The Black Guard: Book II: Evolution (Black Guard Series 2) (5 page)

"Admiral Geller has directed me to remain in orbit
and for me to support you if necessary while making sure no uninvited guest
crashes the party." Blatt's lips twitched into a wry smile. "You
apparently upset the family-run systems with your Black Guard
demonstration."

"And if you can spare an hour or so, brief Gunny
Stak on the Deathstalker's new firing range. General Lerman is encouraging all
cruisers to reconfigure their ranges. You convinced him fighting inside a
cruiser is similar to inside a building, and I agree." Berger gave a sharp
nod as to emphasize the point.

"And, if you have time to join me and my staff for
dinner, I'd like to hear which rumors are true, if any." Blatt laughed.

"Thank you, I'd like that," I said, not about having
to repeat the story, but about the idea of bringing the various Jax services
closer together.

* * *

I wished I had a longer trip, to spend more time with my
detail. I did manage several hours to spread my enhanced paranoia, get to know
the new privates, and consider some security options to protect the troops off
duty. By then it was time to freshen up for the evening dinner with Blatt,
Berger, and their senior staff.

After my recap of the Outpost conference, we did manage
to discuss our combined mission on Blackwood. Our presence would not only be
contentious with the Gurk, but also with Outpost, Valhall, and Lariw. The
Crouching Tiger was there in case one or more sent cruisers into the system
with the intent to support the Gurk and in case I needed marine or other
support. The JCC felt that if things went well, the Jax might get a contract
from Blackwood and eventually one or more of the other non-family-run systems
to provide them with a Jax naval presence.

After dinner, I took Berger and his gunny to the firing
range to discuss the changes the Deathstalker was implementing and the reasons
for them. I managed five hours of sleep before having to wash and dress for the
shuttle ride to Blackwood and my meeting with Nastya.

* * *

Our shuttle was directed to an army base rather than to the
palace where the Holy One resided. When I exited the shuttle, a tall man with a
white mustache in a red military jacket, white pants, and a red head-wrap met
me. A junior officer and ten armed soldiers stood several steps behind him in
dark-green camouflage uniforms—assault troops, unless I was mistaken.

"Welcome, Captain Sapir, I'm General Heydar. We're
meeting here, as the situation is rather delicate. Omom Nastya has been in negotiations
with the Gurk for over two months. They are one of the smaller tribes on
Blackwood but have had the honor of guarding the palace and its Holy Ones for
the past fifty years. However, over the last twenty they have gotten bolder in
their demands for money and privileges. Consequently, Omom Nastya plans to
replace them with a special honor guard chosen from the Blackwood Army. She
feels the transition will be contentious and didn't want the members of the
army—who are from all the tribes—forced to take sides. Therefore,
your coming has been kept a secret," he said, looking like he believed it.
If he did, he was due for a shock—a secret was a secret only so long as
you told no one, and there were eleven men standing there whom I'd wager all
knew. "I thought we could develop a plan on how to proceed before we
entered the palace."

"I agree with Omom Nastya. We should not involve
the military. However, unless Blackwood is unique in the universe, we should
assume the Gurk know Omom Nastya's plans and the Black Guard's involvement in
the transition. If so, they will be prepared for our arrival and your troops
will be involved whether you want them to be or not." I paused, waiting
for Heydar's comments.

To his credit, he nodded agreement after several minutes
staring off into space. "I'm afraid you may be right. The Gurk have become
more aggressive over the past several years and the recent negotiations have
become increasingly contentious. It's why I decided to bring a detail of ten to
accompany you to meet with Omom Nastya."

"Like you, General Heydar, I'd like to avoid any
unnecessary confrontation that may get your troops or the Omom Nastya or her
daughter involved. But if the Gurk are aware of our involvement, it would be in
their best interest to have a reception party planned, since almost any result
would enhance their position at any future negotiations," I said after
thinking what I would do if I were in the Gurk's position.

The Gurk could fire on the Guard, claiming no one had
informed them of our coming and therefore they thought us foreign troops and a
threat to the Holy One. If we killed the Gurk's reception party, the clans
would be outraged when they got the Gurk's version of events. Alternatively,
the Blackwood troops accompanying us could revolt when we started killing the
reception group, or worse yet, the Gurk might succeed in preventing us from
entering the building. I concluded they had little to lose and everything to
gain.

"What can we do to avoid a confrontation?"
Heydar asked, concern evident in his tense tone and the nervous way he surveyed
his detail. It was obvious the general had his own ideas of what could go wrong,
and it had him near panic.

"Let me borrow two uniforms from your detail. Then
I will accompany you in to see the Omom Nastya. We will leave the troops out of
sight until we have talked with Omom Nastya and the issue has been
resolved," I said, thinking once Nastya was safely in our custody, the Gurk
could no longer count on a favorable outcome to any encounter—they would
then become a hostile force.

"But what if—"

"General, Omom Nastya knows me from the meeting at
Outpost. That is the reason she has placed her trust in the Black Guard to keep
her and her daughter safe during the transition. As your next Holy One, you
have to trust her," I said, hoping I was making the right decision. After
all, I couldn't predict the outcome. I just hoped to avoid the unnecessary loss
of life.

The General nodded. "You're right, Captain Sapir. I
do have to trust Omom Nastya to lead the country. Come, I'll get you
outfitted." He strode toward his detail, looking determined.

"Lieutenant Elijah, Corporal Toch," I shouted
as I followed Heydar.

Elijah and Toch ran to catch up.

The General stood looking from Toch and me to his
detail, while worrying his upper lip. "Corporal Asesti, give your uniform
to Captain Sapir." That produced grins and snickers after a moment of
stunned silence. "Private Kinih, give you uniform to Corporal …?"

"Toch," I said as I began to strip, which
produced open-mouthed stares. Those stares turned to obvious disappointment
when my black skin-tight protective suit was revealed. "Lieutenant Elijah,
I want the Black Guard in one truck waiting out of sight for my instructions.
Corporal Toch and I are going to try and finesse our way into the palace to see
Omom Nastya. I'd like to avoid involving the general's troops if
possible."

"Yes, sir. We'll be ready," Elijah said and
left to get things organized.

Heydar had a good eye, and the clothes were a reasonably
good fit. The next half hour was spent testing the communication equipment-link
between Elijah and me and testing the accuracy of the Blackwood automatic
rifles we had been given. Toch's rifle was off to the right five millimeters
and high two every ten meters; my rifle was off to the left four millimeters and
low two every ten meters. After five minutes of practice, we could both hit the
target dead center at twenty-five meters.

"Why?" the general asked when I finally
declared us ready.

"So I can be sure I'm going to hit what I'm aiming
at. We try not to give our opponents a second chance," I said.

"The Gurk are also good shots," he said,
waving toward his limo.

I entered the back with him, and Toch settled into the
passenger seat. "I told my corporal to park where they will be unnoticed
yet within a two-minute drive of the palace."

The caravan exited the military compound into a small
city. The streets were narrow, the houses old and in need of repair, and the
people on the streets looked like common laborers. It took over twenty minutes
to reach open country, where we encountered wooded areas and occasional small
streams. The roads improved as we neared a larger city, which spread out as far
as the eye could see but didn't have the tall buildings one typically saw in
modern cities. The tallest structure appeared to be about four stories. Inside
the city, the buildings were squashed side-by-side, giving me a feeling they
were encroaching on the narrow streets. Only the occasional open market
provided any relief.

After what seemed like hours, the streets widened and
opened to well-manicured areas with buildings approaching ten stories. Soon
afterward, the trucks pulled off the road and parked. Less than a minute later,
the limo reached the eight-meter high gates that were the entrance to the
palace grounds.

The guards at the gate saluted and waved us through when
they recognized General Heydar. The palace building stood a hundred meters down
a paved road with neatly trimmed hedges, beds of flowers, and carpets of grass.
Halfway to the palace we encountered a roundabout with a two-story-high
fountain with various animals I didn't recognize spurting water. The road ended
in a three-story pink-marble building, which looked to be at least a hundred
meters square. A ten-person-wide staircase of ten stairs led to the massive
double doors and two Gurk guards, dressed in dark-blue jackets and gray pants
with black stripes down the leg.

Judging by the way the guards' hands rested on their
weapons, they weren't sure what to do as we started up the stairs. They relaxed
when they recognized the general. And as I had hoped, the addition of two
Blackwood soldiers didn't raise any red flags. The reason for their nervousness
was apparent when one opened a door for us to pass. Inside were fifteen Gurks
in combat dress and fully armed for battle with military-grade weapons. The
soldiers lined both sides of the hallway, which was wide enough for ten men
abreast. They relaxed visually when they saw three Blackwood uniforms, although
a Gurk major did block our path.

"General Heydar, what is your reason for being
here?" he asked, as his eyes slid over Toch but lingered on me for a
moment. Fortunately, my protective clothing tended to flatten my unimpressive
breasts, my hips weren't excessively wide, I never wore makeup, and I had a few
minor scars, which all-in-all gave me a unisex look.

"None of your business, Major Gowad. I have an
appointment with Omom Nastya."

"I'm sorry, but all appointments have been
canceled—"

"Sergeant Parviz, sound general quarters," the
general said into a handheld device he took from his belt. "You're to bring
one hundred combat troops to the palace and arrest Gurk security guards at the
entrance. Deadly force is authorized—"

"That won't be necessary, General. I'm afraid I was
being overly cautious. We've had a creditable rumor that the Omom Nastya will
be assassinated. You and your detail may proceed." He stepped aside.

As we continued down the hallway, I half expected to be
shot but knew it would be uncharacteristic to turn around. The rug running down
the middle of the hallway deadened our footsteps, making for an ominous
silence.

The
walls were decorated with pictures of men and women dressed in white robes with
gold trim who seemed to be watching our progress. They were interspersed with paintings
of temple looking buildings and other statues and artifacts I took to be
religious in nature. Halfway, Heydar turned right into another hallway where
two more Gurk guards stood guarding a door.

"Tell Omom Nastya I'm here for my appointment,"
Heydar said to the senior guard. He looked to say something, then shrugged and
opened the door partway.

"Omom Nastya, General Heydar says he is here for
his meeting—"

"Send him in, Corporal," said a woman's voice
followed by a whispered man's voice I couldn't make out.

I pushed open the door and the general walked in with me
a step behind. I knew Toch had stayed in the doorway to watch the outer guards.

Omom Nastya sat at a large curved ebony desk. Behind her
next to three arched windows stood a tall man in a dark-blue military uniform.
Although his uniform was not overly decorated, his collar insignia indicated he
was a senior officer.

To my right and on an embroidered high-back chair sat a
slender girl, looking like she had just lost her best friend. Another man in
the same dark-blue uniform, a junior officer, stood with his hand on the back
of her chair, and another guard, in gray pants, stood a couple of steps back
against the wall.

Two more guards stood to my left, one on either side of
a similar high-backed chair occupied by a fragile old woman I assumed was the
Holy One. They each had their hands on their multifunctional guns, which hung
from straps around their necks.

The man behind Nastya smiled. "You have news,
General?"

"I do," I interrupted as my thumb released the
strap that held my rifle, freeing it to move. "I'm Captain Sapir of the
Black Guard, here to assume responsibility for Omom Nastya's security. Anyone who
draws a gun or moves, dies."

The man's face turned to a sneer, and he gave a small
nod of his head toward me to the two guards near the old lady.

My rifle was already pointing in their direction;
therefore, it would have been smarter to nod to the one on my right. As the two
began to swivel their bodies to shoot in my direction, I shot both in the head.
I then swept through the general's legs—to get him out of the way—as
I rotated right. The senior officer's hand had just begun to reach for his
shard gun, so I ignored him. The junior was just reaching for his shard gun as
my rifle swung in his direction. I shot him in the head and continued until I
reached the far right guard, who was in the process of removing the strap from
around his neck. The bullet caught him in the temple. Instead of turning back,
I continued spinning down into a sitting position, my gun now pointing directly
at the senior officer's head. His gun was out and pointing where my head had
been. From the look on his face, I surmised that Toch also had his gun trained
on him.