The Black Guard: Book II: Evolution (Black Guard Series 2) (33 page)

The reason came like a volcano erupting. The night sky
lit with explosions as missiles and pulsed laser energy rained down on the
tanks and armored vehicles as the Jax combat shuttles struck. That was our
safety net, as it meant the UF troops in the building couldn't safely leave.

In desperation, they renewed their efforts to gain the
second floor.

I sent the next prearranged signal and the marines and
Guard appeared to retreat, allowing the UF troops to storm the stairs while the
marines and Guard again found safety in rooms along the long hallway.

"Lieutenant Walsh, time for the tranquilizers."
I clicked on my gasmask icon, which would alert everyone to put on their gas
masks.

Walsh smiled in relief as he clicked on his hand-held
device and multiple pops could be heard throughout the building. "About
three minutes at most," he said as he slipped on his own mask.

As the seconds ticked by, the firing became less until
there was only a random shot now and then. I clicked on my star icon and put my
arm to cover my eyes even though I was inside a room. That signal would have
the Guard flinging stars into the hallways and stairwells and then a third of
the troops making a mad rush for the first floors and another third to the
ground floor, with orders to shoot anyone not incapacitated by the gas. The Jax
quickly bound each UF trooper—over one hundred and fifty.

"What's the status outside?" I asked the
lieutenant.

He smiled. "Those that survived surrendered. The
marines have them secured. They have one dead and five wounded."

"Lieutenant Elijah, Ceder. What's our status?"

"All floors secured. Two dead Guards, six with non-life-threatening
wounds, two dead marines, two with life-threatening wounds, and four with less
serious wounds," Elijah said after a brief conference with Ceder.

I fought to quiet my mind as I walked back to the room
where Marshall and his wife were sequestered. Some might have considered this a
great victory; I considered it a flaming disaster—five dead. Dead because
I wasn't smart enough.
Damn the maniacs
and their quest for power,
I screamed mentally.

When I opened the door, Marshall and his wife rose,
their faces a pasty white.

"The confrontation is over. I've called Doyle. He
will need to conduct an investigation to determine the leaders of the attempted
coup."

* * *

The Guard stayed, but I released the marines back to the
War Horse as the investigation proceeded. Three weeks later, the investigation
had concrete evidence that Miss Haeckel and three senior officers in the UF
military had planned a military coup to take control of the government under
the premise that they had protected the country from a coup by the Jax.

Everyone was happy except me. The JCC because the
contract had been very lucrative, the marines because of the action and scope
of the victory, Marshall because we saved his and his wife's lives and rid him
of a radical opponent, and the Guard because it was over and the casualties
were few considering the situation. That it could have been much worse didn't
ease the pain.

I was glad to be returning to Sasser Mountain. Hopefully,
Hada would be there to help me heal. And I decided I would visit Abhaya. I
wasn't ready to say I was a Buddhist, but I believed in the Four Noble Truths
and the Noble eight-Fold Path. But believing in them and fitting them into my
life was complicated, to say the least. Maybe Abhaya could help. I don't know
if I sought enlightenment or just a better understanding.

Novels by C.R. Daems

crdaems.com

talonnovels.com

Science Fiction:

The Riss Series:

The Riss Gamble: Book I

The Riss Proposal: Book II

The Riss Survival: Book III

The Riss Accession: Book IV

The Riss Challenge: Book V

Red Angel

Fantasy: Epic