The Black Guard: Book II: Evolution (Black Guard Series 2) (7 page)

"The
problem is the regular army has personnel from the Gurk clan. We need to give
General Heydar time to put together a group he can trust. He won't be able to
while the Gurk security forces are here, but at least it won't appear the army
is supporting the foreign troops."

The
only safe wager was that the Gurk would attack sooner or later. I feared their
first attempts would be against the Guard. They needed to convince Nastya the
Guard couldn't protect her or her daughter and that she must negotiate with
them—or die. Of course, they could go for the prize and attempt a
coup d'état
.
Nastya seemed to think that was a possibility.

Space doss
, I don't think I had ever
felt so vulnerable before, not even at Lanzhou. There, at least I knew what the
enemy was planning. Surprise was either an advantage or a disadvantage depending
on whether you were the
surprisee
or
the
surprisor
.

"Our
training is going to have to make the difference. Like at Molova, I want
everyone to consider possible Gurk scenarios and we will review them daily. Let
Nadel know." I continued into the Holy One's area.

I was
getting ready to enter the dining room when my Mfi buzzed, indicating a Comm
from the Crouching Tiger. "Captain Sapir," I said after hitting the
accept icon. It helped to relax me knowing my extended Jax family was orbiting
in the sky above Blackwood.

"Colonel Berger, Sapir. Captain Blatt and I were
wondering how you were doing?"

"We have Omom Nastya and her daughter under our
wing with only a minor test of our marksmanship."

"How many?"

"Zero Guard. Six Gurks."

"Do you think that is the end of it?"

"Unfortunately, no. They have too much at stake. Not
just a loss of face but a loss of power. They may try assassinating Guards
next. If that doesn't work, I wouldn't discard the possibility of a coup
attempt. In fact, a coup would be my first wager except I think the Gurk
Colonel may consider this personal, since the test was his idea. He's only
alive because of the possible ramifications of killing him at that time."
I was still sure I had done the right thing.

"The stakes are high, Sapir. If you need or want
help, we are here to support you."

"Omom Nastya understands and is willing to pay if
necessary."

"Good. Keep us updated between tests." He
laughed and the line went dead.

The various Jax services had their rivals, but when the
doss hit the fan we were a family. I was smiling when I entered the dining
room. It looked like the current Holy One, Nastya, and Sanaz had finished
breakfast and were finishing their drinks.

"You look in a good mood. Anything special?"
Nastya asked.

"A mother Rock Bear pleased to see her cubs safe
and enjoying the moment."

"Including your grown-up Rock Bears," Nastya
said, a small smile on her lips. I'd bet she was going to be a hard act to
follow.

"Yes, a mother worries about all her Rock Bears,
even the older ones," I said, and she gave a knowing nod. "When you
have time, Omom Nastya, could you take me through the ceremony so I can deploy
my team appropriately?"

"After lunch would be a good time. You will get to
see us practicing."

* * *

I stopped to marvel at the front of the ... sanctuary.
There were no statues or altars, just a massive set of silver pipes encased in
the ebony wood the planet was named after and an organ with five rows of key
panels.

"That pipe organ has over ten thousand pipes, and
we add hundreds every year. Its sound is beautiful and becoming magical as new
pipes are added. The Holy One will sit in the ornate chair with the gold
padding and red cross. I will sit to her left, and Sanaz will sit to my left.
At some point I will rise and kneel before the Holy One. She will hand me the
scepter containing the original Book on which we base our way of life. She will
rise, and I will take her chair and Sanaz will take mine. Atefeh, the then
ex-Holy One, will take Sanaz's chair. I will say a few words and the ceremony
will be over. Of course, there will be a lot of pomp and ceremony before,
during, and after we shift chairs." She smiled, but her eyes were sad.
"Atefeh is a saintly person and truly close to godly, but she enabled the Gurk's
rise to power, fearing to do otherwise would lead to civil war. Now I must risk
the destruction of our way to stop it ... or it will surely lead to the
destruction Atefeh feared."

I left Nastya with Corporal Toch, the senior Guard on her
current security, and I called the Crouching Tiger and was connected to Colonel
Berger.

"Need help, Sapir?" he said with a hint of
concern.

"I'm hoping you have some bomb sniffing equipment
with you."

"Wouldn't go anywhere without it. You think the Gurk
have had enough of your marksmanship demonstrations to resort to bombs?"
He gave a wry snort. "It would prove they aren't stupid."

"No. It's personal, so they feel they have
something to prove to themselves, if not to Nastya. But the ordaining of Nastya
tomorrow is tailor made for anyone with a cause to taint the beginning of her
rule, to show she doesn't have universal support, and to intimidate her, the
next Holy One."

"I was hoping you needed us. The troops could use a
bit of excitement, so don't be a martyr when it starts raining doss. I'll send
the equipment with Master Sergeant Kame, who's the expert. It should be there
in a couple of hours. Good hunting." He cut the connection.

Three hours later, the shuttle from the Jax cruiser set
down on the landing pad several hundred meters behind the palace. I went out
with Sergeant Nadel.

"Captain Sapir, I'm Master Sergeant Kame,
compliments of Colonel Berger. Where would you like me and my equipment?"

"I'd like to understand the capabilities of the
equipment and then check out the Sanctuary to make sure there isn't already
something there. Tomorrow I'd like to use it on the people entering the
Sanctuary."

"The sensors literally sample the air for the chemical
elements traditionally used to make bombs. They can be tuned to sniff specific
elements if you know what you are looking for. The equipment has an effective
range of fifteen meters and will show the direction of each element it detects.
I could teach you to use it ... but I'll be faster and that could make a
difference."

"I agree, Sergeant. The job is yours." I wanted
every Guard focused on the people, not on equipment.

We spent the next two hours in the Sanctuary. First,
Kame took out several small boxes containing explosive material in the form of
powders, black and yellow lumps, and liquids. He placed them several meters
apart from each other, then turned on the machine. It looked like a small
flying saucer on a three-foot pole, except it had no lights or moving parts you
could see.

"Those are the most common explosives you are likely
to encounter. It doesn't really matter, because the machine—which is a
combination mass spectrometer and gas analyzer—is looking at the
individual elements, not the specific compounds." He turned and played
with a laptop he had on his knees. A hologram appeared, with multi-colored
arrows pointing to the containers. "There, the arrows show the direction
and the colors designate the chemical elements. My laptop shows the exact
ratios and even the name of the explosive if it's in my database."

"Excellent, Sergeant Kame. If you detect an
explosive tomorrow, tell whoever is standing next to you immediately. Now, let's
make sure this Sanctuary is clean," I said, satisfied I had some way of
eliminating weapons and bombs from entering the area. Of course, they could use
a missile launcher ... but that would be a declaration of war and I hoped less
likely.

To my relief, Kame found nothing.

* * *

The next day, I had everyone on duty. I kept Elijah and
five Guards inside: two to guard the front and two the back entrance, and one
in the Holy One's area. Another four were stationed at the side door to the
Sanctuary to support the inside Guards or the Sanctuary if necessary. The main
entrances provided access to the Holy One's area, indirect access to the
Sanctuary through a side door, and of course the offices and an excellent
opportunity for mischief and to overcome a lightly guarded interior with
everyone in the Sanctuary.

Inside the Sanctuary, I set up three entrance lanes
equipped with hidden metal detectors that the spectators would have to pass to
enter after being inspected by General Heydar's troops for weapons. One Guard
was stationed a few meters past each lane to examine anyone who set off a
detector. I stood several meters back with Sergeant Kame and his bomb detection
equipment. Three Guards stood on a workman's platform two stories overhead to
watch the spectators during the ceremony. Four Guards, two standing off to each
side and out of sight of spectators, were on the platform with the Omom Nastya
and her daughter.

All I could do now was hope I hadn't left any weakness
the Gurk or a discontented citizen could exploit. Although I had listened to my
team's suggestions, the specific deployment was my decision and I would be
responsible for the outcome.

At ten the next morning, the general opened the doors
and the first spectators began coming in by ones and twos. By eleven it was a
steady stream and all three lanes were crowded. I began to worry when the metal
detectors remained silent and was tempted to stop everyone and have the
detectors checked. Fortunately, I realized the tension was getting to me, and I
sought to quiet my mind—a serenity where only the present existed—and
the irrational thought vanished.

Only minutes later, my Mfi buzzed with a message from
Elijah. The outside army guards at both entrances had been attacked by sniper
fire. Neither was hit, but it had caused the army troopers checking for weapons
to respond. Some of the spectators remained in the lobby while others continued
into the Sanctuary. Within minutes the detectors in lanes one and two went off,
which registered on the Mfis of Corporal Alpert on lane one and Corporal Volpe
on lane two. With their Mfws raised, they stopped the lines so Sergeant Haber
could scan each person. People continued to flow through lane three.

"Captain!" Kame half shouted, although it wasn't
necessary. I had noticed the change in the hologram and the arrow pointed at
the man in lane three. I had my laser in my hand before Kame had finished
shouting and shot the man in the head. He collapsed, dead instantly.

"Stop!" I shouted as my Mfw rose in my other
hand. "Corporal Krebs, inspect that man. He appears to be carrying a bomb."
I could only hope I hadn't shot some innocent man carrying something the
detection equipment erroneously identified as a bomb. But I couldn't take the
chance that asking him to stop and be searched wouldn't cause him to set it
off. I held my breath as Krebs unbuttoned the man's tunic.

"Looks like some sort of plastic explosives around
his waist and a hand-held switch in his pocket," Krebs shouted to make
sure everyone heard the reason he had been shot. I took a deep breath and my
heart slowed.

"Well done, Sergeant Kame," I whispered.
"Corporal Krebs, move the body out of the way and let the others pass.
We'll let the army take care of the body when they get back." When I
looked over to Alpert and Volpe, they shook their heads in the negative.

"A metal arm brace," Alpert said with the
man's sleeve pulled up to reveal it.

"A metal leg brace," Volpe said, pointing to
the man's partially exposed brace.

"Take their names," I said. This had all been
an elaborate setup to pull the army troops away and to distract the Guard while
they slipped in a suicide bomber. I doubted they really cared if it succeeded
or not. It tested our security and sent a clear message—neither you nor
Nastya will ever be safe on Blackwood.

The ceremony started at noon with the entrance of the
Holy One, Nastya, and Sanaz and lasted two hours. There were no further
incidents.

* * *

Nastya had withdrawn with Sanaz to her reading room when
I joined them. They had been served a light snack of assorted fried potatoes
and vegetables and a spiced drink. Sergeants Haber and Ganz were on duty,
standing against opposite walls. "I can't believe they would set off a
bomb in the Sanctuary with so many innocent people there, a place of peace and
tranquility," Nastya said.

"That may have only been a test to see how alert we
were. They may not have intended to set it off. Not that fanatics won't kill
innocent men, women, and children," I said, thinking back on the incident.
"It was a message whether we caught the individual or not—you will
never be safe."

"Did you have to kill the man?" Sanaz asked,
her voice just above a whisper.

"He gave me no choice. He was carrying a deadly
weapon that was capable of killing everyone around him. Because it was on him,
I had to assume he meant to use it and would set it off the second someone
tried to stop him."

"But what if it was only a test?" she asked, a
little louder this time.

"Would you want me to risk the lives of all the
innocent people around him that he was just playing a game?" The weight of
the decision pressed down on me like it had just occurred. I didn't regret the
decision. I regretted having no better option.

"My daughter is rightfully concerned. The Book is
against killing," Nastya said, hugging her daughter to her.

"Although I'm in a killing profession, I too am
against killing. I have consoled myself with the interpretation my adopted sister's
father makes of his Buddhist
Precept
against killing any living thing. He believes a Guard is in compliance with the
Precept so long as he or she does
not kill out of hate or glory or pleasure."