi. After a short delay, he spoke. "Admiral Geller, I've talked with
Captain Sapir ..." He went on to explain our conversation, sounding amused
to have passed it on to the JCC. The exchange went on for nearly an hour as
Geller got Lerman and Noam, the two other members, in on the call.

When he cut the connection, Wexler was shaking his head
and had a smile touching his lips. "They agree. They say to inform you
that Captain Blatt and Colonel Berger are aware of the situation and will be
there to support your assignment."

* * *

I worked with Wexler through the night, determining the
number I thought I'd need and then picking those who would go. It was a strange
evening, because Wexler normally determined how many and who. This time he was
an interested observer, asking why, giving me his thoughts, but never
overriding my choices.

By morning, a team of fifteen bleary-eyed Guards waited
on the landing pad, watching a combat shuttle from the Crouching Tiger
approach. In the night sky, the shuttle looked like a monstrous bug out of a
horror vid. As I approached, many were still stuffing things into their duffle
bags and straightening their uniforms.

"Guard, attention," Lieutenant Elijah shouted.

Everyone dropped what he or she was doing and snapped to
attention.

"Stand easy. Get you things together and let's
board. You can finish getting your things in order on the shuttle," I said
as the captain's private shuttle touched down and the gray light of dawn crept
across the mountaintop. "Senior Sergeant Catz, see to the boarding."

Using my Mfi, I sent her the personnel and equipment
lists. "Lieutenant Elijah, come with me." I entered the shuttle
before the young navy lieutenant could exit the open door.

"Captain Sapir, I'm Lieutenant Martina. Welcome
aboard," she hurriedly said as she moved back out of the way.

"We can leave anytime you're ready, Lieutenant. I
would imagine Admiral Geller wants Captain Blatt in Safort yesterday."

"Yes, ma'am. He does seem in a hurry, because he
didn't dock at the space station. He's awaiting us in orbit." She smiled
and waved for the sergeant to close the door as she headed to the cockpit. The
shuttle lifted moments later.

"The trip to Safort shouldn't take much more than a
day. During that time, you need to make sure the detail is fully
operational—they didn't have much time to get ready. They are a seasoned
team who have been with us on assignments to New Keif, Faithful, and or
Blackwood."

I tapped a few icons and sent her the personnel roster.
"I don't know much more about this assignment than you do. In general,
we'll be guarding a representative from the state of Talula. Although duty may
be a bit more complicated than normal, since the JCC has a special interest in
the outcome. I'll know more after we meet our new client."

Colonel Berger was waiting when I exited the shuttle. I
gave him a respectful bow that he returned. He stared thoughtfully at me before
speaking.

"Captain Sapir, Captain Blatt and I would like a
word with you if you have a moment." Berger's presence rather than a
lieutenant's put emphasis on the
now
rather than on
at your convenience
.

"Of course. I imagine Captain Blatt and you have
questions, given the JCC has apparently made this a joint assignment," I
said realizing that although Safort had initiated the contract, the JCC had a
vested interest in its outcome.

That made it a joint services responsibility. The
problem was that we had little experience with joint-responsibility projects, since
the lines of authority were blurred. Colonel Berger was a prime example. He was
on board the Crouching Tiger to support Captain Blatt; however, Colonel Berger
didn't report to him. Likewise, the army on the ground had no authority over
the marines on the cruisers, and no one had authority over the Black Guard.
Consequently, it was up to each commanding officer to do the
right thing,
which of course was subject
to each commander's judgment.

Berger remained quiet on the way to the captain's
office.

Once inside, I gave Captain Blatt a low bow without
taking my eyes off him.

"Good morning, Captain Sapir. The JCC ... no, Jax
has a vested interest in stopping a Helix Alliance, at least one sponsored by
Outpost. And Safort is seen as a pivotal system for Haven, another democracy,
as Blackwood was for Chancel another theocracy. And the way these four go will
certainly have an impact on Kaycia, a monarchy. So we need to work together.
Any suggestions?" Blatt said, coming directly to the point and indirectly
conceding no one had command responsibility.

"If I'm not too far wrong, you and Colonel Berger
are thinking tradition—keep the client alive at all costs," I said,
stopping to assess each man's reaction. "I on the other hand am thinking
duty
—what are we contracted to do
for Safort, and what does the JCC expect. Are they the same, or are they mutually
exclusive?"

"They are the same, to keep the individual
alive," Blatt said.

Berger nodded.

"Not true. Safort is paying the Jax to keep the
individual alive. The JCC, on the other hand, wants a majority of the Safort
Upper Chamber to vote against an alliance. Keeping the individual alive would
satisfy Safort but may not satisfy the JCC."

The room was silent for several seconds.

Then Blatt spoke, "You're right. If the individual
changes their mind ..."

"Correct, coercion or bribery would be just as
effective as killing, and that also applies to the other Upper Chamber members
aligned against the alliance, whom we aren't contracted to protect."

"How can we stop that?" Berger sounded
frustrated—a man of action with no obvious opponent to confront.

Blatt looked thoughtful, but his silence said he didn't
have a solution either.

"If we agree on our duty, I think we can work
together to develop solutions as we identify potential problems. The Black
Guard is taught to keep our eyes and ears open at all times, since the more we
know—about not only our clients but the people around them, the better
prepared we will be in the event of trouble. I suggest we keep each other
informed of everything we learn, because we won't know what facts are important
when we hear them or how they bear on one of our responsibilities. Besides,
three minds are better than one."

"I like that. How about a daily update regardless
if we have anything to report or not?" Blatt suggested.

Berger and I agreed.

I spent the rest of the twenty-six-hour trip reviewing
everything I could find about Safort: the government—more or less
democratic, the people—diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, and the
climate—more or less moderate on the one inhabited continent.

We docked at the Safort space platform, where a shuttle
was waiting to take the Guard planet-side. I noticed that as our shuttle
departed the space platform, so did the Crouching Tiger. Captain Blatt was
expecting trouble and wasn't going to be caught sleeping.

To my surprise, we landed at Central City, which wasn't
a city but a small section of land set aside for meetings and centralized
functions. A couple thousand people resided there permanently and kept the
official records for Safort—a central bureaucracy of sorts. I was
escorted to a room where fourteen individuals waited.

When I entered, a tall gray-haired man stood and held
out his hand.

"Captain Sapir, I'm Geraldo, a representative from
Shima, and the group's chair this year," he said, smiling. He frowned when
I gave him a shallow bow rather than shake his hand. "We fourteen are the
current members of the Safort Upper Chamber. We are not above trying to influence
each other, but we haven't resorted to killing, although it may sound like it
from time to time. It's the SUC that is hiring the Black Guard to protect
representative Sharli, who we consider at risk after the ... suspicious death
of representative LaRoush from Poloma."

"It was an isolated incident by a madman, nothing
to do with the alliance vote," proclaimed a short chubby man with thinning
hair loudly as he pushed his chair back to stand.

"Your objection is noted, Morandi," Geraldo
said, nodding in his direction. "Whether it was an isolated incident or
not, representative Sharli," he pointed to a thirty-something woman seated
several chairs away, "is potentially vulnerable because of her replacement's
position on the alliance. Another madman or some passionate supporter of the alliance
could see her death as an opportunity to change the outcome of the vote on
whether to join the proposed Helix Alliance. And although each of us has a
passionate position on the matter, none of us wants to see the issue decided
with violence. That would set a dangerous precedent."

He paused for a drink of water before continuing.
"Captain Sapir, we have never worked with the Black Guard before, so is
there anything we should know?"

"Although it's stated in the contract, you should
understand what we will and will not do. One or more of the Black Guard will
accompany representative Sharli night and day when she is not in a room we can
guard—no exceptions. We will kill anyone we feel is attempting to harm
her. In that event, our only responsibility is to protect her and no one
else."

"What if—?" A bearded man interrupted.

"Sir, there are no
what-ifs.
We hope our actions benefit others in the area, but our
actions are intended solely for the protection of the individual we are
contracted to protect."

"What if that isn't acceptable?" the same man
asked.

"Then you either need a new contract to include
others, or you need to cancel the current one. We cannot promise to protect
anyone who happens to be around when an assassin chooses to attack. Only the
assassin can control the potential collateral damage."

From the looks of the people at the table, that seemed
to satisfy everyone, or they didn't think it affected them enough to care.

"Any other questions?" Geraldo asked. When no
one said anything, he continued. "Then we are adjourned for the next four
weeks. At that time, we will meet back here for a formal vote on whether to
join with Outpost to form a Helix Alliance."

The room slowly emptied as the representatives packed
their briefcases and said their last-minute goodbyes.

Sharli rose and cautiously approached me. She stood
about my height and looked to have a muscular build under her light-blue
pantsuit. Her round tanned face was frowning in thought as she neared.

"What now, Captain Sapir?"

"I'd like to introduce you to the team assigned to
you, get a little background from you, and then you are free to get on with
your life."

"Restrictions?"

"None unless the person guarding you feels it
precludes him or her from protecting you." When she nodded, I notified
Elijah on my Mfi, and a few minutes later, she and fourteen Guards entered the
room.

"Why so many?" Sharli asked, looking around
the room.

"Because of the unknown nature of the contract. If
we were guarding you in a permanent building that you didn't leave, eight would
be standard. But besides guarding you night and day, there are no restrictions
on your movements. Therefore, I had to add additional Guard to cover the
unexpected." I nodded to Elijah, who stepped forward. "Lieutenant
Elijah is my second-in-command. And Senior Sergeants Cerff and Catz are the
team leaders." I said, then quickly pointed to each Guard as I mentioned their
name. "I know you won't remember their names. Don't worry, they will reintroduce
themselves until you become familiar with them. Now, before we leave, can you
give me a little background: type of dwelling, other occupants, transportation,
and any activities you will be involved in?" I waved her to a chair.

"Is that necessary?"

"If an assassin or madman targets you, he will have
the element of surprise, which will give him the advantage. The more I know
about you and your anticipated activities, the better prepared I will be and
the less of an advantage your attacker will have."

She looked off into the distance, then nodded. "I'm
from one of the newer states, Talula. It has a large landmass but a small per
kilometer population. Our towns are small and farther apart. That was also true
of the murdered representative from Poloma. He was killed along with three
others while attending a town meeting. I live in a ... moderate-size house of
about eight thousand square meters with my mother and daughter. Most weeks, I
spend a day or two at the capitol building in Calmet City, which is a few
hundred kilometers from my home. Oh, I have a skimmer and two security agents
assigned to me, as do all the State Representatives."

"Your ... the father of your child?"

"Dead … in a skimmer accident about a year
ago."

"Any connection to the Outpost vote?" I asked,
wondering how far back the conspiracy might have gone.

"It appeared to have been just an unfortunate
accident, but now ... the LaRoush killing … my God … they might have thought I
was in the skimmer." She put her head in her hands and sobbed. Several
minutes later, she wiped her eyes dry and looked up. "Do you think …?"

"What happened?"

"Engine trouble was the official cause. Do you
think …?"

"I'm just trying to get a picture of you and your
activities. If there are no attempts on your life over the next several weeks,
I think you can assume it really was an accident," I said.

She nodded but said nothing. I imagine she hoped it had
nothing to do with her being a representative who was against the proposed alliance.

"Are we ready to leave, Captain?" she asked, obviously
looking for a reason to end the discussion.

"Lieutenant Elijah, do we have
transportation?"

"Yes, sir. Mr. Geraldo has arranged for three
eight-passenger police skimmers. They are pretty standard skimmers, so we won't
need pilots. The four sergeants have been checked out on the skimmer's weapons.
They too are very basic."

"What about my assigned security?" asked
Sharli.

"I don't mind them accompanying us in their
skimmer, but you will be in our sight until this matter is resolved."

I had split my detail tentatively into three groups: one
for Sharli, one for her mother, and one for her daughter. The two sergeants and
Elijah would each head a team, with Sergeant Glick Elijah's replacement. Sharli
and I boarded with Senior Sergeant Cerff's group.

For a police skimmer, it looked almost like a moderately
expensive civilian vehicle. The passenger seats were padded with a leather-like
material, each seat had a one-meter-square window, and the seats were wide,
with four rows of one seat on each side of the aisle. I thought they might have
been used for transporting VIPs. The pilot and gunner were in a separate
compartment up front.

"It will be about a three-hour flight to my
home," Sharli said after we had attained cruising altitude. "We will
be following the Snake River, which defines the border between Poloma and
Ayasha. In less than two hours, we will leave Paloma and enter into Talula. At
that point the river forms the border between Talula and Ayasha. If we continued
to follow the river, then we would come to Calmet City, the capital of Talula. But
we will travel more northerly to reach my home, which is about two hundred
kilometers inland from Calmet City." She sat quiet for the rest of the
flight.

I sat peering out the window, interested in the terrain.
From what little I could observe at ten thousand meters, Paloma and Talula
seemed cold, based on the snow-covered mountains, and less populated than
Ayasha, from the size and number of towns I managed to see.

* * *

Sharli lived in a small community of several hundred
homesteads—each with a large parcel of land, judging by the view from our
approach. A cluster of stores appeared to be the town center. We landed in an
open field about a hundred meters from a sprawling one-story log cabin. The
land was rolling hills and, except where it had been cleared for homes, heavily
treed.

When we entered the house, an elderly woman and an
adolescent girl around eight stood just inside the entrance.

"Mother, this is Captain Sapir of the Black Guard
and her … troops," Sharli said before the door closed. "Captain, this
is my mother Alani and my daughter Tamri."

I gave a small bow. "There are a lot of us, and we
will be invasive, but it's necessary."

Alani laughed. "That is refreshingly honest,
Captain Sapir. If you keep my daughter from getting ..." She glanced
quickly at Tamri. "Hurt, I can survive the inconvenience. You certainly
have enough troops with you." After giving me an appraising look, she
scanned the Guards. "Quite a few are women." She said when her gaze
returned to me.