The Black Guard: Book II: Evolution (Black Guard Series 2) (21 page)

"The Black Guard do not distinguish between men and
women. Those that wear the Black of the Guard have earned it and are assigned
based on rank, not gender."

"Why so many? Surely you don't need more than a
couple guarding my daughter at any one time." Her eyes locked on mine. She
was a small woman, several centimeters shorter than Sharli, but she had the predatory
look of a mother wolf guarding pups.

"True, Mrs. Alani, but we will be on guard day and
night, and there are three of you."

"Why?" both Sharli and Alani said together.

"Are you in favor of a Helix Alliance?" I
asked while looking at Alani, wondering if the issue was or would be a problem.

"No, I agree with Sharli as most do on Talula. An alliance
would change our lives, and we don't want that."

"What would your daughter do if you or Tamri were
threatened?" I asked no one in particular, watching Sharli and Alani's
faces shift through conflicting emotions: confusion, fear, and finally a
nervous relief.

"You … Jax has a vested interest?" Sharli said
as a small knowing smile appeared. Alani nodded agreement.

"Jax feels like you do, that an alliance would
change our way of life, so we are therefore not interested. Nevertheless, we
would not have opposed such an alliance; however, events on Outpost and
Blackwood have convinced us that a Helix Alliance would benefit only Outpost
and its allies." I went on to explain the instances in detail over snacks
Sharli and Alani prepared. Tami spent the time talking mostly to the women
Guards. Fortunately, the house had an excess of rooms, and three unused rooms
were set aside for the Guard.

* * *

A police skimmer and the two policemen assigned to
Sharli arrived early the next morning, while Sharli, Alani, and Tami were
eating breakfast.

Sharli introduced them as Tubbs and Coles.
"Captain, since I imagine we won't be using my police assigned skimmer,
should I dismiss them?"

"No. They will understand the local laws and
customs and therefore better able to handle certain situations. For example, we
can't arrest people and have no jails, and we aren't interested in situations
that don't involve you directly." I turned to the two men. "Officers,
you must understand that when it comes to Representative Sharli, we are very myopic.
If she is threatened, she will be our only concern, and we will tolerate no
interference."

"We'll stay out of your way, Captain. We've heard …
stories." Tubbs said.

"Assume they are true, Officer Tubbs," I said
with a smile. "Since you know the country and have Sharli's schedule, why
don't you lead and we'll follow?" I assigned Elijah to Alani, Catz's team
to Tami, and Cerff's team to Sharli. I accompanied Cerff, Volpe and Toch into
the shuttle for the trip to a town meeting at Ozark.

We arrived around noon and were taken to the local
church, where slightly over a hundred people had gathered to hear Sharli speak.
I was told that was close to eighty percent of the adult population. Volpe and
Toch stayed outside while Cerff and I went inside along with the two policemen.
Sharli wisely began by explaining that the SUC chairman had assigned the extra
security as a result of Representative LaRoush's death, and after a few
minutes, we were ignored. The discussions were predominately about local issues
and proposed laws that were being considered in Calmet City.

"The northern towns are unanimously against the
alliance. The southern towns tend to be more interested in an alliance, particularly
Calmet City. They like the idea of more trade with the other systems." Sharli
said as we traveled to the next town on today's schedule. "I try to visit
several towns each week and make sure I see each town every month or two. That
way, when election time rolls around I know their issues and they know
me." She gave a short laugh, which was the first time I'd seen a smile since
we met.

I knew I hadn't helped by mentioning her mother and
daughter could be targets.

The next stop was only a half hour away, and the discussions
involved similar issues. Sharli seemed to be liked and to take a genuine
interest in each issue, making sure she understood the residents' specific
concerns. We arrived back home late in the afternoon.

"Sir," Cerff said after we had entered the
house. "Volpe reports that two men seemed a little too interested in the
police skimmers, and one man tried to divert his attention away from his
friend. Volpe didn't see them carrying anything, but the weather is cold up
here and their clothing was bulky."

"Alani and Tami stayed in and we noticed no
visitors," Elijah reported.

I had nothing to report but as promised, I used my Mfi
to contact the Crouching Tiger. Captain Blatt and Colonel Berger appeared after
a minute delay and looked to be sitting in the captain's office.

"Glad you called, Sapir. A trader's ship, the
Wanderer out of Valhall, docked this morning. They plan to stay in system for a
couple of weeks. Half their crew has been given shore leave," Blatt said,
sounding concerned. "They rented a couple of skimmers, apparently to
conduct trade talks with various states."

"Backup, I suspect," I said, doubting they
would use Valhall crew except as a last resort. For now, they would bribe or
pay for local help. "Thanks, Captain. So far things are quiet here. We did
two town meetings with no trouble." I clicked off, glad for the warning
and wondering how far Outpost and Valhall were willing to go to ensure the vote
was pro-alliance.

* * *

The next day was a repeat of the previous one. So on the
following day when Sharli had another town meeting up north, I chose to tag
along with Alani, who had decided to go shopping and was taking Tami. Krebs and
Paler accompanied Alani, and Alpert and Reti went along with Tami.

Alani chose Denten, a city of sixty thousand with
several medium-sized shopping centers. I left Alpert and Paler guarding the
skimmer while Krebs, Reti, and I accompanied Alani and Tami into the stores,
although I stayed back for a better view of the entire area.

An hour into their shopping, I noticed a man watching
Alani and Tami. He disappeared shortly afterward but reappeared twenty minutes
later with four other men, who looked like locals, based on their clothing and features.
The locals had a weathered look from the harsh weather and outdoor work. They
didn't appear to be carrying weapons, but their loose, bulky clothing could be
concealing almost anything.

One man drifted away from the others and positioned
himself behind me and slightly to my right, while the other four drifted toward
Alani and Tami.
Kidnapping
, I mused,
thinking Tami the likely target. Kidnapping both would be more difficult.
Besides, Sharli's daughter would be the best bargaining chip. I concluded two would
hassle the old woman while the other two isolated Tami—one to kill Reti
and the second to grab her. The man behind me was there to ensure I didn't
interfere.

I knew Kreps and Reti were aware of the five men working
their way into position while trying to look like they were shopping. It was almost
comical, like killer whales trying to sneak up on a school of fish. I knew Reti
would be the most vulnerable, so I clicked on my Mfi, which activated my microphone
and Reti and Krebs's earpieces.

"I think Alani is a diversion. Reti, you have the
man behind me," I said quietly, noting slight nods of acknowledgment. When
Alani placed a few items on the counter and prepared to pay, the whales moved
in for the grab. As one of the men moved to bump into Alani, Krebs intercepted
him with a leg sweep that sent him flying and then caught his companion with a back-thrusting
kick to the chest as he tried to rush Krebs, who had his back to him. As the
ruckus started, the man behind Reti began to draw a laser from his jacket as
his partner moved to grab Tami. Krebs and I drew together—I shot the man
behind Krebs through his right eye; Krebs's laser pointed to the side of me and
flashed, which I'd wager had much the same result. As the man put his arm
around Tami, my laser beam cut through his C1 and C2 vertebrae and he
collapsed. When I looked to Kreps, he stood over the two men with his laser
pointing in their direction. Alani looked toward Tami, who ran toward her and into
her arms.

"What happened?" Alani asked, hugging Tami
while looking at the two dead men where Tami had been.

"An attempted kidnapping, and not too badly
planned," I said. "Just poorly executed."

We spent the next hour with the police, who were
reasonably receptive after they saw our SUC authorization and realized Alani
was Representative Sharli's mother and Tami her daughter. It also helped that
the local citizens we killed or injured had criminal records.

* * *

"Do you think because they were local thugs that means
local interest is involved?" Sharli asked after having downed her third
glass of wine. She had also finally stopped screaming, having gone ballistic
when she heard about the attempted abduction. Now depression had set in and she
was scared and trying to determine the potential risk.

"Local thugs mean they were paid. That could have
been by local or outside interest or both."

"Both?"

"You know based on the voting that Safort is
divided. The question is whether there is someone or some group locally who has
an overwhelming reason to want the alliance. Someone who might be willing to
form a partnership to force the issue? Outpost certainly has an overwhelming
reason and would be interested in partnering with local interests, paying for
local support, or acting unilaterally if all else fails."

"Won't today discourage further … attempts?"
Sharli asked, looking toward Tami with misty eyes.

"No. A few thugs were killed, so what? I doubt they
know where the money came from, so no one is even embarrassed, much less
charged with a crime. I'm afraid this is a high stakes issue where both sides
want to win and where winning is all that matters."

"So much for democracy!" Sharli shouted,
filling her glass again. "What will they do next?"

"They have several choices. Bribe you, scare you, threaten
your mother and daughter, or kill you."

"Which? You seemed to know they would try
kidnapping."

"Not all that clever. I just asked myself what I
would do to make you change your mind if I were without morals. They scared
you, so if I were them, I'd try a bribe. There is still time to kill you if
that fails."

"That would betray the people I represent, so you
had better stick close to me." She laughed, topped off her glass of wine,
and headed for her bedroom.

* * *

The next day, Sharli decided to go to her office in the capital.
Senior Sergeant Cerff selected Volpe and Toch, and I decided he and I should
also go, since it was the first time she had been to the office and the danger
would be accelerating as the scheduled SUC meeting date neared.

The capital was a typical large city with both new and
old sections. The capital building looked old, being the original built when
Talula had become a state, but it recently had a face-lift, and the inside was new
and modern. The lobby looked like any modern reception area, with comfortable
chairs and couches to wait or to have introductory conversations. A reception counter
controlled access to the offices of the Representatives, Governor, and major
heads of the various governmental departments.

Sharli's area was located at the back of the building: a
private office, and a staff of three individuals who helped her prepare and
evaluate proposals, handle calls from citizens, and keep up with invitations to
local events. Toch stayed with the skimmer and Volpe stayed in the lobby while
Cerff and I spent the day in her office suite.

"Well, Captain Sapir, your crystal ball is still
working. As you know, my family owns a small hardware store in town. Grego used
to manage it, but after his … accident, we hired a full-time manager. I was
just offered two million credits for the store if the Helix Alliance is
approved." She smiled as she walked out of her office and prepared to
leave for the day. "I told him it was worth a quarter million today and
would be worth a quarter million at the end of the month."

"You should have told him yes, maybe even suggested
that you wanted more." I held up my hand. "It might have stopped their
harassment of you."

"I was so mad I just reacted without thinking. Do
you really think that would have stopped them?"

"No. They would have wanted some kind of assurance
you'd deliver, but it might have delayed whatever they are planning for a few
days."

"More thugs you think?

"Yes, but not local. People with money who are willing
to kill usually don't repeat strategies that fail, and they are running out of
time."

We walked down the hallway and through the lobby, which
was now empty, since the building had closed for the day. Volpe led the way out
of the building with Cerff trailing and me walking by Sharli's side, slightly
behind her.

As we approached the skimmer, two men could be seen
pulling a struggling woman toward a commercial skimmer some fifty meters ahead.
We could hear her pleading for them to let go. When she noticed us, she
screamed for help.

"Aren't you going to help?" Sharli asked,
looking to me with an angry frown.

"No." I said as we reached our police skimmer,
where Toch stood with the door open and the engine running.

"But there are only two—" she stammered
as I half lifted her into the skimmer and shut the door. Seconds later, Toch
was in the air and racing away from the area.

I grabbed the microphone from the police radio and held
it out for her.

"The registration of the Skimmer is CS2954," I
said.

She gave me an angry look, snatched the mike away from
me, and then spent the next few minutes reporting what she had seen. "That
was wrong … You could have helped that woman. They were hijacking her skimmer
and no telling what they will do to her."