by CR Daems
"Minister Nolanda, King Stephan deserves respect but he's not my liege lord. He's a client. So, neither I nor any of my guards will kneel, or bow, or debase ourselves to him or anyone else. We are here to protect, not serve him."
Nolanda turn as pale as a dead fish. He turned and almost ran back to Stephan. They had talked only a few seconds when Stephan rose and then shouted something while glaring at me, before sitting back down. Nolanda came running back to me.
"The king wants you to approach to the end of the red carpet," he said in a low voice. "Show respect, Captain Sapir. The king is young and has a temper."
I nodded and strolled forward with Nolanda following. I stopped when I reached within a meter of where the carpet ended and stood at a relaxed attention.
"Your Majesty, this is Captain Sapir of the Black Guard. Captain Sapir, his majesty, King Stephan, supreme ruler of the Doroteo Empire.
I gave a shallow bow. "Your Majesty, it is an honor to meet you," I said thinking Empire might be a stretch, like calling a combat shuttle a war cruiser. Stephan waved to Nolanda who ran up to him with some papers and pointed to one.
"This contract says you are not subject to my laws. Well, while you are in my Empire, I make the law, and you will obey them, or suffer the consequences like anyone else," he hissed out.
"Am I to understand that the word of King Stephan is not to be trusted?" I said, as he jerked out of his throne.
"Are you calling me dishonest?" he shouted, and I heard movement behind me."
"I have a contract, signed by you, agreeing that the Jax personnel are not subject to your laws and that you have no right to have us punished," I said. "Does that mean you want to terminate the contract, or that you have no intention of living up to its terms and conditions?" I kept my voice normal and my expression bland.
"You consider the Jax above the law?" He said an octave lower this time.
"No, any infractions will be investigated and punished in accordance with Jax military laws." I decided to throw him a bone of sorts. "We serve on over a hundred planets. No two planets have the same laws and many are religious. There is no way we could learn them all, and some would conflict with Jax laws. We are usually only on a planet for a short time, not to live. So, trying to learn your laws makes no sense and could interfere with us protecting our clients."
He sat quiet for several minutes, then shuffled through the document, stopped and pointed to something. "What about this!" His voice was back up an octave or two. "It says you are in charge of my security, including palace security and the army. I and my security chief don't report to you and certainly don't take orders from a captain."
"That includes all my Guards, not just me," I threw in, hoping he was going to cancel the contract. It wasn't that I just thought him a hotheaded fool, but that he would eventually do something that could get my team injured or killed.
"You're insane!"
"The people on my team have trained for sixteen years to be a Guard and have years of actual experience dealing with assassins. In an emergency, their judgement will be based on that training and experience, and the best you or they are likely to get."
"You claim you and your troops are infallible?" Stephan sneered.
"No, but we won't be colored by panic or inexperience, and it precludes indecision caused when no one knows who is in charge," I said, getting tired of the discussion. Normally, I enjoyed clarifying the contract. In this case, I knew this fool was going to appear to agree but thought being king entitled him to ignore anything he didn't like.
"You can cancel the contract if you don't like the conditions," I said, leaving off reminding him there was a penalty clause, which might interfere with him deciding to cancel.
"I don't like it, but someone is trying to kill me, and that would cause a disaster. The individual dukedoms would be at war. Tens of thousands would die, famine, disease…" His voice trailed off.
"What about your sister," I asked, and regretted it when I saw the sneer, or was it hate on his face and in his eyes?
"She's nothing, a defenseless sparrow with a broken wing. If they didn't kill her, they would throw her out in the streets." He smiled at the thought.
That explains why she isn't part of the contract, I mused. No one matters but King Stephan.
He didn't argue about us needing quarters in the castle, but grumbled about there being a lot of worthless women as the team was introduced to him.
* * *
"Why are you collecting information about everyone in the castle, including my men?" Karlan asked, after an hour tour I had requested to determine his security arrangements and people normally permitted in the castle.
"You and your men can recognize those people who belong and those that don't. We can't," I said.
"But Palace security will stop anyone who doesn't, and my guards are in uniforms," he persisted.
"What if someone kills one of your guards and puts on his uniform?" I asked. "You would know, but neither I nor my Guards would. We both want the same outcome, a live king." When we approached the second-floor wing where the king had his suite of rooms, a teen aged girl stood watching me.
"That is Princess Brianna," Karlan said, smiling. "Good day, Princess Brianna. This is Captain Sapir of the Black Guard. Captain Sapir, Princess Brianna."
"An honor, Princess Brianna," I said giving her a shallow bow. She was of normal height but gangly. Her short auburn hair didn't help, and she wore no makeup. No one would suspect she was a princess.
"I would like to speak with you, Captain Sapir, when you have a free moment," she said in a soft pleasant voice; unlike her brother, her tone was neither demanding nor superior.
"Can it wait until I finish my tour?" I asked, feeling her nervousness, or was it fear? She nodded and seem to relax.
"Karlan can show you to my room when you are finished," she said, and disappeared down the hallway.
An hour later, I knocked on her door. She opened it wide and waved me in. "Thank you for coming, Captain Sapir," she said, and motioned to a small table and two chairs padded with an orange leather. "What would you like to drink? Maya will get it for you." A young thin girl stood attentively waiting.
"Coffee or tea, or water if you don't have either," I said not sure what drinks they had on Tordova. Maya spun and went into another room.
"Captain, my brother and I are not close as you may have suspected by now," Brianna began without preamble. "He thinks me…unnecessary. Well, maybe detracting from his rightful glory, so he downplays that I'm next in line. To make matters worse, he has a cruel streak, and I'm his favorite squeaky toy. While we were growing up, I had my parents for support, and he had to contain his sadistic nature. His parties are attracting out of control idiots, who he encourages to harass me. I’ve had two incidents recently where I might have been raped if not for the palace guard and my knife." She stopped to sip from a cup Maya had just sat on the table, along with a cup for me. I tasted mine and found it a strong coffee-like drink.
"Would you like milk or something sweet for your kaffa?" Brianna asked, as Maya set down two small bowls with spoons. I shook my head, waiting for her to get to the point. "Can you provide me with Black Guards? I have money my father left me that Stephan can't get. Another reason for him to mentally abuse me."
"No, the current team is dedicated to Stephan and you would need his approval even if you paid for them, which I surmise you don't want to do," I said, and could see the desperation in her eyes. My limited interaction with Stephan left no doubt she was telling the truth. I closed my eyes and cleared my mind. To her credit, she made no attempt to break the silence. "Maybe I have a solution, Princess–"
"Brianna, please," she interrupted. "At least in private."
"If the commander of the commandos agrees, I might have a solution. I can't provide them without a contract, but the payment would be far less than Stephan is paying."
"I can pay, Captain. My father left me very rich. I could go off on my own and live quite n
icely, but I would have to abdicate the throne. I don't want to be queen, but it would plunge the kingdom into war if Stephan died and there was no heir. I love Doroteo too much to see that happen."
"You think that's likely?" I asked, wondering if she might be willing to expedite his demise. She laughed.
"I think my brother is sadistic, cruel, and a terrible leader, but I cannot ascend to the throne with his murder on my hands. No, sooner or later someone will assassinate him. He alienates at least one person every day. I just need to stay alive until then."
I had to smile. Stephan's sister maybe a sparrow, but her wings weren't broken, her talons were sharp, and she was not stupid. I nodded and clicked on my Mfi.
"Sapir, what can I do for you? A few shuttles full of bored commandos?"
"Actually, I can cure the boredom and get the Jax a bonus," I said, noting Wolfson's face brighten.
"If you can lessen the boredom, you could earn a bonus." He laughed.
"The Princess is without a personal bodyguard, and the situation down here is potentially dangerous. I have a solution which could benefit you both. If you are interested, we could use the FIST…" I went on to explain rotating the FIST unit, five at a time for a week, as body guards. He thought it a great idea and we negotiated an extremely low rate for their participation.
"Brianna, the FIST aren't Black Guards, they are commandos, but they are the first to board an enemy cruiser, are battle tough, and Colonel Wolfson gave you a great rate."
The first of the group of five arrived several hours later. I smiled when I saw it was Sergeant Nagy in charge. "Congratulations, Master Sergeant Nagy, I see you got a promotion."
"A lot of commandos love you, Captain Sapir," Nagy said. "Everyone that qualified for a FIST unit was promoted, we feel unique, and your class is saving lives."
I led them to Brianna's suite and introduced them to her. "The rules," I said, after everyone sat and had a drink. "You are Princess Brianna's personal bodyguards twenty-four-seven and report directly to me. Two of you will be in her suite of rooms and accompany her at all times. No exceptions. If anyone attempts to harm her, you kill them. If King Stephan interferes, you call me. In fact, call me anytime you have questions." I spent the next two hours explaining the duties of a Black Guard and Brianna's part in listening to her guards. Afterward we signed the formal contract.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Planet: Tordova, Chaos
The next day was boring, especially Stephan's constant complaining about being followed and having Guards in the room with him.
"Are you going to want to watch while I have sex?" Stephan said harshly, then a small smile creased his lips as if that might not be bad.
"Your majesty, no one can protect you if they cannot see you; however, we concede there are times when you require privacy, alone or with someone," I said, trying to keep my frustration out of my voice. "We just ask you allow us to take reasonable precautions to minimize the risk you are assuming. In the case where you want to be alone with someone, we would insist on searching them to ensure they have no weapons on them."
"What if I have dangerous weapons in the room, whips, chains, and the like." He gave me a wicked smile.
"King Stephan, we are not your chaperones," although you need one, I mused. 'We don't care if your actions are illegal, immoral, or reckless. We do care if your activity prevents us from providing you reasonable protection from others harming you."
Apparently as bored with the topic as I was, he switched gears. "I'm having a party tonight. Twenty or so guests for dinner and dancing and play-time afterward." His face set for an argument.
"Is it by invitation?" I asked, hoping we would know who was coming.
"Sort of," Stephan grinned. "The people I invited can bring a guest or two."
"No weapons," I said. Stephan shrugged, which didn't give me a warm comforting feeling.
* * *
The guests, young men and women who looked to have already been partying, began arriving a half hour before the scheduled dinner, and went immediately into the dining room where drinks were available. Karlan stood next to me watching his two security men checking invitations. Most of the men had two or three women with them.
I pointed to a man with a Mfw strapped to his thigh. Karlan shrugged. "He is a nobleman's son."
"Stop," I shouted and the noise quieted as everyone's head turned in my direction. "No weapons allowed in the castle. Give them to palace security. They will return them to you when you leave."
"Who the hell do you think you are to give me orders. You will address me as Lord Meeam," he said as his hand rested on his Mfw.
"I am your liege lord's security, Lord Meeam." I said, stepping away from Karlan for his protection since I didn't know if this lord could hit what he was aiming at or would just fire on automatic, spraying pellets in the hope of hitting me. "If you draw the weapon, you will be the late Lord Meeam."
"King Stephan will have you whipped for this outrage," he said in a cocky tone, but his hand left the handle of his Mfw.
"Please hand the weapon to security." I pointed to the two security men. "That way you will be alive to see me whipped." The other guests entering either saw or heard the confrontation or were told about it, as there were no more instances, just a few muttered comments.
"You've upset several noblemen, Sapir," Stephan said as he approached the entrance to the dining hall.
"Just trying to ensure you enjoy your party and are alive when it's over, Your Majesty." I was surprised by how quiet the room became when he was announced, and how respectful everyone appeared when they interacted with him; especially since most were drunk before the dinner ended. The party moved to another reception-like room with chairs, couches, pillows, and drinks. There the party deteriorated into an orgy. Several hours into the mayhem, I received an urgent request from Sergeant Nagy. When I arrived, two men lay on the floor moaning.
"These two tried to force their way into the princess's rooms, claiming the king had given them permission to visit Brianna," Nagy said, looking a bit hesitant "You did say I could use physical force."
"Do you two have names?" I asked kicking their boots to get their attention.
"Stephan will have you all shot for this assault on us," the older of the two shouted, spittle shooting from his mouth.
"Princess Brianna, these two men broke into your room with the intention of harming you. Would you like them whipped, or shot? I would recommend shooting them," I said as I caught sight of Stephan entering the room. "They have by their actions insulted the King."
"What's going on here," Stephan stood with two semi naked women hanging onto him, or maybe holding him up.
"These men think you’re trash and obviously don't respect you," I said, enjoying the moment.
"No, Stephan–"
"There. No King Stephan. No Your Majesty. They consider you their equal, your family their property," I said, playing on his ego. I saw Karlan standing in the doorway, scanning the room.
"Colonel, shooo them." Stephan slurred the words, turned, and staggered out with the two giggling women. When I looked around everyone was staring at me.
"That's harsh, Princes Brianna, but that will keep men from harassing you in the future, since they won't know how King Stephan will respond."
"I agree," Karlan said, giving orders for his security to drag the sobbing men away.
"That is not the first time those two have harassed me," Brianna said. "With my brother's indirect consent. He thinks it's funny and enjoys seeing me afraid. Thank you, Captain Sapir, and you, Sergeant Nagy."
The next morning, Stephan stared at me for a long time. "You played me last night," he snarled.
"How so, Your Majesty?" I asked, barely keeping the amusement out of my voice.
"You talked me into killing friends!" he shouted.
"Actually, I believe I did you a favor." I held up a hand to keep him from responding. "Is your father, Brianna's father?"
"Of course,"
he said reflectively.
"And you mother is Brianna's mother?"
"Yes, so what?"
"Then you are both royal or neither of you is royal. You cannot have it both ways. If she is seen as trash to be abused, then by association–"
Stephan rocked out of his chair. "They respect me and treat me as the rightful king."
"To your face, or you would have them shot, but what do they really think and say when you can't hear them?" I said and shrugged. "I've guarded many kings and rulers. There is not one that wouldn't have anyone whipped, imprisoned, or shot for insulting their brothers or sisters. Because they understand that insulting their blood relatives is an insult to them. For the same reason they would never speak ill of them."
Stephan stood silent for a long time then sat without a word. I left to do my rounds, hoping my comments would find something fertile in his childish brain to take root and grow, for Brianna's sake.
That day and the next were uneventful. Stephan held his weekly petitioner court. He was as arbitrary and capricious as I had expected. One could have rolled the dice and gotten better results. At least then, the results would have been random with everyone having an equal chance.
I woke to an emergency alert from my Mfi and Haber's voice repeating gas attack. I didn't bother with my uniform as I had on my protective armor, which was black. When I opened my door, the entire hallway was filled with smoke: the half dedicated to the king, and the half where Brianna had a suite and the Black Guard were currently quartered. I slipped on my gas mask, doubting it was poisonous gas but not wanting to take any chances.
"Nagy, stay put inside the room, shoot anyone that enters," I shouted as I imagined the commandos would be trying to determine what was happening. I was only a few steps from the hallway leading to the stairs which led to this wing, and found it also filled with smoke. I dropped to the floor and sent a quick message on my Mfi: assassins, stay low. Two seconds later, I heard movement and then the clatter of weapons firing on automatic, and heard pellets hitting the walls up and down the hallway; then boots running down the king's hallway. I fired on automatic, hoping any Black Guards would be on the ground like me. I heard cries of pain then an explosion. I raced on all four limbs to move fast but stay below waist level where a shooter would most likely be aiming. I passed two men on the floor, one still and one moaning. I shot him. As I neared the entrance to the king's quarters, the door was gone and multiple shots were being fired. Sergeant Haber crouched on the side of the entrance firing into the room. The smoke in there wasn't a thick as in the hallway. I rose, racing for the entrance, and slid on my ass into the room. As I did, Haber began firing. Two figures popped up to return fire. I shot one in the head when it rose from behind a couch and a second one in the arm when it came out to shoot in Haber's direction. He screamed obscenities and dropped the assault weapon he had been holding. There appeared to be only one more gunman, who stood crouched next to the entrance into Stephan's personal quarters, but he was only an indistinct shadow in the poorly lit, smoky room. I fired to the left of the open door not wanting my bullets going through into the other room, hoping to distract and maybe wound if I got lucky. The shadow turned and returned fire as Corporal Besa came flying through the entrance and slammed into the man. I heard a shot behind me and turned to see Haber standing over the man I had wounded. Almost immediately, the Black Guard began reporting.