Xenophon was starting to become impatient. As the medics took Tamara away, the others moved to Xenophon’s side. Glaucon seemed especially annoyed at the Laconian’s tone.
“He didn’t have much time to say anything else. He was busy dying.”
Xenophon turned to Artemas and beckoned towards her.
“This is Lady Artemas, niece of Cyrus. She has knowledge of this part of the Empire, detailed local knowledge. With her help, I’m sure I can project a route that will take us home safely.”
The small group of bloodied and tired looking Dukas looked at each other and spoke in hushed tones. More craft continued to land, and the medics were hard pressed to get the wounded out and to the medical bays before another arrived. Finally, they stopped. Chirisophus took a step closer to Xenophon and looked down to the bloody weapon given up by his commander.
“Until we convene a full military council, I have been chosen to lead the Legion. As one of Clearchus’ warriors in his last battle, you have a place among my people. From today, you may consider yourself a true friend of Laconia. Now, the Medes fleets are converging on our own forces, and our situation is looking precarious at best. You were there when our Strategos fell, and you heard his words. You carry his weapon, and every commander in the fleet will take heed of your words...for now.”
That last part sounded almost like a threat, but Xenophon chose to ignore it.
“So, Xenophon. What would you recommend?”
Without hesitation, Xenophon answered.
“Choose any destination that will move us away from this place, and jump. When we are safe, we can rebuild the Legion and plan our next step.”
Chirisophus seemed satisfied with this simple proposal and turned away from Xenophon. He looked one last time, almost longingly at the damaged weapon of Clearchus and then marched back into the innards of the Titan. The other Dukas moved to follow him, with the exception of Xenias, commander of the surviving Arcadians. He placed his hand on the Dekarchos’ shoulder.
“You’ve done well, Xenophon.”
He then looked around to the others. Glaucon was cut and bruised all over, yet still carried his pulse cannon across his shoulder. Roxana’s was covered in grime and blood still dripped from a number of cuts to her scalp. Even Artemas, the beautiful Median woman was bruised and scratched.
“I want you to know, you all have a place with Arcadia. You have friends here, and I suspect our journey home may be even more dangerous than the one that brought us here.”
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Xenophon cradling his prized relic and standing amongst the wounded warriors and dozens of medics. The great hulk of the ship shuddered every few seconds as Median energy weapons licked at her shields ineffectually. Xenophon opened his mouth to speak, but the rumble as the main engines powered up stopped him. Instead, he turned to his friends and then to Artemas. She looked just as bruised and exhausted as he was. None of them spoke until finally Glaucon took a step away.
“I need a drink. Who’s coming with me?”
Roxana smiled and moved towards him. Xenophon looked back to Artemas who took a slow breath and nodded in agreement.
“Yes, I think we could all do with a drink, a very strong drink.”
APPENDIX
APPENDIX I: THE GALAXY
APPENDIX II: PEOPLE
Andronicus
One of the senior commanders of the ground troops in the Arcadian contingent. He played a minor part in the action at Cilicia and was involved in the debacle of the Olympia.
Ariaeus
Median general and Cyrus’ second in command. Rival of Tissaphernes but young, powerful and ambitious. Commanded a fleet that was double the size of Clearchus as well as over 20,000 automaton stratiotes. Famous for leading a series of revolt in the border lands against central Median control.
Arkeisios
Second-in-commander to Dukas Phalinus, the trainer of Artaxerxes conscripts and responsible for establishing the defences of the Cunaxa Nebula. A Zacynthian like his commander.
Artaxerxes (Emperor of the Medes)
The half brother of Lord Cyrus and leader of the most powerful empire in the known universe. Artaxerxes was a shrewd tactician and ruthless in ambition. His personal fortune and Royal Fleet were the envy of every Terran world.
Artemas of Caria
The beautiful daughter of Lygdamis, one of the Median governors of the independent Ionian Territories.
Artemis (Komes)
Commander of the elite Epilektoi unit station on the Titan Valediction. Close friend of Kleandridas and famous for taking the Alliance battle standard at Aegospotami. One of the most experienced junior officers in the Legion.
Cyrus
Half-brother of the Emperor. Tall for a Imperial but still lithe and quick. Lived in self-imposed exile following the death of his father, rather than risk the wrath of his power-hungry brother Artaxerxes. Secretly arranged for groups of mercenaries to mass at the Cilician Gates. Their mission was the usurpation of the Emperor himself.
Crixus
Laconian politician and former general. Leader of the Thirty Tyrants on Attica during the occupation and considered both a hero on his home world and a tyrant on Attica.
Clearchus (Strategos)
Clearchus was a famous Strategos, possibly the most famous human leader in the last hundred years and the military leader of the Black Legion. Two metres tall, strong and an expert on space and ground combat. Like all Laconians, his body tough and strong through continuous training and conflict. He missed the end of the war with the Alliance and had been exiled to one of the League’s distant outposts until being found by Cyrus.
Erika Montoya
A Terran politician on the planet Attica. After decades of service for the state she became of the Thirty. One of the few official to survive the pogrom following the reinstatement of democracy. Rumoured to have business dealings with the Laconians and born into one of the richest estates in the Alliance.
Ezekiel Manus
The Kybernetes of the Black Legion cruiser Vendetta, who took over command of the ship following the death of the kentarchos.
Julius (Dekarchos)
Dekarchos of the elite 6th Spatharios onboard the Arcadian Titan Olympia. Assisted in the evacuation following the disaster and commended for bravery under fire.
Glaucon
Friend of Xenophon. A playboy from a one of the richest families on Attica. Strong democrat, escapes with Xenophon after being accused of helping one of the collaborators.
Gryllus
Xenophon’s father, murdered on Attica. Member of the Thirty but fought publically for citizens of Attica. Considered a hero after being murdered by Xenophon. In reality killed by Montoya and her henchman.
Kantos
Fencing instructor from Attica. Served with the Black Legion. Had not been heard of after having been exiled for sedition after fighting the Thirty Tyrants on Attica. His brother was killed prior to him leaving Attica to join the Legion.
Kleandridas
One of the two topoteretes of the Ten Thousand, deputy commanders of the Armada and close friends of Clearchus. He was from a poor mining family that were killed during the Mining Revolt, a famous event in Arcadian history. There were later rumours that the revolt was staged by the Medes under the command of Ariaeus.
Meno the Thassalian (Dukas)
A scarred mercenary commander that commanded the Titan Poseidon. Rumoured to be one of the richest Terrans in the fleet, if not the entire Terran territory. He was violent, ill tempered, but a great tactician. His Titan was the most sophisticated and powerful in the Legion and led the vanguard to the climactic battle against Artaxerxes.
Menon
A disgraced Satrap that turned to piracy and slavery on the Imperial frontier. His politics were confused and his allegiance uncertain until his actions at the climax of the battle at the Khorram shipyards where he saved the life of Artaxerxes. Not to be confused with Meno the Thessalian, one of the commanders of the Bl
ack Legion.
Pasion (Komes)
Commander of the Night Blades. A strong supporter of Dukas Xenias and one of the first Terran officers to be involved in the fighting at the Cilician Gates. Quick to anger and very distrustful of the Medes he was also an expert in the use of heavy weapons and explosives.
Pleistoanax
One of the two topoteretes of the Ten Thousand, deputy commanders of the armada. He oversaw the operation at the Cilician gates while Clearchus and Kleandridas commanded the operation from the ground. An outstanding officer and the best in his class at the Arcadian Army Academy. Considered by many to be the finest tactician in the fleet. He might have even made it as commander of the Legion if it were not for his infamous womanising.
Roxana Devereux
Officer in the Alliance Navy, friend of Xenophon. Met on Attica before enlistment. A confidant and tall women with thick auburn hair and grey eyes . She was almost the same height and build as Xenophon himself and spent time both in the Alliance military and working as a mercenary prior to the expedition.
Sharon Hughes
Pentatchos on the Vendetta. Leader of one of the many spatharii units that served on the Arcadian titan Olympia. Famous for being the only survivor of her unit following the calamity of the Olympia incident.
Tamara
A young teenage warrior with the Black legion. A runaway with experience of smuggling and black market dealing.
Tissaphernes
Media Satrap and high lord of the rich region around the Cilician Gates. Close friend of the Emperor and major rival of Cyrus.
Xenias (Dukas)
An Arcadian soldier and commander of the Olympia. He took a vast contingent of 2,000 mercenaries with him to join the Ten Thousand. His junior commanders included Komes Pasion, leader of the Night Blades.
Xenophon
A citizen of Attica and rumoured to be a pupil of Kratez . Saw limited service during the Terran Civil War. Prefect of the Inner Wards on Attica, eventually forced into exile with Glaucon. Blamed for death of Gryllus who fought for the rights of the citizens with the Thirty. Joined the Ten Thousand mercenaries that fought for the rebel prince Cyrus against the Empire. Though an ardent Attica loyalist, he showed sympathy towards the Laconians and argued against continuing hostilities with them all his life. Famously single for most of his life, avoids getting too involved with any one person. He was tall and slender, with cropped blonde hair and dark blue eyes and known for being both introverted, highly conservative and intellectual.
APPENDIX III: TERMINOLOGY
Anusiya
The elite royal military of the Median Empire. Known as Anusiya in their own language, it means something akin to immortals due to their large numbers that never dwindle.
Arcadia
A Terran world famous for its stoic warriors and weak stability. Many Alliance politicians would joke about the elections not being needed on Arcadia, this was apparently due to the number of coups.
Asgeirr-Carbine
Laconian close-quarter weapon. Fits in the fist and lower arm of a warrior and combines a razor sharp blade and a cut down pulse carbine. The entire unit is compact and very light. Short ranged but very powerful, its blade can punch through most armour.
Attica
The heavily populated homeworld of the Atticans and the capital world of the old Terran Alliance. It was one of the earliest colonies established by the Terrans in their earliest years of expansion. Home of Xenophon, Glaucon and Roxana.
Citadel of Cunaxa.
Built on top of a natural peak in the centre of the capital, it was surrounded by a dozen star-shaped fortresses and joining walls of thirty metres in height. Behind all of this was the Citadel itself, a mighty structure covered in domes and pillars that reached up into the clouds. Landing pads, weapon turrets and shield generators covered the entire site. It was the most impressive defensive structure on the planet of Cunaxa Secundus, the second most important planet in the Median Empire and guarded the route to the Imperial homeworld of Babylon Prime.
Combat Drones
War machines built on the worlds of the robotic domains for defensive purposes throughout the Medes Empire. The standard models were of a similar size to a Terran but much broader in the upper body. They lacked complicated hands, and instead were equipped with low velocity pulse weapons and blades. They were designed to be resilient, but lacked tactical awareness or planning capabilities.
Dekas
A small unit of ten soldiers, commanded by a Dekarchos.
Doru Mk II Rifle
Arcadian, standard weapon used by the light infantry for scouting and special operations. The Doru MK II is a uses a high velocity pulse round and is capable of long distance interdiction and can penetrate most modern armours.
Dromon
Generic name for small transports, assault ships and rescue ships. One of the most popular types of craft used throughout the Terran planets. Most were capable of atmospheric flight.
Elamite
A Scythian Class heavy battleship of the Median Empire. Almost half a kilometre long, frequently used as a command ship for median fleets. One of the largest ships ever seen outside of the Median Empire’s own territory.
Epilektoi
The elite bodyguard unit of the Laconians used to defend senior commander at home and on campaign. A full company of these warriors were stationed on the Titan Valediction under the command of Komes Artemis. The unit contained ten elite Dekarchos, each promoted from the ranks of Laconian bodyguard units.
Fort Plymouth
The most distant and powerful of the Alliance Olympus class outposts. It was situated within striking distance of the border worlds of the Empire. It was the home of the Armada during the last war with the Laconians. With thousands of personnel and hundreds of ships, it was impregnable to all but a full invasion. Stationed over 200 parsecs from Attica and nearly 230 parsecs from Laconia. 14 jumps were required for the trip, a journey that would take 2 weeks from Attica if stops were made at Alliance refuelling stations. With tankers, the trip could be conducted in half the time.
Hydra class destroyer
A common Alliance destroyer. At a length of one hundred and fifty metres, and with a crew of one hundred and ninety five, the vessels were the smallest self-sufficient ships in the Alliance Armada. The destroyers had the look of large predatory fish from Ancient Earth, with large frontal sections and long tails that carried a multitude of antenna and sensors.
Ionia Territories
A disputed area that had once been under Terran control. It had now been carved up into a dozen separate territories, each controlled by a powerful Ionian warlord. The high gravity world had helped breed a swarthy but short people who specialised in shipbuilding and high-energy weapons.
Laconia
Ruled by seven men that included a dual kingship, knows as the two Basileus, five Ephors and a vocal ‘popular assembly’. In reality the planet was controlled by the Ephors who were elected for life as tyrants. The Basileus were little more than generals with little political power. The manpower for the state was provided by a complex series of indentured workers who were little more than slaves and commonly revolted.
Laconian Infantry
Laconian spatharios were the traditional heavy infantry of Laconia. They wore their traditional crimson Laconian uniforms, topped with their iconic helmets. Unlike most other Terrans they also wore the common infantryman’s breastplate, an archaic looking device made of an advanced polymer compound that was proof against many common weapons. Only the senior commanders and the elite bodyguard unit were entitled to wear the red tunics and armour. Other Laconian units were allowed to wear the crimson cloak but only for ceremonial purposes.
Laconian League
The pre-eminent Terran empire lead by military colony of Laconia. An equal to any colony on its own and the master of the League that it ruled through a series of complex oaths and agreements. Made extensive use of ancient Byzantine iconography and ti
tles.
Median Empire
A massive Imperial state of over a thousand worlds spread through the galaxy. Its capital, Babylon Prime, is based in the heart of its territory and protected by an elite navy of a thousand ships. Its worlds include hundreds of races from primitive farming worlds to the death worlds and the advanced robotic domains. The dominant race are the Medes who inhabit the core worlds of the Empire.
Mulacs
A generic name for several species of mutants, pirates and mercenaries. These creatures were often used by the Medes as scouts and raiders for their own forces. In more recent years they have been found carving out their own territories in the border regions.
Night Blades
The elite special forces reconnaissance unit on-board the Olympia. Commanded by Komes Pasion. Their specialisms were raiding, recon and assault.
Olympia
The renegade Titan from Arcadia, commanded by Dukas Xenias. The first ship that Xenophon and his comrades served on in the expedition under Lord Cyrus.
Ranks
The Ten Thousand under Clearchus used the traditional system of military ranks used in the Laconian military. This system dated in part back to the system used thousands of years earlier on Earth. They were a bizarre mixture of naval and army titles that had become mixed over the millennia. These ranks include:
Senior Ranks
Strategos, General of a campaign
Topoteretes, sub commanders of the strategos, usually two per tagma
Anticensor, leader of engineers
Akolouthos, leader of the general’s bodyguard. Allowed to wear red uniforms
Black Legion - The First Trilogy Page 75
