The Blackstar Gambit Read online

  The BlackStar Gambit

  The BlackStar Gambit

  A Col Sec adventure

  By

  Jan Domagala.

  The BlackStar Gambit

  This is a work of fiction, any similarity to anyone living or dead or companies or institutes is purely coincidental.

  Copyright Jan Domagala 2016.

  Copyright 2016.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Acknowledgements

  Other books by

  Kurt and the rest of Col Sec will return soon.

  Sign up for Jan Domagala's Mailing List

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank everyone who has helped me along the way. My family obviously; without their support I wouldn’t be able to do this. I would also like to thank the extremely talented Vivian Foster for her invaluable guidance with proofreading and editing. Cover artwork was provided by Jess Tahbonemah of Magic Quill Graphics.

  Other books by

  Jan Domagala

  in

  The Col Sec Series:

  Ronin

  OMEGA

  Discovery

  Retribution

  Extinction

  Resurrection

  Prologue

  “What have you got for me?” the stocky man asked as he entered the room.

  It was a small room, an office really, with a desk at one end behind which the other occupant sat. On the desk was a monitor screen, which held an image frozen in time.

  The other occupant, a taller, thinner man pointed to the seat before him on the opposite side of the desk.

  “Sit, if you will, and watch,” he offered.

  The stocky man did as instructed, the man he had come to see knew he was not a man to trifle with and was aware he was more than a little afraid of him.

  Goran Visjic, the stocky man, turned the screen fully so he could see it better.

  Thomas Patten sat back and watched as the image on the screen began to play. He had seen the footage several times but was still amazed by it.

  The footage was of a fight that had been captured in a nightclub. Not just any fight, this was different, for it was between one man against three much larger men while another stood by watching. The fight didn’t last long, the larger men attacked and quickly overpowered the smaller one, as expected, but then the situation changed and the smaller one took charge. In a display of savage, raw strength, he took the three men out as fast as the eye could see. The most remarkable aspect of the fight though, was something that had only been picked up briefly by whoever took the footage. They clearly did not know what they had witnessed but Patten most certainly did. He had the footage cleaned up and enhanced so that when the final version was shown him his heart almost stopped with excitement. This was what his visitor was now seeing.

  The image clearly showed the person who had been attacked in close up just as he reared up from the floor after being pummelled there by the three larger men. The image zoomed in on his face and the cuts and scratches from the earlier skirmish miraculously healed as the footage unfolded. Before the man had flattened the other three, his face was as good as new, it had completely regenerated new skin over the damaged tissue.

  “What’s this? Are you trying to pull something over on me here?” Visjic snarled, his lip curling up.

  “What you see is actual footage of an incident that was witnessed by clientele of a nightclub. Someone watching this fight thought I would be interested so I acquired it from them,” Patten stated, a smile crossing his thin lips.

  “This can be verified?” Visjic asked.

  “It can, I have located the person in question and everything is in place for the next phase.”

  “What are you offering?”

  “I propose to obtain a viable sample of his DNA from which we will extract the means of duplicating this amazing ability.”

  Visjic looked at Patten, his eyes narrowing as he contemplated his next move and what it would cost. The super soldier syndrome was the Holy Grail for every military in the galaxy. If Patten had it, he could name his price from anyone. He had to lock this down to him and him alone.

  “Is this offer open to me alone?” he asked.

  “If you meet my price, if not it might well become an auction.”

  “You do not want to make an enemy of me, that would be most unwise,” Visjic threatened.

  “You are in no position to make threats Visjic,” Patten said sounding much braver than he felt.

  “And you have not even verified this serum yet either. When you have a sample let me know your price and we will negotiate further,” Visjic goaded, sensing the man was not as confident as he sounded.

  “I’m sorry, did I say this was open to negotiation, no I did not. You will meet my price or I will go elsewhere. Do you really want your competitors to have this, think of the lives lost if they do?”

  Visjic was furious but he knew what Patten said was true. He was entirely at this man’s mercy for the moment, which was something he could not allow to continue. For now though he would have to admit defeat. The battle was not lost, just postponed.

  He rose from his seat, took a calming breath and said, “You have three days. If you fail then I’ll go after this myself.”

  With a scowl, he turned and left the room.

  Patten sat back and relaxed.

  Visjic was someone he should not antagonise, for he had a way of exacting revenge for the smallest of slights and he had just been dealt a huge one. Still, if he pulled this off, Visjic would be more than pleased and he would be off his back for good. He was not too happy about the time constraints he had given him but he was sure he could deliver.

  He reached forward and turned the monitor towards him. He watched the footage one last time stopping it at a close-up of the man in question.

  He looked at the blond hair, the chiselled cheekbones and the cobalt blue eyes that shone with an intense vibrancy he envied.

  “Okay, Kurt Stryder, let’s see what you’re made of,” he said at the screen.

  1

  Celeron

  Day 1

  10.00 Standard Earth Time

  Kurt Stryder looked out from the balcony on his home and marvelled at the view. It was a view he never tired of looking at. The expanse of the ocean hemmed in by the coastal towns was just a prelude to the city further inland.

  His home was a white-walled villa that had been his family home since they settled on the planet. After the deaths of his parents, he had inherited the home and the modest family fortune from a business his father had sold prior to his retirement.

  Whenever he had downtime from Col Sec he always returned here to top up his tan and relax, but lately he had not returned alone.

  Zara Hardy was also a Recon Delta Marine and a member of Col Sec. They had two other things in common, the first being they were both madly in love with each other and secondly they were possibly Col Sec’s most important secret assets.

  Kurt was the sole survivor of a secret programme to enhance physical abilities along with the immune system. His strength, stamina, along with all his other senses, were enhanced to an, as yet, untested level. His immune system had been boosted to an unprecedented level. He was now able to regenerate from most injuries making him virtually indestructible.

  Zara had also changed due to an accidental mingling of her blood with his and now she had the same ability.

  “What’re you thinking?” he heard a familiar voice say from behind.

  He glanced over his shoulder to see her standing in the lounge fresh from the shower, with nothing but a towel draped around her athletic curves and a smile he would die for,
if he could.

  “Oh nothing much really, just taking in the view, I never get tired of looking at it. Is that strange?” he replied returning his gaze out over the panorama once more.

  “Not in the slightest baby,” she cooed. “You grew up here; it’s where your fondest memories lie. Frankly I’d be surprised if you ever tire of looking at it, I mean look at that view, people would pay good money to look at that,” she clarified coming to stand by his side.

  “You’re right,” he agreed smiling down at her. His gaze landed on her, and his heartbeat picked up speed at the sight, which was another view he never tired of. He had thought he’d lost her back on Toldax when he’d seen her shot in front of him. Little did he know then that their blood had already mingled and the serum in his was already altering her metabolism. Seeing her die in front of him was something that haunted his dreams even now. Up to that point he knew he’d been attracted to her, but the sight of her dying hit him like a sledgehammer and it was then he realised he loved her. Yes, it had been sudden, he never thought it could happen that fast but it had and now he had her back he vowed every morning to never let her suffer again.

  “What were your parents like Kurt?” Zara enquired, “You never speak much of them.”

  “They were great,” he replied glancing out across the bay. “They were very close, hardly ever did anything on their own. Dad was the backbone of the family; I worshipped him. He always did the right thing; he was probably the most moral man I ever knew.”

  “It must have shattered you when they died then?”

  “You have no idea. I still miss them every single day.”

  “What kind of business did they own?”

  “Dad used to run charter boat trips around the bay. He started with one small sized boat, took people out into the bay for fishing or for tours around the bay and then when they got more and more popular he bought a bigger boat, then another. Pretty soon he was running seven boats all of different sizes, from a yacht right down to a small four-man fishing boat. He sold off the business when he had a buyer willing to pay his price and able to meet his conditions. He insisted that the crews he employed remain with the business until a time mutually agreed by all parties. He wanted to ensure his crews had the chance to find other employment should the new owners decide to sell off the boats. When they died I inherited this house and the money they had left after the sale.”

  “So, how rich are you then?” she asked, with a smile.

  “I’m not; I’m comfortable that’s all. Put it this way, if I decided to resign from Col Sec I wouldn’t have to look for a job any time soon, as long as I didn’t go on a mad spending spree I could survive,” he told her.

  Zara smiled knowingly at him, which made him blush slightly.

  “Well, we best make the most of it, you never know when the general will recall us and we have to go back to work,” he admitted finally.

  “In that case then, I’d better get dressed,” she agreed and turned to go back inside.

  “You don’t have to on my account,” he joked as she left. He heard her mumble something about ‘Men!’ as she entered the bedroom.

  When she finally emerged, she was dressed in a halter-top, shorts and walking shoes.

  “Let’s go for a bit of a hike before lunch,” she suggested.

  Seeing as they had nothing planned Kurt agreed. He was dressed similarly in tee shirt, cargo pant shorts and walking shoes.

  “Good idea, we can take the ATV up towards the hills and walk around there for a couple hours. I’ve not been up there much since I was a kid. There are some caves we can explore.”

  “Great then we can drive into town and have lunch at Abe’s place,” she agreed.

  They went downstairs to the huge two-vehicle garage that the villa was seated upon and climbed aboard the Celeron Independent Vehicles Champion. The All-Terrain Vehicle was based on the military counterpart, the Juggernaut, but had more armour plating and troop carrying capabilities along with weapon pods. The Champion was sleeker, slightly smaller with more rounded edges but it still exuded power and stability. Since Kurt’s promotion to Wildfire Initiative status the Champion had had the weapons pods replaced as well as some armour and shielding. It was probably one of the safest vehicles to drive anywhere.

  “Ready?” Kurt asked as he started the engine and operated the double doors that slid up into a recess in the ceiling.

  “As ever,” she replied with a smile.

  Kurt drove the Champion out of the garage and onto the road that ran along the edge of the property closing the garage and initiating the alarm system remotely via his Neural Interface.

  10.04 s.e.t.

  “There they go, get ready,” Tyler Sosa murmured from the front seat of his ATV, his voice relayed through the comm. link via his NI.

  He and his team of ten mercs had been watching the villa for the past two days, scoping out the place and seeing if they could spot any pattern to the occupants’ daily routine. So far none had occurred but their stakeout was still in the early stages. He had expected to watch their movements for a full week at least, before even thinking of making a move against them. His years of sniper training had taught him patience if nothing else. Sometimes though, an opportunity presented itself that was just too good to miss. Tyler had a feeling this could be one of them.

  His men were situated on the road that ran along the front of the villa, one farther up, the second farther down. He was parked on a side road that led towards the hills at the back of the villa where he watched and co-ordinated the action.

  As he watched them exit the underground garage, he began to realise where they were headed, right towards where he was parked.

  He turned his head away so they wouldn’t see his face. It was conspicuous he knew, but he had been caught flat-footed with nowhere to go.

  It didn’t take long for the Champion to get out of his sight and when that happened Tyler said through a comm channel via his NI, “They’re heading up towards the hills, circle around and see if you can cut them off.”

  When Tyler was sure he wouldn’t be spotted, he started the engine and said, “Right, here we go.”

  2

  10.10 s.e.t.

  “Did you spot him?” Zara asked as they drove past the other ATV parked on the side road.

  “I’d have to be blind not to have,” Kurt groaned.

  “Trouble do you think?”

  “What else could it be?”

  “Has this thing got any weapons?” she asked showing no signs of worry or concern.

  “Check the glove box your side, there should be a Sig in there. I know there’s one in this side,” Kurt offered. The chance of some action after a couple weeks of inactivity was coursing through him like a drug. His senses were all working on overdrive by now and he was ready for whatever might come.

  Zara reached inside the glove box as instructed and took out the pistol, a Sig P999, small yet powerful and the standard sidearm for all Recon Delta Marines. She jacked the slide on top to prime the battery clip already inserted into the butt, and she was ready to rock and roll.

  “What do you think they want?” she sounded more interested than concerned.

  “No doubt we’ll soon find out,” he replied keeping an eye on the rear view monitor.

  “This road circles around doesn’t it?” Zara asked which proved Kurt’s earlier comment as two other vehicles appeared on the narrow road ahead.

  “Like I said we’ll soon find out.” He grinned.

  The two vehicles converged on the road ahead to form a roadblock, making Kurt pull up and stop.

  “Here we go,” Kurt observed as he saw the other vehicle they had passed earlier come up from behind. “Let’s see what they do,” he suggested.

  “We may as well paint a target on us, sitting here,” Zara scolded not sure what he planned, but at the moment it looked like nothing.

  “What’re you worried about?” Kurt said dividing his attention between the vehicles in front
and the one behind.

  “I don’t like just sitting waiting for someone to take pot shots at me, that’s all.”

  “Don’t worry, any second now,” he noted confidently.

  A group of ten men emerged from the two vehicles parked nose to nose across their path, five from each vehicle. They went around the far side using the vehicles as cover. Kurt saw pistols and said, “Here we go.”

  10.15 s.e.t.

  Tyler saw the Champion pull up, blocked by his men’s two other vehicles parked nose to nose across the road ahead.

  He stopped his ATV, opened the door and got out standing behind the door for cover.

  “You in the ATV, get out with your hands away from your body and walk towards me,” he shouted.

  Kurt saw the vehicle pull up behind, and when the guy got out and shouted, he knew who was in charge here.

  “Relax and do nothing, let’s see what they want from us,” he said calmly.

  Tyler waited a few moments for a reply then when none came he gave an order to his men in front through the closed comm channel.

  Kurt saw the men in front stand up slightly and take aim. A salvo of pulsed plasma bolts peppered the front of the Champion.

  Zara flinched involuntarily as if she expected the windscreen to shatter.

  Kurt gave her an amused glance before telling her, “I had this fitted with toughened glass, military grade.”

  Frowning at him she said, “Thanks for the warning.”

  “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.” He smiled. “Let’s see how far they go,” he added returning his attention to the men in front.

  Another salvo of plasma bolts struck the front of the Champion with as little effect as before.

  “Right, I’ve had enough of this, let’s mix it up a bit,” Kurt added.

  Zara looked at him then ordered, “You go left, I’ll go right?”

  Kurt nodded in agreement.

  “On my mark,” he agreed and then began counting down from three. On ‘one’ he opened his door and bolted for the side of the road just as Zara did the same on the opposite side. They both fired a rapid double tap at the vehicles in front to force their attackers back behind cover.