“You realise that Tissaphernes must have had a hand in what happened at the Gates?” he asked.
Cyrus looked at him, surprised that the Terran had thought that far ahead.
“Yes, I agree. He is no friend of mine, and I am suspicious that this was an attempt to weaken or discredit me.”
Clearchus said nothing for a moment, confused at the Medes suggestion.
“You think he did this as a trap, to corner and kill you?”
“Perhaps, at the very least to weaken me so that I would not be a threat to him. It can hardly be advantageous to his position or ego to have the brother of the Emperor running about doing his dirty work. If I had been defeated and humiliated by raiders, it would have left me isolated.”
Clearchus shook his head in confusion.
“And yet you let him leave in one piece?”
Cyrus laughed loudly and stepped forward, placing his hand on the Strategos’ shoulder.
“My friend, you have much to learn about politics. He feels safer, and we can go about our business. It will be worth bearing this in mind when we next have to deal with him though. Median politics has always been a little, well, how do you day it?” he asked, pausing as he tried to think of the words. “Yes, there is much cloak and dagger in my lands.”
He smiled at the Laconian commander and then turned back to the map.
“So, as you can see, our Empire contains hundreds of races and incorporates many domains and empires. There is nothing else like my lands in the known Galaxy. At the centre lies the old Median worlds, and these are the oldest, richest and most heavily defended planets you can imagine. It is also the home of the Royal Fleet, commanded by none other than, the Emperor.”
Strategos Clearchus smiled at the hubris, but chose to ignore it. He gazed at the map, and the vast disparity between the hundreds of smaller Terran worlds and the great collective Empire of the Medes. They were so different, yet the Terrans had much strength, something he had so far failed to see in the Medes.
“I appreciate the breadth of your brother’s domain, but I do not see why I need to know this to continue our operation to clear the borders of pirates and raiders.”
Cyrus looked at the star map and then back to Clearchus.
Is he ready for what I must tell him? he thought. Would he rise to the challenge, or demand his money and return to the Terran world, an exile of Laconia, but a rich one?
He pressed a button and altered the map to show the centre of the Empire. He brought up the Imperial capital, the ancient world and centre of the Galaxy to his people. Clearchus was busy examining a series of reports from the fleet concerning the new arrivals from Arcadia. Cyrus looked back to the Capital world and smiled to himself.
My brother, Emperor of the Medes. I am coming for you.
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Gates of Cilicia bls-1 Page 27
