Read Black Guard, The for Free Online

leader, having been a captain for over ten years
and involved in multiple contracts. I found his stories about some of those
encounters interesting and enlightening. Reading about battles isn’t the same
as talking with someone who was there when friends and comrades were dying
around him.
    * * *
    Colonel Wolfson and Captain Drezner
were looking at a map as I walked into the shuttle bay. On the other side of
the bay, my team was assembling to leave the War Horse.
    "Any news, Colonel Wolfson?" I
asked.
    "Nothing good. The Captain of the
War Horse has agreed to stay in orbit for five days while Drezner assesses the
situation on the ground. I’m not sure if the one hundred contracted to Lanzhou
will be sufficient. If necessary, I can deploy commandos for additional
support. From the reports I’m getting, the rebels have captured the towns of
Baotou and Hefei and appear to be massing for an assault on the capital, Ebao.
The current estimate of the rebel force is at one thousand, which makes it
unlikely the governor’s forces can stop them without our help."
    "To make matters worse, the
governor has pulled back most of his five hundred military and split them to
protect his estate and the administrative complex in Ebao, which means they
aren’t going to be much help to Captain Drezner when his troops drop in behind
the rebels," Wolfson said in disgust.
    "I’d prefer not to have to engage
the rebels in street-to-street fighting in the city." Drezner said.
"And you could have problems depending upon the effectiveness of our
initial attack, and how the rebels choose to split their remaining forces. With
half their present force, they could easily overrun the couple of hundred
guarding the estate."
    "We will drop you and your team at
the governor’s estate, but I can’t afford to assign any commandos to you based
on the rebel force Captain Drezner appears to be facing," Wolfson added
with a shrug. "Sorry, Captain Sapir."
    "I understand. I think that’s a
wise decision. Captain Drezner, in which shuttle would you like the
Guard?"
    "CS6, over to your left. I’ll keep
you posted on our status, and I’d like you to do the same. If it looks like you’ll
be overrun, I’ll try to send you support."
    * * *
    It took several hours to load the
shuttles and reach Yuan Province and the governor’s estate. The shuttle landed
on a manicured lawn a hundred meters in front of the estate, a luxurious,
three-story structure. When I trotted down the ramp, a Yuan Colonel, a small,
plump man, came running towards me.
    "Are you the Guard? How
many?" he asked while looking up at the five shuttles hovering above us.
    "Yes, I’m Captain Sapir of the
Guard. We number twenty-four."
    "Where is the army going?" He
pointed to the other five shuttles which were now moving away. "We need
more troops here to protect the governor."
    "They are going to engage the
rebels’ main force. So, it’s unlikely we will see more than a couple of hundred
rebels, which between your forces and the Guard we should have no trouble
dealing with. For now, I need you to give me a tour of the estate so I can deploy
my team."
    His face paled as he watched the shuttles
disappear into the distance.
    "Colonel?" I prodded.
    "It’s Colonel Ou Yang. The
governor isn’t going to be happy." He motioned toward a red-bricked
stairway, ten meters wide that led up to the entrance, located on the second
level.
    "Sergeants Rosin, Solow, have your
teams check out the grounds. Lieutenant Ceder, you will accompany me." I
nodded to Colonel Ou Yang who led us up the stairs and into a large, circular
foyer with another wide staircase in the center, which led to a third level. As
we entered, a tall man came striding down the stairs. He smiled.
    "I’m Governor Li Ho Lew, and you
are the Black Guard, judging from your uniforms. How many men did you bring,
Captain?"
    "Sapir. There are twenty-three in
my team. They are outside becoming familiar with the grounds. I’d like a tour
of your house