The Eternal Fortress (Star Legions Book 6)

by Michael G. Thomas

  Chirisophus appeared to shudder before answering the question, as though something about it had proven so repellent as to force a reaction. His expression was very different to when they had visited the trade galleon, and Xenophon knew there was a degree of resentment about the man that would come back to haunt him.

  I really can’t catch a break, can I?

  Finally, he answered, but his reluctance was as telling as the words he now used.

  “Yes, the Dukas agree with your plan, and so do I. We will be ready. Make sure you are ready to do your part.”

  Xenophon glanced briefly to Glaucon who remained silent.

  “You and Timasion will coordinate your part of the operation. You must disrupt or disable the weapon system and allow us to pass through. If you fail, we will be unable to help you.”

  Xenophon should have been happy at being given this opportunity to shine, but in reality, it was perhaps the most dangerous mission undertaken by any member of the Black Legion so far.

  “I understand. Kallinos will stay at maximum range to operate as a relay ship. She will monitor my encoded transmissions. Just be ready, the window might be a matter of minutes.”

  Chirisophus nodded in acknowledgement and then abruptly disconnected the feed.

  “Looks like you’ve made another friend,” said Glaucon.

  “Yeah, thanks. That’s just what I need, another crazed Laconian wanting my blood.”

  “Just like old times,” agreed Glaucon.

  They both sat in silence, not even noticing the group of spatharii and stratiotes waiting in the craft. Each of them was as silent and doing whatever it was that they did in such circumstances. The Laconians were, as expected, cool-headed about the entire thing. But a few of the Arcadians were busily checking their gear, over and over again. Xenophon twisted about and made Glaucon jump.

  “What the hell?”

  “Sorry,” said Xenophon, “Did we pack the escape gear?”

  “Dukas, we brought the emergency evac kits, as well as the thermite charges,” said a voice behind them. Both turned around to see a handful of spatharii in rough-looking armour and carrying cut down Doru rifles.

  “Good work, let’s hope we don’t need them.”

  Docking with the battleship was a much slower process than Xenophon had expected. Normally, the procedure was simple, but this time there were multiple tugs and dromons that seemed to permanently block the way in. Xenophon watched one of the small display screens with great interest as they waited. Glaucon sat in silence, waiting for the landing to be over. Tamara appeared at the small doorway that led inside the cockpit. She wore her normal garb, but her face was marked with several new cuts as well as a multitude of bruises.

  “What happened to you?” Xenophon asked.

  Tamara gave him a wicked smile.

  “Quite a lot actually.”

  She moved to the starboard window and looked out to the trade fleet.

  “I’ll miss that ship. It was a fun, a lot of fun.”

  Glaucon and Xenophon looked to each other, but neither had any idea what was happening with her. She looked past them and to the warriors in the craft.

  “Theras, where is Dion?”

  The Laconian spatharios cleared his throat before answering.

  “He is already aboard the ship. At the Dukas’ request, he brought a full pempas for the operation.”

  Xenophon felt he was not privy to some piece of information, but let it go for now.

  “Yes, I might be commanding this operation, but each contingent in the fleet has a role to play. The Atticans are best for command of the ships, the Night Blades for pretty much anything clandestine.”

  “And us for when it all goes wrong?” added the Laconian.

  Tamara laughed at that.

  “Isn’t that always the way?”

  She then turned and climbed back up the narrow stepped ramp and into the cockpit. Xenophon shook his head in amazement at the odd teenager.

  “She never ceases to surprise, does she?”

  Glaucon pulled a pulse pistol from his flank and checked the indicators along the side of the weapon. It was a standard model, but Xenophon noticed a few subtle changes to the design.

  “When did you get that done?”

  Glaucon handed him the weapon.

  “On the trade ship, there was an artificer offering a few interesting...upgrades. A lot of the spatharii have traded in or upgraded their equipment.”

  “And you, what did they do?”

  Glaucon gave him a great wide grin.

  “I chose every option available. Heavier barrel, new sights, and this little extra.”

  He tapped the side, and a box dropped down from under the barrel. It was hexagonal in shape and fitted with a pair of rubberised buttons on the side. He tapped the side and a new, very small magazine slipped out. Inside were half a dozen different types of rounds, each fitted inside a carousel-type arrangement.

  “The selector will load these special rounds into the main chamber.”

  “Special?”

  Glaucon looked almost embarrassed.

  “Well, they are taken from the engineering parts bin. Flares, solid slug, you know the kind of thing.”

  Xenophon leaned back and stretched his back.

  “So you just fancied a few extra options on your weapon, I understand it.”

  Glaucon put the magazine back into the weapon and refitted the gun into its custom solid plastic holster on his thigh. It slid into position with an almost inaudible clunk just as Xenophon spotted an engineering team in full EVA gear outside the ship.

  “Look, they’ve fitted the third charge, right on the spine. They can’t be far from completion now.”

  Glaucon looked at the view and shook his head.

  “I don’t like this plan, not one bit. All the intel we have is from this Cassandra, and you’re telling me that we can trust her?”

  Xenophon scratched at his head as he thought about it.

  “Artemas knows her well, and she says there had been no occasion when Cassandra’s word has been false. She drives a hard bargain, but if she says she will do something, then she will.”

  Glaucon looked uncomfortable, but his concerns got the better of him.

  “No insult to you or Artemas intended, but since when have we placed our reliance upon Medes and Phrygians? This is a job that should have been done by Terran scouts.”

  Xenophon was surprised to hear him say this.

  “I understand, but you have to know that if Cassandra’s information is correct, by the time we’ve decelerated, we will already be in range of the Fortress’ guns. They could destroy us before we can spool up the engines for another emergency jump.”

  He then looked back at the other spatharii before leaning in to Glaucon.

  “It’s not ideal, but this is the only way it can be done without risking the rest of the fleet.”

  Glaucon shook his head in disappointment.

  “We were forced to leave Attica, don’t forget. I want to make sure I can go back one day, and this mission worries me.”

  Xenophon looked carefully at his old friend.

  “I know leaving Attica was hard, but with the Thirty Tyrants and the popular uprising, was it ever going to be any other way? If we’d stayed, we would have been exiled at best, but more likely executed. Don’t forget, we are both still technically wanted for murder.”

  The very mention of murder made Glaucon’s nostrils twitch. When Xenophon looked at his face, he could see the anger that he’d been hiding for so long.

  “A lot of people think we’re guilty as well. And one day I want to go back, find the real guilty ones, and make sure they are punished. Don’t forget that animal Montoya.”

  Xenophon had forgotten many things in his life, many of which intentionally. But the face of the well-connected Attican politician Erika Montoya was not one of them. He shook his head as he looked at Glaucon.

  “My friend, don’t you worry her. One day we wi
ll return just as Odysseus, and we will have our revenge.”

  Glaucon nearly laughed.

  “You do remember what is supposed to have happened when he made it home, after a ten year voyage, no doubt.”

  Xenophon smiled.

  “He met his old dog, and then put a plan into action that killed all of those that had betrayed his wife over the years. Those suitors paid a high price in the end.”

  “And so will that bitch Montoya,” added Glaucon, “So we are going into action with a purposely crippled ship. Will she even get us there?”

  Xenophon looked to his friend.

  “The Anticensor seems to think so. The integrity of the ship has not been compromised, only the layering of the armour and the outer bulkheads. It’s the only way we can scuttle her on command.”

  They sat in silence for the duration of the landing, and to both of their surprise were actually inside the battleship and on the floor of the hangar in just fifteen more minutes. The two walked down the ramp and into the spartan interior of the Elamite. Unlike almost every other ship in the fleet, this particular vessel had now been stripped of almost every crewmember other than those required to manage the engineering and navigation systems. There was one major change, though, other than the general lack of personnel. The hangar contained six dromons, each heavily armoured and filled with spatharii. Xenophon returned an acknowledgement from one of the Laconian units aboard one.

  “You sure about this plan?” Glaucon asked.

  They walked on into the hangar but no further. As usual, just four guards followed them, the bare minimum Glaucon was happy with. Xenophon sighed and pointed to a team busy painting over the Laconian symbols while another squad were putting on markings from the Imperial fleet.

  “Artemas wasn’t impressed, but the other Dukas went for it, even the Strategos.”

  “Still. It’s one hell of a risk. A single Elamite and three transports...”

  He nodded to the dromon being worked on.

  “...carrying Imperial markings and all heading towards the Fortress. What if they open fire as soon as we arrive? They might already know we are coming, or have an itchy trigger finger,” suggested Glaucon.

  Xenophon laughed nervously.

  “Then this will be the shortest offensive of all time.”

  They reached the side and stopped as a squad of engineers made for the raider. They took a small tracked loader with them, along with heavy welding equipment. Glaucon pointed to a group of spatharii about to join them. Xenophon recognised Desma.

  “Glad you could make it.”

  “Of course,” she answered politely, “You’ll need all the help you can get with this plan.”

  Xenophon looked back to Glaucon.

  “Am I the only one that thinks this might work?”

  At the same time a loud clunk shook the ground. Two engineers had finished positioning a mounting plate and were now attaching a magclamp to the raider. Glaucon pointed off to the right where more engineers were carrying equipment.

  “Well, maybe if your plan didn’t revolve around exploding four ships in orbit over the Fortress, we might understand. We’re going to have our butts in the air while we wait for a pickup.”

  Xenophon thought about it, but as far as he was concerned, the plan was still solid. He would have preferred something a little less risky, but this was the best he could come up with, especially with the resources available to him.

  “It’s either this, or we have two other options.”

  Desma lifted her eyebrows questioningly.

  “Well, the first is to mount a full-scale assault on the Fortress. Either we take it by force, or we use the attack as a diversion to get the rest of the fleet through. The second is to stay with the trade fleet and spend the next few months working our way back through the Empire.”

  Glaucon laughed at the second idea.

  “Really? Travel back into Imperial territory? Uh, no thanks.”

  Desma was still thinking and waited for Glaucon to finish.

  “The assault could work. But with the range of the gun, we could lose half the fleet before we escape. That is a big ask. A really big ask.”

  Xenophon relaxed a little.

  “You see my plan combines elements of the two. With the cover provided by the ship detonations, we launch a rapid assault through the atmosphere. Minutes after the explosions, we will take the projected route down, avoid the primary gun towers, and launch a low-level strike on the weapon system.”

  The other two still seemed unconvinced. Xenophon looked back at the raider and pointed to the objects under the wings.

  “Why do you think I brought tactical micro-atomics with us? If we get low enough, we can launch directly under the lip and into the generator complex. Desma, do you think it will work?”

  She shrugged.

  “If we’re successful, then the debris will give us a window, but for how long? Timing is critical here, unless we want to get caught up around the Fortress. Is it true, are the defences that impressive?”

  Xenophon could feel the nerves building inside him and did his best to banish them.

  “According to the data we have, there are several approaches that avoid most of the systems. The strongest defences are walls and gunnery systems around the pyramid defence installation, but they have a problem.”

  “Which is?”

  Xenophon smiled.

  “They all point to the ground, against a conventional assault.”

  Desma shook her head in amazement.

  “So we avoid the major defences by assaulting right into the path of the main gun system. Incredible.”

  Xenophon wasn’t entirely sure if she was being positive or not. She could see his confusion, so decided to elaborate.

  “Incredible that you would think this would even work.”

  Glaucon seemed as if he agreed with her and had fallen silent. Xenophon tapped him on the shoulder, quickly drawing his attention.

  “She’s right you know. You really are insane.”

  Xenophon smiled nervously.

  “Look, the worst case is they hit as soon as we arrive. The best case is they don’t even notice. Either way, this is better than sending in the entire Legion in one go. Better to lose a few scout ships than thousands of our own people.”

  Neither of them could argue about that.

  “I need to make a private call. Make sure your people are ready. We jump as soon as the engineers are finished.”

  He walked away and towards one of the tall columns that ran from the floor all the way up into the ceiling. Its outer edges were decorated in heads and tails of a hundred species of animals, many of which Xenophon had never seen before. He stopped at the base of the column and tapped the large display. The curved unit ran around the entire base and gave detailed engineering information. Part of the imagery slid to the side and in its place was a familiar face.

  “Artemas,” he said quietly.

  “Xenophon, are you ready for this?”

  He took a long breath before answering, “Just about. How about your new home?”

  She answered without changing her expression.

  “The Bactrian is as ready as she’s ever likely to be. Roxana is running her as if she was always in charge. We’ll be ready. Just send the word and the cavalry will be there.”

  “Have you spoken with the Strategos?”

  Now her expression did change, and not for the better.

  “He is not happy Xenophon, not at all. Rumour has it he’s been raging ever since we left the trade galleon. Whatever he did down there has not left him in the best state of mind.”

  Xenophon was about to speak, but Artemas beat him to it.

  “He blames you and Glaucon. From what the Laconian engineers have said, he was betrayed on the galleon, and now he is looking for recompense.”

  She moved in closer.

  “Be careful at the Fortress. Don’t do anything stupid.”

  * * *

  The Et
ernal Fortress, Imperial Border, Shattered Domains

  Ariaeus walked to the large open window and onto the balcony to look down at the assembled troops. Arteshban Qarz was nowhere to be seen, and the only soldiers in view were those he had selected for his personal retinue. Most were mercenaries from many worlds, but the largest single group was the Taochi, and he noticed a few were even sporting a selection of firearms.

  Looting from the automatons, interesting.

  He’d never heard of them taking up firearms before, and the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if the stories of the wars that led to their defeat had been completely honest. Everything he’d seen so far suggested they were strong, smart, and capable of making use of a variety of weapons. This was a far cry from the ancient idea of lumbering brutes carrying clubs and blades. A Median officer entered through the doorway, flanked by a pair of Ariaeus’ new mercenary guards.

  “What is it?” Ariaeus demanded.

  “There is word from Arteshban Qarz. Ships have entered this sector.”

  Ariaeus’ ears twitched at the news.

  Could this be them? Are they here for their final battle?

  “Show me.”

  The officer moved out onto the balcony and tapped a button on the wall to their left. The bare metal changed into a wide display with a video channel to Arteshban Qarz and a map of the immediate vicinity of the Fortress.

  “Lord Ariaeus. We have survivors on approach from combat with the Terrans.”

  Ariaeus’ mouth twitched as he listened.

  “Show me.”

  The map to the right vanished, and a long-range telescope provided a view of the approaching ships. There were five of them in total, and he quickly identified the shape of the first.

  “That is an Elamite. Have you checked her identification with the Imperial Database?”

  Arteshban Qarz nodded quickly.

  “Yes, Lord Ariaeus. The battleship matches a refitted Elamite that was assigned to the fighting in the Sea of Fire. The other four ships are replenishment vessels from the same fleet.”

  * * *

  Elamite Battleship ‘Respite’, Imperial Border, Shattered Domains