The Black Guard

by C. R. Daems

  "Can’t you protect both?" Maull persisted, her eyes narrowed and forehead wrinkled in a frown.

  "If it’s one gunman and I shoot him, the result will have been that I did just that. But my intent will have been to protect Gasparo."

  "You’re splitting hairs," Ulises said.

  "No. Are action and intent the same?" I asked. "If I’m cleaning my weapon and it discharges and kills someone, is that the same as if I shoot someone with the intent to kill him?"

  "Of course not, but—"

  "Believe me, the actions my team take will be in the interest of protecting Captain Gasparo, because that is what we were hired to do. If it benefits others in the area, we will consider that a plus, but that will not have been our intent." I didn’t add that trying to protect the spectators would not only increase the risk to Gasparo but to the Guard. "Ironically, your security forces will be more concerned with protecting the participants than Gasparo, so the two should balance out. My concern is that everyone understands what you hired the Guard to do and how we will attempt to honor that commitment."

  "The Black Guard," Maull said quietly, almost to herself, invoking nods from those close enough to hear. After the magistrates left, Rickard and his two lieutenants gave us a tour of the Tribunal building and then escorted us back to the military base prison where persons awaiting trial by the Supreme Tribunal were held. That meant two half-hour trips each day to and from the Tribunal, and two excellent opportunities to attempt to free or kill Gasparo.

  The prison facility at the installation had five long, single-story structures each within a single fenced area with only one entrance, and the entire area was completely surrounded by a double fence.

  I decided that one team would be housed at the military installation and the other at the Tribunal building. The team at the installation would accompany the caravan in the morning to the courthouse and the team at the courthouse would accompany the caravan back to the installation. Combined with a detail of Colonel Richard’s troops, that would provide reasonable protection during transportation, and maximum Guard protection at the courthouse—the two most likely places for an assassination or escape attempt.

  The Tribunal building had six courtrooms: the three smaller ones on the first floor and the three larger ones on the second floor. The second floor courtrooms were used for the most important cases, because they required the largest participation. Over everyone’s objections, I insisted that the courtroom on the second floor at the far wall, designated CR-1, be used for the trial; that the adjacent courtroom, CR-2, be reserved for the Guard to use as its quarters; and that courtroom CR-3, adjacent to CR-2, be available as necessary.

  Likewise, I had the military dedicate one of the five detention buildings to Captain Gasparo, leaving room for the Guard to create quarters in the building with him. The building had a locked security entrance into the cells and a security room that controlled the entrance doors into the building, small dining area, and hallway to the eight cells. That gave the Guard complete control of the building.

  "You are paranoid," Rickard said when I finished making assignments. I gave a wry smile.

  "It will get worse, as I discover other potential areas of weakness. Your security is excellent to protect prisoners against most random assassinations by ordinary nuts and escape attempts, but I have to assume this threat will be carried out by professional individuals or groups. They will be organized and well thought out and executed."

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Halo: Friends of Captain Gasparo

  As I expected, the Guard proved disruptive as everyone adjusted to our ubiquitous presence. Most gave us a wide berth when they encountered us in hallways or rooms. Some tried to insist, to no avail, that we had no right to be here or were prohibited from attending some meeting or other. We ignored them.

  The first night, the building designated Unit-five was cleared of all prisoners, and bunks and bedding were provided for the Guard. We spent the night learning the control room setup and how the cameras, alarms, and locks worked. On the morning of the second day, Gasparo was delivered to us by Colonel Rickard and four guards.

  "Captain Sapir, I am formally turning Captain Gasparo over to your custody. Captain Gasparo, meet Captain Sapir of the Black Guard," Rickard said, smiling and looking relieved to be rid of the responsibility. Gasparo gave me an appraising look. Although his angular face supported an amused look, his eyes were deadly serious, and I would wager he would remember every detail: what weapons we wore, their positions on us, whether we were left or right handed, etc. Information that could be useful later.

  "I see Halo has gone to considerable expense for my wellbeing," Gasparo said. "Nice uniforms, I like black. Helps the image." He stood a good head taller than me, and a least five stone of muscle heavier. Catching Rickard’s security guards relaxed, he took another two steps towards me—and into the barrel of my laser which I drove into his solar plexus. The air exploded out of him as he staggered backward.

  "It’s nice to meet you, Captain Gasparo. Be advised, we don’t shake hands or play games."

  "That was clever, but then, you can’t shoot me, can you?" he asked, grinning, between deep gasping breaths. When he could breathe normally again, he ran his hand through his long black hair and gave me a rakish smile.

  "Careful, Captain Gasparo. The Black Guard is only concerned with our contract with Halo, not you. If there is an assassination attempt on your life, we will defend you to the last Guard or until you are killed. However, if there is an escape attempt, we will attempt to keep you prisoner only as long as we believe we can win."

  "Then you will surrender me. That is reasonable." His smile widened. I laughed.

  "No. We’ll kill you."

  "Why?"

  "Who would want to die to rescue a dead man? If we cannot fulfill the contract and keep you alive, at least we can make sure you don’t escape. And it will avoid further loss of Guard lives."

  "You wouldn’t kill someone in cold blood. I can’t defend myself!" His voice rose with each word.

  "Hope your friends come in numbers we can handle, Captain Gasparo. The Black Guard is committed to protecting you from assassination and escape—not death. Your options are to stand trial or die," I said, with a slight shrug. Gasparo’s smile faded, and he stood glaring at me. "Sergeant Catz, would you show our prisoner to his quarters and get him settled."

  "Yes, sir," Catz walked up to Gasparo and waved toward the door to the prison hallway. As she did, Private Volpe in the control room clicked open the lock and Corporal Behr opened the door, and the three proceeded down the hallway. Rickard gave a short laugh.

  "I think you shook the unflappable Captain Gasparo with your interpretation of the terms of your contract with Halo. I have to admit I hadn’t considered all the consequences. We tend to see things from our own perspective. Halo sees the Black Guard keeping him alive to stand trial. Gasparo sees his friends breaking him out. None of us saw it from your perspective." Rickard stared at the retreating backs of Gasparo and the Guards. "Good night, Captain Sapir. See you tomorrow."

  * * *

  The next morning, Colonel Rickard was outside the prison compound sharply at nine a.m. with three limos and ten security guards on motorcycles. We had Gasparo ready. Corporal Behr entered the back seat with him, while Corporal Alpert entered the driver’s side and Private Volpe got in the passenger seat. I entered the passenger seat in the first car with Rickard in the back, while Corporal Polak took the driver’s side. Sergeant Nadel drove the third vehicle, while Sergeant Catz rode in the passenger seat. Sergeant Ganz mounted a motorcycle and began down the road towards the base exit with five security motorcycles following. Rickard and I had concluded the most vulnerable part of the trip to the Tribunal building was the twenty kilometers between the base and the beginning of the city proper. That area was lightly populated and would provide plenty of places for a large group to wait without attracting notice. Ganz would be looking for suspicious activity ahead of the
caravan. The remaining five motorcycles would accompany the cars which would maintain a one kilometer separation with Ganz. Once in the city, we had selected five alternative routes to the Tribunal which would be randomly selected each day.

  "Which route?" Rickard asked as we approached the city proper.

  "Route five," I said, sending Ganz the number on his Mfi.

  "Do you believe this will deter an attack?" Rickard asked, frowning.

  "No. All they have to do is select one of the streets we will eventually use and wait until we do. But hopefully it disrupts their timing or preparation or causes them to split their resources. No sense making it easy for them," I said. Rickard laughed.

  "I see your point. It won’t bother the real professionals, just slow them down, but it may cause the amateurs to rush and make mistakes."

  We arrived at the Tribunal without incident, cleared security, and took the stairway to the second floor hallway where Sergeant Cerff watched the entrance to the waiting area and Corporal Toch patrolled the back corridor the justices used to access the courtrooms. Inside CR-2, Lieutenant Elijah and Sergeant Mintz’s team took responsibility for Gasparo, and he and his remaining team led Gasparo into CR-1. Lieutenant Elijah and I followed.

  "How did it go, Elijah?" I asked.

  "The building closes officially at six p.m.; however, some of the justices and their staff were here until close to nine p.m. Although the tribunal security conducts periodic walk-arounds, I kept three Guards on duty: one patrolling the second floor hallway, one the second floor waiting area, and one the first floor."

  "Good. The best times to attempt to rescue Gasparo would be during transportation to and from the base and here in the tribunal building. And if I were going to make an attempt here, I’d like to make preparations beforehand: store weapons, hide people, or rig explosives.

  "Where do you think most likely, Captain?" Elijah asked as we entered the courtroom. The room was full and the door to the waiting room closed, with two tribunal security men standing guard at the doors. Mintz had sent Sergeant Haber into the waiting area. He and the other three took up positions at each corner of the room. The room from about half way to the doors was reserved for authorized spectators, a fourth of the room in front of the spectators was set aside for the prosecutor and defense teams, and the last quarter for the Justices and administration: recorder, clerk, and another security guard. Elijah and I stayed in the corner close to the raised platform in the back of the room were the justices sat. Ulises and the other two justices, Maull and Heflin, entered shortly afterward.

  "All rise for the honorable Magistrates Ulises, Maull, and Heflin," the woman clerk said into a microphone which could be heard through speakers positioned around the room. When they took their seats, Ulises nodded to the prosecutor, an elderly man with grey hair.

  "Your honors, The Halo Thirty Alliance charges Captain Gasparo with high crimes against the Alliance. Specifically, the planet of Jovance charges Captain Gasparo with the destruction of three of its merchant ships and the loss of 207 lives. The planet of Mercy charges Captain Gasparo…" The list took a half hour to read. After he had finished, a tall woman sitting with Gasparo rose. "Your Honors, the charges brought by the planet Mercy are local crimes which have no business in this court…"

  The day was spent arguing over which charges should be considered under Halo Alliance laws and which were local crimes and should be addressed by the specific planetary government. Gasparo’s attorney won about thirty percent, which still left Gasparo with about ten hanging offenses. Gasparo ate lunch with us in CR-2. His other two meals, breakfast and dinner, were provided at the base. I stayed with Sergeant Catz’s team, while Elijah along with Mintz’s team escorted the prisoner back to the prison.

  * * *

  "Well, Captain Sapir, what do you think? It has been eight days and nothing has happened. Your reputation maybe?" Rickard asked as we began leaving the base for our trip to the tribunal building.

  "No, people always believe laws, customs, and rumors don’t apply to them. In this case, they will assume the rumors are wildly exaggerated or that they are smarter or better prepared or whatever," I said. "If they are any good, they are watching us, looking for weak spots in our security, observing behavior patterns, and working through various scenarios. With the existing level of security, Tribunal and Guard, timing and contingency plans will be critical. An escape attempt is going to require more than a few individuals to succeed."

  "On the road, then?"

  "That would be my choice. Less people to interfere—" I stopped when my Mfi buzzed.

  "Captain, unless I’m wrong, we just passed a potential ambush about five kilometers from the base. It looks like road work, but… I didn’t stop and the security folks took the hint or weren’t suspicious," Ganz said.

  "Polak, stop the car," I said. "Colonel, Sergeant Ganz has reported road work ahead which he believes is suspicious. I’d like you to send a large detail to investigate."

  "There is always road work along these roads… alright." He tapped on his phone and waited. "Captain Ericson, I want a… an army platoon to investigate some road construction approximately five kilometers from the base. Put air support on standby." He listened for a minute. "Yes, immediately." He clipped his phone back onto his belt. "Five minutes. I hope you’re right."

  "I don’t," I smiled. "I’d prefer your troops think us paranoid, or cowards, and get a good laugh at our expense, than lose lives."

  "But your reputation," Rickard said, a puzzled look on his face.

  "Reputation is important for the Jax, but duty comes first. If we drive into a well prepared trap, we will lose and Gasparo will be killed. It won’t matter how many we kill or how bravely we fight. We will have failed the intent of our contract—protecting Gasparo so he can stand trial. In this case, the army is much better suited to take on a hostile force on open ground. They will have air support and no distractions like having to protect a prisoner. Eventually Gasparo’s friends will force the Black Guard to fight, and they and Gasparo will regret it."

  Several minutes later two armored vehicles and five troop trucks raced by us. Rickard remained silent but was clearly nervous, his hand frequently fidgeting around his phone. His phone rang just as four combat shuttles passed overhead.

  "You were right. Captain Ericson is reporting heavy fighting at the site against military grade weapons, missiles, and over fifty hostiles. He’s called in air support. We wouldn’t have survived…" Rickard turned his phone towards me, which had a streaming video of the action. I nodded and leaned back, content to await the final result. I was in a killing profession, but I didn’t revel in killing. I preferred to focus on saving lives. Rickard was glued to his phone’s video. Sometime later, he sighed. "Captain Ericson says the road is clear of obstructions. They killed eight, captured eleven, and he estimates thirty or more got away, many wounded."

  "And your troops?" I asked, hoping he fared better.

  "Four dead and eight wounded." Rickard gave me a weak grin. "A good showing."

  "Very good, Colonel." I nodded. "Corporal Polak, we can go now."

  * * *

  When we reached the tribunal building the rumors were already racing through the building. Justice Ulises had Colonel Rickard and me summoned to his office where justices Maull and Heflin waited.

  Ulises’s office was the size of a small courtroom, with a large window, at least four by three meters, which faced out the front of the building. An elaborately carved desk sat several steps away from the window and on the right side was a wide built-in bookcase filled with leather-bound books. In front of his desk were two cushioned arm-chairs presently occupied by Maull and Heflin, and in the middle of the room was a rectangular table with chairs for eight. The walls were paneled in a rich brown wood, adorned with a variety of photos and paintings.

  "We understand that the Halo army stopped an attempt to rescue Captain Gasparo," Ulises said in a neutral tone of voice which didn’t quite match the star
e he was giving me.

  "That is correct," I said, waiting for the punch line. In a way, this was the fun part of the job.

  "Why do we need the Guard then?" Heflin interjected through a sneer.

  "If you feel the Halo army is sufficient, we can leave," I said, trying to keep the amusement out of my voice.

  "What do you consider you responsibilities?" Maull asked. From her expression, she seemed to be seeking clarification rather than confrontation.

  "To keep the prisoner alive so that he can stand trial. He’s here and unhurt."

  "With the help of our military," Heflin shouted.

  "That is correct. They were very effective. If you would prefer not to use your troops, you could hire the Jax army to provide future ground security."

  "We’re paying the Jax to do just that, and not getting what we are paying for!" Heflin shouted.

  "If you will read your contract with the Jax, you are paying the Black Guard to guard the prisoner, Gasparo, at the prison and at the tribunal. In point of fact, the Guard accompanying the prisoner during his transportation to and from the tribunal provides a service you’re not paying for. We have no ground vehicles, no military grade weapons, and no combat shuttles to provide adequate protection against an attack like today."

  "Captain Sapir is right, Justice Heflin," Rickard said. "We would all have been killed, including Gasparo, or he would have escaped. The army had to call in air support or our losses would have been triple what they were."

  "Enough," Ulises said. "Gasparo’s safe and unhurt, and everyone seems to have done their job. The trial will resume after lunch."

  * * *

  "You remain untested," Gasparo said as he sat eating dinner. Nadel, Behr, and Polak were off shift and eating at another table. Corporal Alpert had responsibility for Gasparo and stood off to the side watching him eat.

  "Since you are alive, your friends failed, and none of the Guard were injured, I’d say we were tested and passed."

  "You didn’t chase… my friends off," he snorted.