The Black Guard

by C. R. Daems

  Within seconds, shots could be heard all over the building but decreased rapidly over the next few minutes, then stopped.

  "Captain, a few are coming out of the offices with hands over their heads." Elijah’s voice over my Mfi.

  "Here too, Captain." Ceder’s voice.

  "Be careful but let them go," I said. "Steer them towards the hallway to the north exit." I held my breath as the minutes passed, watching down the first floor hallway. At first there were only a few, but as the minutes passed, it became a steady stream which included rebels on the first floor. After twenty minutes the building had a deathly silence. I gulped a breath, realizing I had been holding my breath, and I felt my heart pounding in my chest. It had been an immense gamble. If they had chosen to die fighting, we would have killed most, but they would have eventually overwhelmed the four teams. I walked up the hallway to the intersection, looked in both directions, and saw no one. Turned right towards the area the army controlled. The door opened fully as I neared, and a Jax Lieutenant stood waiting. He bowed low but was smiling when he stood straight again.

  "I wish I had thought of asking them to leave."

  "We had the advantage of having made some friends at the Assembly Building. Looking around he had over twenty men and women in the entrance and several wounded. I believe the building is empty, but I would assume there are rebels in every room until you’ve checked. I’m going to collect my wounded and dead and leave," I said, having checked my Mfi—four wounded and one dead, Corporal Eisen.

  * * *

  When I left the south exit with my team, Captain Latner was outside with three trucks. He bowed.

  "I thought you’d like a ride to the medical station. I’ve been relieved and am heading that way myself. That was an interesting approach, letting the rebels escape." He grinned.

  "Thank you, Captain. I’d appreciate the ride." I bowed in return. "Escape… I never thought of that. The Guard was asked to help remove the rebels from the building. No one said anything about capturing or killing them." I grinned.

  * * *

  At the hospital, my wounded were treated and each of us inspected for damage caused by strikes to the body armor. I had two dark purple bruises the size of a fist and a cracked rib. Most of my team had similar or worse damage.

  "It’s been an honor to serve with you, Captain. I’d heard about you considering ’tradition’ and ’duty’ as separate but didn’t understand until now. My instinct would have been to fight in the Administration Building like we did in the Assembly Building—tradition. But our duty was to remove them." Elijah laughed. "I hope I get more assignments with you, sir."

  "Yes, our Captain is an exciting person to be around. Concentrating on duty, rather than tradition, cuts to the reason we are on a particular assignment. I too hope I’m assigned often with the Captain."

  "Thank you," I nodded. "The feeling is mutual. You and your people are a credit to the Guard and an excellent example of what the Guard produces. The Captain in charge tends to get more credit than he or she should. It’s the people under him or her that do the heavy lifting and deserve the lion’s share of the credit—" I stood, seeing an army General and Colonel Feber approaching. I bowed low while still maintaining eye contact.

  "Captain Sapir, I’m General Issak. The man who requested the… Black Guard send a team to New Keif. I don’t know what I expected, but it’s going to look like I’m a genius in the history addition." He laughed. "Colonel Feber has mixed emotions about letting close to a hundred rebels free to fight again. I don’t. You saved many Jaxs’ lives. Agreeing not to use grenades or missiles in the buildings was a mistake that was causing far heavier losses than normal. I visited the Assembly Building. You killed over sixty rebels there, and I understand another ten in the Administration Building before they decided to take your generous offer. After visiting the Assembly Building and finding out it took less than an hour, I too would have accepted your offer." He looked around. "I can’t believe you had only two killed."

  Two too many, I screamed mentally. "I’m glad we could help, General Issak. Your instincts were correct. The Guard understands fighting room-to-room in a building. The commandos and army are not trained for that kind of combat."

  "I’ve arranged for shuttles to pick you and your troops up for transportation back to Jax. They should be here in two hours. It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Captain Sapir." He spent another hour talking with each member of my team, which said a lot about the man.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Jax: Sasser Mountain. Dragon Training

  The ride back was like a party—two had died but everyone thought that close to a miracle considering the odds we faced and the fact we had to start from outside the building. And I got the credit, although as far as I was concerned, they deserved it, not me. I spent hours meditating, trying to absolve myself for failing those two and hoping next time I’d be smarter, or sneakier, or… better. By the time I boarded the shuttle for the trip back to Sasser Mountain, I had committed the faces of Narkis and Eisen to a place in permanent memory, so I would never forget their sacrifice.

  My spirits soared when I saw Hada waiting as I exited the shuttle. She caught me in a tight bear-hug, and we laughed like kids.

  "About time you got back, Tzadok and Dobrin are here. I’ve been working with them almost the whole time you’ve been gone. I’ve beaten Dobrin a couple of times and Tzadok once, out of the hundred matches we’ve had." She sobered, and her eyes misted. "I don’t think I’m going to make dragon."

  The thought of my sister unable to fulfill her dream was unbearable. If it had not been for her, I would have ended up in the commandos with all the life sucked out of me. I would have been a shell of a person, lost in my despair. She had given me a beloved sister, made the Guard my extended family, and helped me find peace.

  "Come," I said, linking my arm in hers and dragging her towards our favorite meditating spot. She laughed as we wound our way down the narrow trail and onto the ledge.

  "I heard a rumor that you and your team were the heroes of New Keif. That you routed hundreds of rebels from the government buildings when the army and commandos couldn’t. Even the Jax military are calling us the Black Guard. I want to hear every detail."

  "The rebels had already captured the government buildings, which gave them a distinct advantage, and the army and even the commandos aren’t used to fighting inside buildings. The commandos did clear one building and the army had gained entrance to another. So in the end, they would have prevailed, but their losses were heavy because they couldn’t use explosives."

  "But the Guard did clear two buildings without help. Details or I’m going to…" She paused, eyes downcast in thought.

  "You will get all the details, but first… your dream," I said. Her head jerked up and she stared at me.

  "It was a wonderful dream…"

  "That you dragged me into, and now that I’m here… how bad do you want to beat Dobrin and Tzadok?"

  "With all my heart—"

  "That is why you will never beat them!" It tore at me saying it, but it had to be said. She looked at me like I had slapped her, then her eyes gazed off into the distance, and finally she folded into a meditation posture. I took up a similar position, content to be with her.

  "You’re right, Rivka," Hada said hours later, returning me to the present. "I can never beat either consistently if my mind is cluttered with wanting to win. I must learn to enjoy the moment, not caring about winning or losing. Thank you, my sister. I’m glad you’re in this dream with me. It’s a much better dream with you here." She leaned over and hugged me. "Now, the damn details!"

  * * *

  I stood in the front row at a relaxed attention with my New Keif team to the right of me. In the rows behind us stood unassigned Guards and behind them the present candidates. Instructors sat in chairs on the raised platform, and Commander Wexler stood in front of a microphone. Several cameras were recording the proceedings as a permanent record for those on as
signment.

  "This is a critique of the Jax contract on the planet New Keif, which began on the twentieth of March in the year 1158 of the Jax calendar," He began. "The assignment was non-traditional, in that we were asked to assist the army and commandos in extricating hundreds of well-armed and trained rebels who had managed to capture three government buildings: Administration, Assembly, and Presidential. Captain Sapir and her team cleared the Assembly building, killing over sixty rebels, and caused over a hundred rebels to surrender the Administration building after killing another twelve. Because of their extraordinary performance in clearing the Assembly Building, the following individuals are awarded the double dragon to their uniforms and promoted one rank: sergeants Catz and Judt, corporals Geller and Cerff, and privates Polak, Toch, Alpert, Volpe and Barnel." Wexler’s lip twitched. "Lieutenant Elijah and Senior Sergeant Mintz also received the double dragon award and our thanks. Captain Sapir already has a double dragon and our thanks."

  "Dismissed," one of the senior captains shouted and the formation broke up.

  "Captain Sapir, join us," Wexler said as I started to leave. I mounted the platform and took a seat when he waved to a chair. "What you did reflected well on the Guard, possibly too well. We have only been thought of as the Black Guard because of our uniforms, but now the Black has taken on a new meaning—like the Grim Reaper. That can be used to our benefit, as you did at New Keif. But I fear because of your success there, people like General Issak will want us to participate in assignments not typically our domain." He paused, waiting for comments.

  "You did honor General Issak’s unorthodox request, sir." What else could I say?

  "And sent an unorthodox captain," Dobrin said, grinning.

  "Yes, and in retrospect, I made the right call. I’m not sure what a more… traditional captain would have done—probably joined with the commandos or army teams assaulting the buildings. I suspect, as did Sapir, that would have caused more Guard deaths, because we don’t train together, and caused resentment at having to accept Guard among them. No, the problem is that these unorthodox requests are likely to result in more Guard deaths. And because of our very selective recruiting methods, we can barely absorb the deaths caused by our normal assignments. Even I was amazed at how few deaths resulted from Sapir’s tactics."

  "I always wondered how well that leap-frogging technique would work in the real world," Tzadok said.

  "Having heard Lieutenant Elijah describe it in detail, it sounded like a tsunami of death sweeping through the hallways," Dobrin said, shaking his head at the thought.

  "Let’s hope we don’t get caught up in it," Wexler said as he exited the stage.

  * * *

  "I can’t believe how much better Hada is performing," Tzadok said as we sat watching Dobrin and Hada fighting. To my delight, the two dragons had been working with Hada and me for several weeks. I hated killing, although I recognized that was an inevitable part of being a Guard, but I loved Wuji. I had found a beauty in the nonresistant nature of the dance. Since my return from New Keif, the contests were no longer work but a graceful dance. And the dance was all that mattered, not winning or losing, not being good or bad, not being hurt—only the beauty of the dance.

  "I think maybe she had been lost in her father’s dream as I was in hers. Now I believe it’s her dream," I said. She had been desperately trying to achieve her father’s dream for her. Now it looked like she was enjoying her own dream.

  Dobrin’s voice jarred me out of my musing. "It’s time, Sapir. Come." He walked back into the circle we used to fight with Tzadok following. "The best two out of three. I will referee. You will stop when I say ’Stop,’ and I will award a point. The winner of the match is the one who scores two. Start in the pushing position." Tzadok and I met and took the position. Several seconds went by before he said, "Begin."

  Of course, that was unnecessary. We were ready the second we touched. Tzadox surprised me by immediately sweeping at my leg, since he normally waited to sense some weakness in me that touching permitted. Knowing I was a fraction of a second too late to counter, I made no attempt to avoid it, and let my feet be swept beneath me. Using the momentum, I tucked and rolled away to a standing position in time to block a roundhouse kick to my head and trap his leg. He somehow left the ground twisting such that his other leg began another roundhouse kick. But when I felt his body twisting, I let go of his leg and the anchor he had was no longer there, and he lost his balance, crashed to the ground, and rolled towards my legs. I stepped over him and delivered a kick to the spine.

  "Stop. Point to Sapir." Dobrin said, grinning at Tzadox, who rose smiling. The next point Tzadox scored after five minutes of intense attack and counter attacks. The third match, we were content to wait for the other to show an opening. When nothing happened for a few minutes, I closed my eyes—and another world opened up. I felt at one with Tzadox, could hear his breathing, feel the muscles in his body relaxing, and knew he could sense the same in me. Later I was told we stood like that for over twenty minutes. Then I felt or sensed an extra heartbeat in reaction to his intention of exploding into me. I twisted as the impact came rushing toward me, directing it harmlessly past me. The twist released my left side, bringing my right side to the left and my right palm into Tzadox’s head as he passed. He stumbled to his knees.

  "Stop. Point to Sapir. Match to Sapir." Dobrin said.

  "Nicely done. I thought I felt you tense for a second," Tzadox said, rising to his feet.

  "I did, hoping you were tired of standing in the heat." I laughed. "What a glorious feeling."

  "Beating me?"

  "No, that feeling of being totally at peace."

  "Good," Dobrin said as he stepped towards me, offering a pushing posture and letting Tzadox take up the referee position. I shrugged and matched his position. I’m not sure why, but I found myself at peace and at one with Dobrin and my surroundings. Dobrin wasn’t as quick as Tzadox, but he was the better fighter. In the past, he’d seemed to know what I planned to do before I did. But today, I had that feeling about him. We fought in brief clashes and then long minutes of waiting.

  "Stop," Tzadox said during one of the waiting periods. "I declare this match a tie. At the rate you two are going, I’m going to miss dinner and the night’s entertainment at the club." He laughed.

  Dobrin nodded. "I concede a tie, Dragon Sapir. Congratulations."

  Dragon! Oh no. It can’t be! It has to be Hada, not me. She had to be first. I don’t care. She does. My mind exploded in chaos, then shock as Hada landed on me—arms around my neck, legs locked around my waist.

  "You did it, sister. You were magnificent. I’m so proud of you." She squeezed me tight. She let herself down and wiped away a tear. "No, I’m not upset. You’re my sister. We are not in competition. Besides, your comments the other day made me realize my father had me focused on a symbol rather than the real goal, peace of mind. I am at peace with where I am in my life. I have a new sister I love, and I’m a captain in the Guard. I could be a trooper in the army or the commandos. I’m in a position to save lives and help others." She grabbed my hand. "Come let’s celebrate, I’m buying."

  * * *

  "Dragon Sapir, it doesn’t surprise me. I’ve been around long enough to predict who will eventually become a dragon. They have a… nontraditional way of thinking and the conviction to act on it. When the individual is a senior sergeant or even a lieutenant it is harder to detect as he or she hasn’t the authority to act independently and is restricted by the team leader’s direction. But that thinking in a captain is immediately apparent. For you, it was obvious after Lanzhou." Wexler took a drink from his cup. "As I suspected, you and your teams’ performances are beginning to generate nontraditional contracts, which the JAX Contract Committee is approving. I understand their reasoning; we are mercenaries for hire, and that fuels our economy. But as commander of the Guard, I worry. Our normal contracts seldom produce more than one death every two or three contracts. Of course, there will always be sit
uations like Lanzhou that result from unforeseen conditions. However, nontraditional contracts like New Keif and others to follow will have higher risks and inevitably more deaths—because tradition must be upheld." He stared at me as if daring me to argue.

  "I have never questioned tradition but believe duty is my… our first priority." I held up a hand to indicate I hadn’t finished. "If my team and I and our contract are killed, have we done our duty? We have certainly maintained our tradition."

  Wexler sat glaring at me for a long time before speaking. "We have another seemingly traditional contract which I suspect isn’t what it appears. For that reason, I’m giving it to you. The High Priestess of Suryah has contracted for the Black Guard to guard political prisoners who will soon be tried for crimes against the government. Sounds easy and simple, doesn’t it? How hard can it be to guard people in cages?"

  "So why would you need the Black Guard?" I asked the obvious question he had and the reason for his concern.

  "Precisely. And she has agreed to a team of twenty-one, to guard the current twenty-two prisoners, although the contract allows up to forty-five. She is either very generous or…"

  "She knows some military-like group plans to break them out, and she intends for us to earn our Black Guard reputation."

  "My thoughts exactly. Basically, I’ve kept your current New Keif team with the exception of the three newly promoted sergeants, and the two senior sergeants, Solow and Wahle. That leaves you with two lieutenants and two teams of nine each headed by a senior sergeant. I’ve been told they are all back from their after-assignment leaves. You have today to get organized. Shuttles will pick you up tomorrow." He laughed. "At least this time you don’t have to worry about keeping the contracted individuals alive. It’s not part of the contract, and I doubt she cares. They just can’t escape or be rescued alive."