Chapter 7: Emperor's Shield

Blocker stopped the vehicle beside the small personal gate and turned to look at me, “It was nice working with you Dragon.”

I grinned as I climbed out, “Just once I would like to finish a rotation. Tell Ginger, next time.”

He laughed as I pulled the float out with my bags on it, “I will tell her.”

I turned as he drove off and started for the gate. The two guards were silent until I was closer and their eyes focused on my chest. They snapped to attention as I stopped at the gate, “Senior Sergeant England, reporting to the Shields for duty.”

I slipped my order chit through the gate and a corporal took it and turned to put it in his reader. He nodded and turned back and the gate slid into the wall. He handed the chit back to me, “Someone will be here to escort you.”

I pulled the float through the gate and it closed behind me. I ignored the two men as I stood looking into the Emperor’s estate grounds. The captain that finally appeared in a small float craft was smiling. I loaded everything in the back and he took off. For the next two months I was detailed in several positions around the emperor. I had switched from wearing a formal uniform to my class C.

The one thing I refused to do was stop wearing Thumper. Apparently the emperor knew because the word came down to leave me alone. I was part of his inner security for his monthly speech in the Assembly Hall. There were only three doors into the huge room. The ceiling had a dozen glazed skylights high above us.

Assembly Hall was in the middle of the city and a long way from his estate. Intel said there was no risk and no threat but I had a bad feeling. I slipped underarm ammo pouches for my Swift under my uniform. I was assigned to one of the two rear doors with corporal Paterson. The room was filled with waiting councilmen and reporters.

The vid cameras had already been set up and were waiting for the emperor to come in. Some of the men in the crowd drew my eye because they seemed younger than they should be. The emperor and his twelve man team came through the other door and he moved onto the stage as the security spread out in front of him.

He began his speech and a few minutes into it I noticed men shifting around. My hand touched my Swift and then all hell came for a visit. From the back of the hall, the other side of the room and other side of the door came shots as the radio screamed. My Swift came up as a man fired from the crowd in front of us and Paterson spun before dropping.

I fired as a second man stepped out and his head snapped back. I started for the emperor as people dropped to the floor and others started firing. I took down seven before a shuttle hit me in the chest. I staggered back and pulled Thumper as I shot the man that had just shot me. The huge front doors were open and armed men were rushing into the room.

I fired Thumper three times into the rushing men and shot two other men with my Swift before I reached the emperor. All of his security team was down and dead and he was under Lieutenant Jensen. I put two more rounds from Thumper through the open doors and squatted as I holstered it.

I grabbed the emperor and stood. He staggered to his feet as I glanced towards the door I had been guarding. Two men were coming through and they were not ours. I killed both with my Swift and pulled the emperor after me to the door. I walked through the door and killed the two more men waiting in the other room before changing magazines.

I glanced at the white faced emperor, “Stay with me and do what I tell you.”

He nodded and I started for the other door and the back way out. The round that had hit me was in my upper chest which made walking or breathing hard. I pulled Thumper again as I kicked open the back door and knew right then that this was not going to end easy. There were easily fifty men scattered around and I started firing Thumper and my Swift.

Five seconds later I was leading the emperor across the bodies of the men sent to kill him. I put Thumper away after blowing a hole through a wall. I glanced out and then pulled him after me and straight across the street. I knew if they were jamming our radios certain comm lines would be down too.

I moved down an alley and hesitated at a small bistro. I glanced at the emperor and went in. I checked the shop but they mostly ignored me. I pulled the emperor close and moved to a public vid phone, the number I dialed was not military.