The Black Guard: Book II: Evolution (Black Guard Series 2) (8 page)

"Yes, the military must suffer so we civilians can
stay pure. If they can adhere to that code, they can lessen the
suffering." She sat staring at Sanaz; her eyes sad looking.
"Something to ponder, my dear. The Book envisions an ideal state, but we
don't live in an ideal world. The Holy One's responsibility, which will be
yours one day, is to balance the two."

"What will be the configuration of the Holy One's expedition
to the clans?" I asked Heydar the next day as we sat in Nastya's study.

"Subject to the Holy One's approval, I'm suggesting
I go along with twenty troops. They will include some of the current army
troops I'm considering for the Holy One's new security guard. And I would
imagine four or five household staff in addition to your troops. If that's
correct, two troop carriers and two civilian skimmers," he said, looking
at Nastya.

"I'd prefer less military and no Black Guards, but
the Gurk ... I would be willing to abdicate my position if they would
relinquish their position as the Holy One's security guards. But Colonel
Prakash has made it clear he feels the Gurk have earned the right to be the
Holy One's guards. Actually, I agree with him as did my predecessors; however,
he also feels that entitles the Gurk to special privileges and authority. So
what was once an honor for a clan is now an honor for the Holy One." Her
voice was but a whisper and her eyes looked sad.

I could appreciate her dilemma. She was a non-violent
person who would prefer to die rather than defend herself, but as the Holy One,
her country's needs came before her personal wants and desires.

"Dragon Sapir?" she asked, using my
non-military title and in so doing letting me know she understood what the
title meant.

I relaxed into a meditating posture and closed my eyes,
knowing she would understand. I don't know how long I sat, seeking a quiet mind
free from the past and the future—what could have been and what could be.
"Be the Holy One and let General Prahash and me be ourselves," I
said.

She laughed with genuine enjoyment.

Heydar, who was now seated, looked from her to me in
confusion.

"We must let Colonel Prakash and the Gurk commit
evil acts if they will—not us," she said. "General, Dragon
Sapir is suggesting we stay consistent with our beliefs. For the Holy One, that
would mean staying non-violent and trusting my loyal friend, General Heydar,
and the Black Guard. For you and her, that would mean not killing for hate or
glory or pleasure. Or you could say, staying consistent with the Book.

* * *

"I'm not sure I understand the Holy One," Heydar
said as he watched the shuttles being prepared for the trip.

"It's simple. The Holy One will authorize no
violence against the Gurk or Colonel Prahash, for that would just incite more
violence. And she trusts us to do the same while containing any violence that
others may attempt."

"I doubt Colonel Prakash will take the same
attitude toward the Holy One or the Black Guard," Heydar said, shaking his
head at the contradiction.

I understood his frustration. Like the
Good Guys
in old Earth western movies
who never drew their guns until the
Bad
Guys
did, we were expected to let the Gurk shoot first. "General,
would you have someone take an inventory of your ground to air weapons?"

"That's a nasty thought, Sapir, but we would all breathe
a bit easier if we knew they were all accounted for."

When he nodded and strode off in the direction of
several buildings, I called Captain Blatt.

"Sapir, what can I do for you?"

"Nastya is getting prepared for the new Holy One's
required tour of the clans. Skimmers will transport us. I was wondering if you
could spare a Jax combat shuttle to accompany her caravan. Any Black Guard
could shoot a bird in flight, but I doubt we could hit a ground-to-air missile
every time."

Blatt laughed. "I'll wager that's a well-kept
secret. What about the local army?"

"Don't want to trust the Holy One's safety—and
our credibility—to the locals."

"Need any marines?"

"No combat troops. Just the personnel to manage the
shuttle and its offensive and defensive systems."

"I think you're right. I'll authorize Colonel Berger
to send a combat shuttle to support your trip."

* * *

"That's one nasty looking shuttle," Heydar
said as the Jax combat shuttle settled on the ground.

A marine lieutenant exited the shuttle a minute later
and saluted. "Captain Sapir, I'm Lieutenant Douglas. Colonel Berger sends
his compliments." He was a thin lanky man with curly brown hair and a
cocky bounce to his step. "Orders, ma'am?"

"Just to provide security for the Holy One's
caravan while traveling. An inventory of the army's weapons has revealed
several discrepancies. They are missing two shoulder missile launchers as well
as some heavy machine guns. You will be authorized to use lethal force if we
are fired on."

"Understood, ma'am," he said, excitement
obvious from his smile and the sparkle in his eyes.

"General, I understand the first clan will be the
Sakva. Is there a specific route we will follow?" I asked.

"Yes. As you saw on the map, Blackwood has only one
continent. It stretches north and south and resembles a bone with knobs at each
end. The capital, Ormaz, is at the southern knob. The northern knob is frozen
all year long and no one inhabits it for several thousand kilometers south. The
clan lands from the capital north are the Sakva, Jafra, Manni, Trashi, and Gurk.
By law, there is a one-kilometer-wide strip of neutral land that runs along the
east and west coasts that permits free access to the clans. We will use the
eastern coastline, and our first stop will be Poji, the capital of Sakva."

"A half hour before we are scheduled to leave,
would you run a test flight thirty-five kilometers along our scheduled course?
At three hundred kilometers-per-hour, the round trip should take less than
fifteen minutes."

"Why?"

"For the safety of your Holy One and her
escort," I said, trying my best to anticipate the Gurk's possible methods
of revenge. Sabotaging the skimmers was certainly a possibility. It was
becoming clear that the evolution of the Guard would require a change in our
training and knowledge. Today, we trained to fight in buildings; future Guards
would have to understand the potential risk associated with traveling. It was
beginning to seem like the risks were increasing exponentially.

Heydar nodded reluctantly and strode off in the
direction of the skimmers.

Sometime later, three skimmers and an army combat
shuttle took off in an easterly direction.

"Those shuttles have been guarded all night. I'm
not a fool," Heydar said when he had joined Douglas and me.

"No you're not, General, but then neither is
Colonel Prakash. He proved that the other day with his multiple diversions. And
since we cannot attack him directly, he has the advantage." I had no
sooner said that than Heydar's Comm devise buzzed.

Heydar shouted, "Two of the skimmers are down and
under attack—"

I cut him off, shouting orders. "Douglas, get that
shuttle in the air. Elijah, you are in charge. Guard! All off duty personnel to
me."

As I entered the shuttle, five Guards piled in behind
me. Sergeant Haber had barely cleared the ramp when it began to close and the
shuttle lifted off the ground.

"Lieutenant, head east toward the coast. The
skimmers shouldn't be hard to find," I said, standing behind him.
"Who do you have with you?"

"My co-pilot and navigator, an electronics counter
measures operator, and two weapons operators. The Colonel sent you the latest
Jax combat shuttle. She's a mini Deathstalker," he said, producing an evil
grin.

Five minutes later, we saw a black cloud of smoke.
"Franks, what do you see?"

"No heat signatures that would indicate people, not
even dead ones. Of course, it's too hot inside those skimmers to distinguish.
It looks safe to land," Franks said, staring intently at one of his
monitors as he adjusted views and magnification.

"Alright. Douglas, put it down and let's have a look,"
I said, walking back toward the rear ramp.

Douglas's landing was feather light, and a moment later
the ramp dropped open.

"Sergeant Haber, organize a search of the area for
fifty meters around the skimmers."

Even a cursory look indicated the skimmer had been
attacked with HEIAP, High Explosive Incendiary/Armor Piercing Ammunition.
Ironically, there was no evidence of a missile from a portable launcher.

General Heydar arrived ten minutes later in an army
shuttle. "Shot down?" he asked, his face pale even in the glow of the
still raging fire.

"No. I think the skimmer had to land either due to
a malfunction or subterfuge of some kind."

"Those two skimmers were the ones that were
designated for your troops. If you hadn't insisted on a test ..." Heydar stood
looking at the burning mangled hulls, shaking his head.

Unless I was mistaken, Colonel Prakash was trying to
pressure Nastya to renegotiate with the Gurk, and at the same time, he was
backing someone else for the position of Holy One, someone who had a connection
with Outpost. The attack was meant to provoke violence against the Gurk clan,
which would tarnish both the Guard and Nastya.

"We can't ignore this ... the Holy One must let us
kill Prakash and his guards," Heydar said.

"What proof do you have that he or his guards did this?"
I asked. Thanks to Hada introducing me to meditation long ago, my mind was at
peace, bent not on revenge but on a solution to stop the madness. I saw clearly
that the same way the real target wasn't me at Outpost, here at Blackwood the
real target wasn't the Black Guard. It was Nastya.

"It's obvious ... we can't just let them get away
with this. Eventually, they will succeed in killing you and the Holy One."
Heydar's face flushed as he talked. Although he mentioned the Guard, his real
concern—rightly so—was the Holy One.

"We won't, but it has to be clear that Colonel
Prakash is involved. I want you to tell your troops that although this was a
safety test, I had sent five Guards on each skimmer in case there was trouble. Tell
them the Black Guard plans to recover the bodies of their comrades and then
cancel the contract and leave. Consequently, you need to appoint army guards to
the palace."

"But when the Gurk come ..."

"Tell the guards not to resist. Let the Gurk
enter." I gave a small smile.

After a minute, Heydar nodded understanding and the
tension in his face relaxed.

* * *

I called Elijah on my Mfi. "Elijah, get all the
Guard inside the palace and out of sight in the Holy One's quarters. I'll
explain when I get back. As far as everyone is concerned, we are canceling the
contract and the army will be guarding the palace."

"Party time?" she asked, and I could hear the
amusement in her voice. Elijah had been with me on several assignments and knew
me well.

"I'm hoping so." I cut the connection and
called the crouching tiger. "Captain Blatt, I need another combat shuttle.
Normally, I'd ask Nastya to pay for both, but I believe it's a Helix issue and
in the Jax's best interest. Unless I'm wrong, Outpost is involved in a plot to
replace Nastya with someone friendly to them and put the blame on the
Jax."

"That's why Admiral Geller has me hanging around.
She has a feeling Outpost may want to interfere. So the candy store is wide
open." He laughed.

"Lieutenant Douglas will give you the location of
two downed skimmers. I believe the Gurk are going to send one or more shuttles
or armored cars to attack the Black Guards who are supposedly clearing the
wreckage of their dead comrades. Seems unfair, bringing combat shuttles to
fight Guards armed only with Mfws."

"I'll dispatch a referee or two. They should be
over your site within two hours. Need anything else, Sapir?"

"No, The Gurk only have fifty troops," I said
before I cut the connection. But they weren't rabble, not that it mattered. The
Holy One couldn't afford to use foreign army or marine troops without drawing
criticism from the clans. The Black Guard would have to be enough. The trick
now was to minimize the damage to my family.

"Sergeant Haber, I'll leave the four Guards with you
to help recover the dead bodies of the Guard in the skimmers." I smiled,
nodding toward the still burning skimmers. "Take five marine riot shields
from the shuttle and stay where you can find cover. If I'm right, the Gurk will
be back in combat shuttles or armored trucks to kill you. You're the bait. A Jax
combat shuttle or two will take care of the negotiations."

"Yes, sir. And afterward?"

"Have the pilot rendezvous with Douglas. We may
need you, but I won't know where until the Gurk show." I left Haber and the
others and bordered the shuttle.

"Back to the palace?" Douglas asked.

"Yes. You can drop me off and then find yourself
someplace out of sight to watch. A little advance notice wouldn't hurt," I
said, already considering how best to deploy the Guard.

* * *

"I can't believe one of the Omoms would consort
with the Gurk, and worse, an outside group to overthrow the rightful ruler of
Blackwood. Like Sanaz, I was designated by the Omoms when I was a child to fill
the position of Holy One, as is our tradition," Nastya said after hearing
the earlier events and my conclusion. Her daughter, Heydar, Elijah, and I sat
in her private study. "And you expect Colonel Prakash to come here?
Why?"

"To kill me and ensure you resign. He will believe
the rumors. That his assault on the skimmers killed ten Black Guards, that I
have five at the site—whom he will have dispatched troops with orders to
kill—and that I'm left with only five Black Guards. I'm sure he and his
supporter have some story why they had to storm the palace to free you and why
I killed you and your daughter."

"Mother!" Sanaz grabbed Nastya's hand and her
face paled as her eyes darted to the door.

Nastya put her arm around her. "Captain Sapir is
quite capable of defending us, Sanaz. She has been briefing us on what she
believes Colonel Prakash plans to do and why, not what will happen." She
kissed her daughter on the forehead. "What are you planning, Captain
Sapir?"