by CR Daems
"Can you get me into the casino?" I asked thinking the raiders controlled the high ground and would have shooters watching the entrance points.
"Yes, through the basement, which holds the facility's heating, cooling, sewage, and water equipment. It has an underground vehicle entrance that is shielded from the hotel's windows." He waved toward the waiting vehicles.
"Have the raiders killed anyone to date?" I asked, wondering about the level of violence they had caused. That may be key in crafting a solution.
"They killed four and wounded eight of the initial Zanoga military who rushed the casino. Five customers and staff were killed immediately, and eight in the resulting melee, but it's impossible to say who shot them. Zanoga is probably as likely as the raiders because of the chaos. They killed three and wounded five Jax army when we rushed the casino. By then they had moved the hostages into the hotel. We know five raiders have been killed but not how many were wounded." As he spoke the vehicles entered down a slopping ramp and into an underground loading area. We exited the vehicles and walked through a side door into a large two-story high room that looked to run the length of the hotel. It was loaded with huge water tanks, boilers, miles of pipes, electrical panels, and maintenance equipment.
"This level can only be accessed through the underground entrance and one elevator which we control," Issak said.
"So, the raiders’ only points of escape are the two hotel elevators, the two stairways, and the windows from the second floor up?" I stated to make sure I understood their options.
"We can deny them the elevators," Issak said. "Although they are blocking their use now."
"Do you have a negotiator?"
"The Zanoga government sent one. He is in contact with the raiders, a man using the name Rkady, which is the name their merchant ship is broadcasting," Issak said, as he led us to the freight elevator which was large enough to accommodate us all. "He is using the casino's back area where all the offices, computers, and security is located as his command center." Issak led us down a long hallway and through a secured door into a maze of offices. One looked like a rest area with snacks and drinks, another led to an employees' locker room. Finally, we reached a glassed-in conference room filled with people. The military guards saluted and one opened the door.
"Lieutenant Elijah, I want two Guards on this door, two monitoring the hotel elevators, and five on each stairway. They are to be positioned to kill any raiders attempting to exit. In addition, I want two men in the basement. I'm sending you their assignment," I said, and clicked send to the message I had typed while in the elevator.
"Yes, sir," she said then smiled at the message on her Mfi. "Right away, sir."
I left it to Elijah and our two senior sergeants, Haber and Nadel, to determine the individual assignments, and followed Issak into the room.
"Mr. Garrisen is the government negotiator," Issak said, pointing to an elderly man in his fifties who was dressed like an executive. He looked exhausted. In the middle of the table was a conference phone station.
"Do these bystanders have a useful purpose?" I asked out of idle curiosity.
"They are government and military officials to help with the negotiations," Issak said, giving me a quizzical look.
"Mr. Garrisen, are you in communication with this Rkady person?" I focused all my attention on Garrisen, ignoring the muttering around the room.
"Who just came in the room," a harsh voice emanated from the speaker on the conference table.
"Good. You are no longer needed. Everyone out! " I said.
"By who's authority," a matronly looking woman demanded.
"Your government, who signed a contract with the Jax to resolve this issue. If I need your help, I'll send someone to fetch you. Out." Sergeant Toch had the door open and both men had their hands on their Mfws. They slowly filed out, many with a comment as they passed me.
"Arrogant bitch."
"I'm lodging a complaint."
"Typical military reaction, force."
"If civilians are hurt, you will be held accountable."
"Garrisen, what is going on," the same harsh voice from the speaker. Toch closed the door while Corporal Preis waved for the group to move along. I sat in Garrison's chair as Elijah entered. She and Issak took seats towards the end of the table.
"What did that government toady promise you, Rkady?"
"Who am I talking to," Rkady asked, sounding rattled.
"A shuttle and all the money you could carry?" I asked. Issak looked wide eyed. Elijah looked amused, but then she had served with me on multiple assignments. Rkady appeared to had recovered his composure.
"Well it's the only way you are going to save the hostages," he said, in a command voice. I laughed for a full minute.
"My contract is to remove you from the premises. I don't get a bonus for saving the idiots you captured."
"Who am I talking to!" he demanded in a loud and commanding voice.
"Captain Sapir of the Black Guard at your service," I said. There was a long silence.
"The captain at New Keif…and Halo?" The voice was low as in thought.
"Those were fun assignments. Like shooting ducks at a carnival shooting gallery. Not much sport. Most of those troops couldn't hit an elephant at twenty meters with a full clip." I tried my best to sound contemptuous.
"You have a reputation as being a heartless bitch, among other things," Rkady said.
"Has a nice sound doesn't it, but it so sexist. I'd prefer heartless sadistic killer. That better captures the mood," I said, and continued before he could answer. "Proving I'm not completely heartless, I am giving you one hour to die like men, trying to fight your way out–"
"How the Hell are you going to get us to leave the hotel?"
"I had suggested setting the hotel on fire, but the idiot general in charge let the Zanoga government insert a clause voiding the contract if we burned the building or used missiles. Pissing about the loss of civilian life, the cost of the building, and lost revenue while it was being rebuilt. Personally, I think they were more worried about getting reelected. Oh, it is now forty-five minutes," I said, reminding him in a roundabout way that this discussion had a time limit.
"You will have to come and fight us one-on-one on the stairs and in each room where our hostages will be helping to shield us from the heartless bitch." He laughed.
"I'm afraid you have taken heartless bitch to be a slur by those who hear rumors. In fact, it is more an accepted fact. I've loaded cyanide-gas cylinders into the air conditioning system. They are due to activate in…" I paused as if looking at my watch. During the pause Issak’s face went stony white. Only Elijah’s shake of her head stopped him from screaming at me. "…twenty-five minutes. Die like a coward or like a man."
"You wouldn't," he said, but not with a lot of confidence. "You would kill over two hundred civilians!"
"Me? No, Rkady, you. They will be activated by a cell telephone which will be found in your possession. You'll go down in Zanoga’s history with a worse reputation than mine. See you in Hell, Rkady," I said and hung up. Elijah laughed finally, unable to contain her amusement.
"My God, Sapir you had me believing every word of it. I thought you had gone mad. I am still not sure it will work." Issak stopped to look at Elijah's Mfi, where I assumed she had my message displayed.
"The smoke canisters are intended to convince them there is poisonous gas entering the rooms and hallways; the canisters contain sleep agents in case they don't take the threat seriously, and choose to stay. It should give us time to clean house," I explained my logic.
"What if they kill the hostages out of spite," Issak asked, trying to conjure the worst scenario.
"It was my decision so, I'm responsible for the outcome," I said to stop further discussion of what bad things could happen. "I think going floor by floor would also have caused them to kill hostages. They have nothing to lose. Zanoga is not going to let them go free."
Exactly at the one-hour time limit,
Elijah looked at me. I nodded and she tapped on her Mfi. Within seconds, we could hear the canisters exploding, and several minutes later a misty smoke began drifting out the ventilation ducts. Issak, Elijah, and I took a position some twenty meter behind the two groups guarding the stairs. That permitted us to watch both doors and see if anyone managed to make it past the waiting Guards.
Both stairway doors burst open at the same time, as forty plus raiders rushed into the casino firing on automatic and spraying side-to-side as they didn't know the position of the Guards. Unfortunately, for the raiders, the single door entrance limited the number that could leave at one time. Most died within three steps of the door. It was over in less than a minute, since they were afraid to stay in the stairs for fear of the cyanide gas.
"Elijah, check on our teams," I said, hoping the spray-and-pray firing hadn't killed anyone.
"I wonder what they did to the hostages?" Issak said, a worried look on his face.
"Hopefully, nothing as they were expecting them to die from the cyanide," I said, feeling mentally exhausted. The outcome could still be a disaster. "If you don't mind, I'll let the army check. It will be faster as you have more people."
General Issak was still shaking his head when we boarded the Black Leopard for the trip home.
* * *
"I would have thought that would take a week or two to resolve," Captain Ippolit said at dinner that night. She had invited Lieutenant Elijah and me to dinner along with Colonel Helon and the XO.
"That's why General Issak likes Sapir. She makes impossibly thorny situations disappear like magic," Helon said, shaking his head in resignation. "I'm afraid, Sapir, that puts you number one on the General's speed dial, if you are not already there."
"What do you think, Lieutenant Elijah?" Ippolit asked.
"The general is like Captain Sapir. He doesn't consider his troops expendable pawns, and knows Captain Sapir thinks outside the box and is capable of creating solutions that minimize the losses."
Ippolit laughed. "Sapir you appear to have your fingers in every one of the services, with General Issak and the army, the FIST with the commandos, and trouble shooter for the Jax Committee."
"We are all family," I said, not sure what else to say.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Planet: Jax, Sasser Mountain
"That was a very dangerous gambit, Sapir," Wexler said, after reading my after-action report. "That could have been a disaster and gotten all of the hostages killed, and given us a very unfavorable reputation."
"No one wanted to compromise," I said, having given it a lot of thought on the trip back to Sasser Mountain. "The raiders knew if they surrendered, they would get a death sentence. Consequently, their only option was to begin killing hostages in the hope that the Zanoga government would cave and let them go. The Zanoga government was adamant that the raiders be captured or killed. Too many Zanogans had been killed for them to capitulate. Besides, that would set a dangerous precedent. Sending the Black Guard to route them out would have taken a week or more, and we couldn't have saved the hostages. The raiders would have used them as shields, distractions, and killed them in frustration. They had nothing to lose. So, I judged the bluff a reasonable gambit. Actually, it wasn't really a bluff as I did intend to gas them, just not with cyanide." I snorted. "From the raiders perspective, sleeping gas would have been worse as they would have woken up in prison."
"You dragons scare me," Wexler said shaking his head in frustration. "And you, Sapir, are innovative, which scares me even more."
* * *
The next month was quieter than normal as the Jax were in high demand and most of the people remaining on Sasser Mountain were instructors and candidates. I did manage to visit Tagar City and my friend and mentor, Choje Abhaya, who agreed to take me on as a student, smiling and commenting. "It should be an interesting journey for both of us." On a whim, I visited Hadera and met with my younger brother, Alvah.
"Thank you, Rivka…sister, for visiting me," Alvah said, as we sat eating in a local restaurant. "I know you and father don't get along."
"When I was young, I tried to please him but never could. When he sent me to the military, I was alone and scared and hated him," I said but was interrupted by Alvah.
"He said he had no choice. When I was born, you were the only one eligible."
"Alvah, the truth is that our father believes women are lessor humans, only here to bear children and make men's lives comfortable. He wanted sons and a daughter was a disappointment. It no longer matters. I'm content with my life and hold no ill will toward my birth family."
"Adam is like father, in that way," Alvah said. "I don't agree with them. Whoever I marry will be my equal partner, and I'll want her to meet my sister, of whom I'm very proud."
I agreed to visit more, come to his wedding, and be a larger part of his life.
* * *
"Sapir, I like saving you for the committee's unorthodox contracts, but I have no one left to assign," Wexler said, a few days after I returned from my visit with Alvah. "We have a young man who has ascended to the throne because of the early demise of his father, who was well liked. The king and his wife died in a freak accident, an avalanche, while traveling to visit a dukedom in the mountains. The son was apparently a wild youth: drugs, girls, and parties. As a youth, the instances were harmless and ignored. As a king, they are no longer harmless. He has had several minor attempts on his life and decided he needs the Black Guard."
"I take it that means he has no desire to temper his current life style," I said. "Should be interesting."
Wexler laughed. "Very."
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Planet: Tordova, King Stephan
"I'm disappointed, Sapir," Colonel Wolfson said as I joined Captain Hwang for dinner the first night on the War Horse. "This appears like a normal, straight forward assignment."
"I hope the space gods are listening, Colonel," I said. "Or the king runs out of money before his enemies get too creative."
Hwang nodded. "Only the young, ambitious, or fool hardy wish for excitement. As the old proverb goes, careful what you wish for, you may get it."
"Speaking of excitement, we all thought Zanoga was going to be another New Keif until Issak called the Black Guard." Wolfson snorted. "I hear Issak got promoted to Major General."
"He deserves it," I said, liking his attitude toward his troops. "He's a good man."
"Don't you get tired of being limited to the rank of Captain?" Hwang asked. "Seems like you earned a promotion, being the Jax Committee's problem solver."
"Would you like to get promoted, Captain Hwang?" I asked, thinking I knew the answer.
"To fly a desk?" He shook his head and a small smile touched his lips. "No, Sapir, like you, I'm content doing what I do."
* * *
When I exited the shuttle on Tordova, I was met by an army general and a colonel who looked like palace security in his white jacket and pants with a red stripe. The general was a middle-aged gray-haired man. He was short and stocky with a clean-shaven round face and a neutral expression. He was the first to speak. "Welcome to Tordova, Captain Sapir. I'm General Oisino, the Chief of the Tordova army. This is Colonel Karlan, the head of palace security," Oisino said in an expressionless monotone. "Your contract is rather confusing."
The look on Karlan’s face said it wasn't confusing; it was insulting. Karlan was at least ten to fifteen years younger than Oisino, with a tall, athletic body, and a narrow face with penetrating eyes. He didn't look happy.
"It's the standard Black Guard contract. Since the king probably has the same questions as you, I would prefer to wait to answer any questions when he is present," I shrugged. "I'm only a captain. I don't choose my assignments or make the rules." I'm usually friendlier and try to give a good impression, but if they had a problem, I wasn't in the mood to share it with them.
"I have made arrangements for you and your troops at the Royal Garrison," Oisino said, on the ride to the king's reside
nce.
"Thank you, General Oisino, but that will not be necessary. We are personal bodyguards, not soldiers," I said while watching the scenery. Our shuttle had landed on a military base, judging by the military equipment, personnel, and guarded entrance and exit. As we exited the gate, the land was flat with no houses. Off to the left I could see a medium-sized city that didn't look to have any buildings over two stories. To my right was a large river, and straight ahead, rolling hills that terminated at a low mountain range.
"That's what palace security does. Protect the king," Karlan said. "Are you planning on replacing us?" his tone was harsh and aggressive.
"That is an excellent question for your king," I said, tired of the hostility. "Your king initiated the contract with the Jax and signed it. I'm just a captain following orders."
The temperature in the vehicle dropped twenty degrees and silence followed. Fortunately, the castle appeared five minutes later. It looked like an old Earth castle, but newer and more modern. There was a gate with guards, but the walls weren't very tall or thick; not intended to stop an invading army. More like invading snoopers. The limo stopped in front of stone steps, twenty high and ten wide, which led to two massive doors guarded by two armed men with Mfws on straps, in white uniforms with blue stripes. The guards opened one of the doors and saluted as we neared. Except for the stone walls, the inside looked like an expensive resort complete with a very attractive young lady behind a round counter. Military guards stood, restricting entrance to the two stairways, entrance to a ballroom, dining room, and several other doors which were closed, and a long hallway filled with statues and pictures. Karlan and Oisino led me down the long hallway to the end, where another two guards stood. We were ushered in after a several minute wait. A red carpet led thirty meters to a raised throne where a young man sat. An elderly man in black with a red shoulder-to-waist sash approached us.
"Good day, gentlemen…lady. You must be Captain Sapir," he said in a low bass voice. "I'm minister Nolanda. When you reach the end of the red carpet, kneel, and I will announce you. Stay kneeling until he gives you permission to rise."