by CR Daems
"Sire, somehow the attackers found that Princess Isobel was at the Royal Pavilion. They had three women scouting the pavilion for the princess and ten men, enough to overwhelm her normal security. One of the women found the princess in the Frederika Wing. But instead of alerting the men, she attempted to assassinate the princess. Senior Sergeant Zinn stopped the woman before she could stab the princess. A short time later the ten men appeared. They told us we could leave if we left the woman and the princess," Gordan said but was interrupted before he could continue.
"Where was the princess?" Machado asked leaning forward in his chair.
"Captain Sapir, had taken her into one of the stores thinking the attackers would assume she was with palace security. When the rebels passed the store, Captain Sapir and the princess left the wing."
"Go on." Machado waved for him to continue.
"I knew they wouldn't let us leave until they knew where the princess was hiding, and they had weapons visible. I decided better to shoot first, hoping to minimize the damage and give the Guard time to get the princess away."
"Captain Sapir?" Machado asked. I wasn't sure what he wanted from me. "I understand one of your Guards was injured."
"I left several Guards mingling in the crowd to help palace security if necessary, and to ensure none of the men realized the princess wasn't with her palace detail and chased after us. They were unaware Colonel Gordan would open fire without warning. The corporal's wound is minor." I didn’t add that would be the last time I would support the palace guard.
"No reprisals or comments?"
"No. The Black Guard does not do reprisals. It was my decision to leave Guards in a position to be harmed if Colonel Gordan chose to fire on the attackers. The colonel is not responsible for the Guard's safety, just as I'm not responsible to protect the public or palace security unless it somehow helps protect you or the princess," I said, knowing it would sound heartless. Machado nodded.
"You let Isobel go to the pavilion," he said but it was a question–maybe several.
"We try to interfere with our clients lives as little as possible, and I'm still evaluating the threat," I said.
"Your conclusion?"
"That you are safe so long as Princess Isobel is alive–"
He roared a laugh and smacked the arm of his chair. "Why?"
"Because your opponent would rather have you on the throne than Isobel. Consequently, he is focusing his efforts on killing her. Personally, I would target you first," I said but didn't elaborate since it was obvious.
"I am glad you aren't my opponent, Captain. Yes, Isobel is reckless and thinks it's a game. Like chess, she has castles, bishops, knights, and pawns to protect her and thinks her opponents are not as clever as she is," Machado said, as Isobel walked into the room, looking dressed to go somewhere.
"Well, they aren't, Uncle," Isobel said as she walked to where Machado was sitting and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She turned and gave me a smirk of a smile.
"They are smart enough to know they don't want you on the throne, I mused. "They do not have to be smarter. Just lucky. One stray pellet is all it will take," I said but didn’t add, or one foolish move, like going shopping.
"Well, Captain Sapir?" the king asked.
"No more shopping trips. Your adversaries have people monitoring the princess' activities or watching this building. They aren't afraid of collateral damage or dying, and appear organized," I said and waited for Isobel's inevitable outburst.
"UNCLE! That will make me a prisoner," she shouted.
"Think of it as keeping your uncle safe," I said, unable to avoid the comment. The king's lip twitched in what I thought a repressed smile.
CHAPTER FIVE
Vargas: Reality 101
Isobel was in a constant state of anger over the following week and wanted everyone to know it. Not that anyone appeared to care; in fact, many appeared to find it amusing and were secretly enjoying her situation.
"How long is this going to last?" Isobel demanded, after a week of ignoring me except for her constant looks that wanted vengeance.
"Until you can convince the general population that having you as a queen might be tolerable," I said while barely managing to maintain a bland expression.
"They have no choice. It's my birthright," she growled.
"They have lots of choices. Assassination. Revolution. Coup d’état. It is done often. Vargas will not be the first or the last. And it's the reason the Jax is so in demand. But we are only a temporary solution, because we do not fix the basic problem–cruel or indifferent or incompetent rulers."
"So, the peasants have to like me?"
"No, but they do have to tolerate you. You, like all rulers, rule at the public's will–"
"I will have an army to protect me!" she shouted and smiled.
"Taken from the population of Vargas. They have fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, relatives, and friends. Their first loyalty is to them, not you." Her triumphant smile had disappeared. "A cook could poison you, a security guard could shoot you, a maid could put a bomb in your bedroom–"
"Enough!" Isobel screamed. She stood glaring at me. Then she smiled. "I'll hire the Black Guard to protect me."
"We are a temporary solution, Princess Isobel. No one is rich enough to afford the Black Guard for years." I paused before delivering the rest of the bad news. "Even if you were, we are not infallible. Eventually, someone would get lucky, or smarter, or just overwhelm us with numbers or artillery or…"
"So, you can't protect me?" She sneered. I couldn't understand why. We were talking about her life not mine.
"As I said. We are good but not infallible."
CHAPTER SIX
Vargas: They Hear But Don't Assimilate.
The emergency alarm on my Mfi jerked me out of a sound sleep and found myself standing at the side of my bed with my Mfw in my hand, a reflexive response, resulting from the high-tension environment in which we currently existed. Although Isobel had been unusually cooperative, the rebels hadn't changed their minds or given up. They would soon be looking for ways to enter her residence, because she refused to come out to play. When I looked at my Mfi, the message read.
I hurriedly dressed and was out the door in under a minute, knowing the emergency alarm would have everyone on route to their assigned client. I chose Isobel's suite as Lieutenant Elijah would be with the king. I arrived at the entrance to Isobel's wing just as her off duty Guards arrived. The attackers had used an explosive charge to gain entrance and had left two men to guard the hallway. They died as multiple lasers scored hits to kill zones. Sergeant Glick, Corporal Markov, and I slid into the entrance as Corporal Uziel and Private Kao stood in the open doorway, providing a high-low attack profile. They apparently hadn't heard us kill the two outside guards as they were all facing into the interior of the suite. The reception area looked like a bombed-out room. The walls had meter sized holes, and the furniture was shredded from bullets and laser fire. I immediately saw why. A man crouched behind a nearly destroyed bar was loading what looked like a Russian RPG-32, probably what the attackers used to blow off the outer door and to dislodge the Guards watching Isobel. As he rose, I shot him in the head since he was wearing a bullet-proof vest. Two shots followed mine and his head exploded. Two of the attackers spun in time to face multiple laser strikes to their heads and throats before they could target their opponents on the floor. Silence. Fearing the worse, I rose, vaulted what was left of a large couch, and dove through the shattered door into what was once an elegant study.
"The room is clear, Captain," Zinn said, rising from behind a large cherry desk, her clothes soaked with blood.
"Uziel, see to Zinn's wounds," I shouted but it was not unnecessary as she was already pushing furniture out of her path to get to the desk. "Zinn, what's your group's status?" I asked fearing the worst as I surveyed the room, which looked much like the outer room, a junk yard used for target practice.
<
br /> "We were just getting ready to escort Princess Isabel to breakfast with her uncle when Corporal Krebs alerted me to gunmen approaching. He managed to get back into the room only seconds before a missile hit the door. The explosion threw him across the room. He sustained multiple injuries but remained functional. I sent him with the Princess into her bathroom suite as Sergeant Haber and I awaited the attackers. They rushed en masse. We manage to kill four of the eight before the remaining four found cover." She paused as Uziel removed her jacket. Although she didn't cry out, she was in obvious pain judging by the expression on her face. "We killed several more during the firefight but reinforcements joined them. I believe there were twelve or thirteen in total. Good thing you arrived when you did, Captain. I don't think we would have survived another round with that RPG.
"Where the hell have you been, Sapir," Isabel screamed as she came flying out of the bathroom suite with Krebs hobbling behind her in an effort to keep up. I ignored her and switched on my Mfi.
"Lieutenant Elijah, what is your status?" I asked when I saw her face appear."
"I think it was a diversion, Captain. There were only four and, although the king was never in danger, he collapsed right afterward. Corporal Reti believes he had a heart attack. I've contacted palace security who are transferring him to the hospital. I and a team of four will accompany him to the hospital."
"Elijah, check with the doctors at the hospital. If necessary, we, can always have him transported to the Screeching Eagle–"
"NO!" Isabel shouted as she jumped over a small table to stand next to me. Then in a lower voice she said, "I won't permit it."
I made no attempt to argue. For one thing, he could survive at the hospital and not require the Screeching Eagles medical facility. Besides, I had no authority to overrule her decision. I changed channels on my Mfi and a minute later saw the face of Captain Hammond.
"Captain, could you please send a shuttle to the Kings residence–"
"I forbid it!" Isabel screamed, her face flushed and twisted in rage.
"I have several seriously wounded Guards, who will require your medical facilities," I said into my Mfi, ignoring Isobel, who had stepped back but didn't look repentant. "Sergeant Haber, you're in charge of the detail." I should have been repulsed by Isobel's obvious attempt to gain the throne, but she was no different than many rulers who are driven by self-interest and greed. Nothing I could say or do would change that.
* * *
Two days later, I stood in the reception room looking up at Isobel, who sat in the king's chair, looking down at me like a cat sizing up a juicy meal.
"Princess, you asked to see me?" I said, giving a small bow.
"It's your highness not princess," she said in a superior to a servant tone of voice.
"Until you have officially been appointed Queen, it's princess. But now that you bring it up, the king's death and your new position cancels the old contract. I've contacted the Screeching Eagle and plan to leave later today."
"I want a new contract," she said, shocking me speechless. That was the last thing I expected or wanted.
"I don't negotiate contracts, and a new contract would be more expensive and include conditions to which you would not agree," I said, totally confused. Now that she would soon be queen, she would feel free to do anything she wanted and would not listen to the Guard. She was obviously toying with me. She smiled like a cat who had her mouse trapped beneath her paw with her claws forming a cage.
"Colonel Gordan," she said in a voice dripping with pleasure. Gordon, looking nervous, said something into his hand-held communication device and a few seconds later ten men entered the room with their weapons drawn. "Captain Sapir, through her negligence caused my dear uncle's death and must be held accountable."
I smiled back at her, as I clicked on Captain Hammond's icon. When his face appeared, I sighed. "Captain, I am sorry to interrupt your duties, but I have a ruler who thinks she has authority over the Jax and can punish me at her will. When the shuttle with my detail clears the area, I would appreciate a kinetic strike on the king's residence," I said. Isobel continued smiling like it was a joke. I left my Mfi on speaker.
"I estimate it will take twenty-two minutes to move the Screeching Eagle into position By then, your teams' shuttle should have sufficient altitude. It's been an honor knowing you, Captain Sapir." My Mfi screen went blank. I clicked on the emergency icon. "This is Captain Sapir. Lieutenant Elijah, I am ordering you to load the shuttle immediately. You are authorized to kill anyone you believe is attempting to hinder you leaving. In twenty-two minutes, there will be a kinetic strike on the king's resident which will turn this area for two kilometers into ash. You are to make no attempt to rescue me. It's been my privilege and an honor to serve with the men and women of the Black Guard." I clicked off.
"You're joking," Isobel said, but lacked her previous confidence.
"Princess, the Black Guard does not salute anyone, does not shake hands, and does not make idle threats. If we did, then people would think we were joking when we made a threat and it would be worthless. You have twenty-one minutes to play queen. I folded into a meditating posture as I waited what was to come." Sometime later, I heard Colonel Gordan's voice.
"Your Majesty, I believe her. The black in Black Guard isn't for the color of their uniforms. It's for death. In addition, Captain Sapir has a reputation of being a heartless bitch," Gordan said, trying to keep his voice normal although the urgency was evident.
"She will die too," she said trying to sound uninterested.
"That is true your majesty, but she doesn't seem to care. She is the only person in the room not watching the time, and I hear the Guard's shuttle leaving," Gordan said. This time his voice had a slight tremor.
"Alright, Captain Sapir, you can leave. I've decided I should not hold you responsible for my uncle's death. It was a medical problem," Isobel said, trying to sound condescending. But I could sense her rising terror. She was in the process of achieving her goal of being the queen of Vargas and risking being killed by her desire to punish me for not bending to her will.
I nodded, and clicked on the icon to the Screeching Eagle. Captain Hammond's face appeared almost immediately.
"That was cutting it close, Sapir. Your teams' shuttle has just cleared the impact zone and I was preparing to issue the order to execute the strike on the king's palace," Hammond said, looking a bit pale.
"I apologize, Captain. I was sick over the thought of all the people who would die if you ordered a kinetic strike on the palace, but rulers cannot be allowed to think they have the right of life and death over the Jax."
"Do you want me to have the shuttle return to the palace?" he asked.
"No. I believe the crisis is over; however, I would not like my team in harm's way if it isn't. Please send another shuttle to pick me up."
"Two hours, Captain Sapir. And I expect you to check in every half hour or I'll assume the crisis is still in effect."
"Thank you, Captain Hammond, will do," I said and cut the connection.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sasser Mountain: Interlude from Killing
"Sapir, that was a decision I hope I never have to make again," Captain Hammond said at dinner that night. He had invited his, XO, Commander Malone, his marine commander, Colonel Torres, Lieutenant Elijah, and me. "I know the result is roughly the same when I order missiles against an opposing cruiser, but against innocent and defenseless…humans," his voice tailed off on the last word.
"I felt the same way, Captain. I didn't give the ultimatum to save my life but to uphold Jax's integrity," I said, knowing it was true. My life wasn't worth the hundreds that would have died to save it.
"For the same reason, I would have ordered the strike on the palace, but I'm glad the princess didn't think it was a bluff," Hammond said and his face relaxed. "What do you think will happen now?" Commander Malone asked.
"She will be dead within six months. Unfortunately, many good soldiers will die trying to pr
otect her reckless activities.
* * *
My mind in a turmoil, it took several days for me to write my after-action report and turn it in to Commander Wexler.
"You did the right thing, Sapir, threatening a strike on the palace. You can't apply the Take no Prisoners philosophy to this situation. Threatening to punish you was an attempt to undermine one of our basic premises. We are not subservient to our clients. If you hadn't acted, future clients would conclude they had the right."
"Yes, sir. That is what I finally concluded."
* * *
Still troubled, I took the shuttle to Cordo and then a skimmer to Tagar City where Choje Abhaya, a Buddhist monk who had become my mentor, lived. It was mid-morning, and I found him cleaning his meditation and teaching room. The floors were made of a light-colored bamboo, and at the head of the room was a meter-size statue of Buddha, sitting lotus style in a monk’s saffron colored robe. The statue sat on a mahogany platform. Behind the statue was a painting of a Bodhi Tree. Walking into the room felt like passing through a shower that washed away my worries and doubts.
I bowed as Abhaya turned toward me. He bowed back.
"It is good to see you, Rivka." He frowned as he approached me. "You look troubled," he said as he motioned toward several cushions. I folded into a meditation posture, not wanting the comfort of cushions, and proceeded to tell him about my confrontation with Isobel. "Yes, that must have been a troubling decision.