That was when the thin smile began to form on Glaucon’s face.
“Xenophon, you’re one plucky bastard.”
He said the words quietly, but it was enough for Roxana to begin laughing. Xenophon was the only one that remained with a serious expression on his face. He looked at the VOB system and the shapes of the stars flashing past. Kentarchos Cadmus called out to his crew.
“Cut FTL unit, prepare for the next waypoint.”
Everything around them slowed, and then they were in the Sea of Fire. Each of them looked outside at the vast fiery inferno, and not even the smile on Glaucon’s face remained. Xenophon looked back to his friend.
“Let’s just hope my information was accurate.”
The Valediction arrived along with her escort, and she was still venting just as Xenophon had requested. The engines on the light cruiser were already spooling up for yet another jump when the shape of the first enemy ships began to arrive. The initial few dozen were heavy Carduchian fighters, but right behind them were the vast hulls of the Bactrian vessels. Glaucon looked at Xenophon with a raised eyebrow.
“Good luck!”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Light Cruiser ‘Antaeus’, Bijar Prime, Sea of Fire
There were no gunshots or sounds of battle; instead the journey through the border region had turned into something of a race. The Terrans were ahead, but the shapes of the Bactrian warships and their allies were not far behind. The Terrans had managed to escape from the final waypoint just twenty seconds before their pursuers had jumped in. The timing was so close there was little chance for long-term planning, and the enemy vessels were forced to make quick calculations to continue the pursuit.
“Arrival in sixty seconds. Do you think the Strategos took the alternate route?” Kentarchos Cadmus asked.
His voice was calm, almost too relaxed as he watched the ragtag group of ships move to the perimeter of the Sea of Fire. The rest of the ships looked tiny even though they were traveling in a tight group. A thin line had been running behind the Titan Valediction and marked where the great vessel had been venting. It was nothing major, but easily more than was required to leave a trail to track throughout the deadly wilderness of the Sea of Fire. Now the great ship was gone, and in the Sea of Fire there was no way of contacting them.
“I hope so. There are only three routes at this point on the border. If he takes any other course, the Titan will be gone. If he listened, he’ll be back with the fleet and the first stage of the trap.”
Xenophon looked back at the starmap and tried to hide the nerves now almost choking him. The fleet was spread out, and with no way to communicate there were simply too many things that could go wrong.
Stay calm, and continue with the plan.
The plan was something he’d had little time to create, yet with input from Glaucon and Roxana it had been turned into something relatively simple. The simplicity was not the thing bothering him right now. It was the plan’s reliance upon a number of variables that were outside of his control. Dukas Xenias was reliable, and Xenophon was certain he would ensure the primary fleet would be ready for battle. The disposition for the minefield was just as simple, but it would take several minutes for the escorts to plant proximity charges in the preset locations. That shouldn’t present a problem, and provided the Dukas had time, there should no reason for it to fail.
Assuming he didn’t arrive to find local ships already there.
Xenophon hadn’t given that much thought, but now, as he considered it, the threat become very real. With three quarters of the ships stranded in the Sea of Fire, their only chance would be in preparation. Images of the Terran fleets appearing in the middle of the Sea of Fire haunted him. Visions of Terran cruisers surrounded by Carduchian warships made him shiver.
Don’t waste timing thinking on it, you fool. There is no sense in worrying about that which you cannot change.
They were the words of Kratez, and though he knew they were good, wise words, they did little to take the edge off his nerves. Xenophon was on the command deck, along with Glaucon, Roxana, and Tamara. The little group watched patiently as Kentarchos Cadmus prepared the crew for their final destination. After making the last few decisions, he looked back to Xenophon and then to Roxana.
“We are coming out of the Sea of Fire. I hope you’re both right.”
He looked back to his crew.
“For all our sake.”
“Me, too,” said Roxana.
The shapes and lights flashed and changed as the slowing ships passed through the final part of the border region. It took just seconds for the deceleration, and then they were out of the distortions and in open space. A low drone announced the final dropping of their speed, and it was as though they were completely static in space.
“Battle stations! Get my shields up and the gun ports!”
There was no sign of Valediction. She had already vanished and only the light cruisers, plus a few of the other escorts were with them. It was a small force, nothing more than vanguard. Gentle tones came from the consoles of the tactical officer and indicated that the external ports were open. In ancient battles this is where guns would have been pulled out to fire, now they merely created an opening through which to fire the heavy plasma cannons.
“Scan and tag. Was our information from the Carduchian correct?”
One by one the scanners tracked, identified, and then flagged the myriad of ships in front of them. Kentarchos Cadmus nearly chocked as he tried to assess what lay before them. He’d seen so many battles now that his mind was beginning to become numb at the sight of fleet after fleet. The Legion still contained the bulk of the Ten Thousand that had left for the battle at Cunaxa, but their ships were now much the worse for wear. With one Titan gone, and more than two dozen capital ships lost or abandoned, they were quickly shrinking in size.
“Nearly two hundred...ships. Cruisers, battleships, troop transports, and tankers. This is a force strong enough for an entire invasion. Most of them are regional ships, and I count eight or more unmarked. They must be mercenaries.”
He looked back to Xenophon.
“We cannot repel a force of that size. Not for long, anyway.”
Xenophon said nothing, and he did not acknowledge of the man’s fears.
At this rate, our fleet will be more Median than Terran, he thought.
“This is good news,” he started, much to the stunned surprise of the Kentarchos, “The information was correct. This is a Satrap fleet, and they will not cross into Carduchian space.”
He glanced at Roxana who was busily looking at the formations of ships. She spotted him looking at her and nodded in agreement.
“That’s true. There is little love lost between any of the Satraps, and the Carduchian and Hayastani are two of the worst. They are more likely to war against each other than help.”
Kentarchos Cadmus was less interested than in the plan, and much more so in what his role would be. He waited patiently as his crew made the last second adjustments to their guns and shielding.
“Now?” he asked.
Xenophon nodded.
“Yes. Hit them hard and hit them fast. Target their weapon arrays. Ignore their shield generators and engines. Mark the location of their supply train and transports in the main computer.”
The Kentarchos’ body relaxed as he was given something specific to do. With his mind now off the strategy, the commander of the ship could focus on doing just one thing, something he could have some affect on. Drakonis and the other light cruisers stayed close, each using their fire to cover the other ships in the squadron.
“Fire!”
The light cruisers were a tiny force, and the amount of gunfire they could put out was relatively small. Even so, each of them expended as much fire as they could before the inevitable bombardment of the return fire. Nothing happened.
“What’s going on?” Tamara asked.
Glaucon pointed at the shapes of the ships.
“They w
ill not attack, not yet. They are waiting to see what we do.”
He looked to Xenophon.
“They expect a trap. We have a reputation, I suspect, certainly by now. This plan, I don’t think it...”
Another shape arrived. This time it was the Titan. She moved in like some great mythical whale and directly between the cruisers and the Hayastani fleet. The one ship was so much more than just a warship; it was the home to the bulk of the Laconians, and more a mobile city than a vessel. She immediately made herself known.
“So, he came after all,” said Glaucon.
Xenophon noted how surprised his friend was at the arrival of the Titan. He looked at its shape and recalled the tales of lone Titans standing against twenty or thirty ships and coming out on top. The odds here were vastly tipped against them, but the Titan was still a threat to many of the ships.
Still venting. Good, he listened to something at last.
The Titan’s escorts came in alongside, and like the light cruisers, opened fire. The Titan focused its fire on three or four small ships at a time and then unleashed a formidable arsenal of gunfire and heavy cutters that brought about immediate results. Lashes of energy emerged from its flanks, then the bow, and then from every direction. To somebody that had never seen a ship like it, they could have been mistaken for thinking it was a small star. Plasma and lasers were emitted in all directions just like a burning star throwing radiation out into space.
“The Strategos is acting fast. Three small escorts have gone already. He’s knocked out the forward shields on a heavy cruiser as well,” said the Kentarchos.
The awe in the man’s voice was clear to all of them. Even Xenophon was impressed by the bombardment put out by just the one ship. Two mercenary frigates moved in to attack its flank and were raked from bow to stern in a vicious assault that left them wrecked hulks and derelict in space.
This time the waiting ships responded, but not all of them. While the local ships stayed where they were, the mercenaries did not. One squadron at a time broke formation and headed straight for the Titan.
“I told you,” said Xenophon, “A Titan is a prize none would choose to ignore. If the Strategos followed my waypoints, he will have left a trail that leads directly to Xenias and the fleet.”
Glaucon highlighted the shapes of the Terran forces still inside the vicious maelstrom.
“So if the plan is correct, we should have the Carduchians and the mercenaries engaged in battle in the Sea of Fire with Xenias.”
Xenophon nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. The trap is set. Now we need to play the part of the bait.”
Two mercenary frigates exploded while Xenophon looked through the ship’s VOB system. There were all shapes and sizes of craft, but there was one in particular that he wanted. A ship that could issue the orders that would give them the chance to win.
“There, that is the Zaal!”
He pointed at the only Vulture class battleship in the fleet, and at the same time tapped his communications node. With this small contingent now outside of the influence of the Sea of Fire, he could communicate with all of them.
“All ships target and hit her. Hit her with everything we have. Now!”
The combined firepower of all the ships, including the Titan, were more than enough to create puncture points on the shielding of the Zaal. Through these gaps the smaller light cruisers poured their batteries of plasma cannons. It was slow work, but eventually they broke through to cause minor damage. The crew of the veteran battleship was quick to take action and rotated the vessel to move the collapsed shielded sections away from danger. More importantly, the Zaal changed course to pull back from the fight.
“What now?” Kentarchos Cadmus asked.
The man had only a moment’s respite from managing the battle. The light cruiser was taking fire, but nothing close to the bombardment striking the Titan. He pointed to the ship.
"Valediction has gaps in her shielding. The capacitors are down to thirty percent and dropping. A few more minutes, and they will be able to break through, perhaps even board her."
Xenophon rose and looked to his friend.
“Now we return to the fleet and hope Ariaeus took the bait. Gods willing, they will pursue us. Kentarchos, prepare to jump.”
He then looked to the auletes.
“Put me through with the Strategos. It’s time we joined our comrades.”
As the connection was put through, he looked to his friends.
“Our fate will be decided in the Sea of Fire.”
None of them said a word, but Xenophon could only imagine the terrible conditions he had put his prisoners through. Technically, a prisoner was no more than a slave, a chattel that had a price. He’d never been comfortable with the slave selling side of war, though, and his mistreatment of the Carduchian was a decision he would have to live with.
I hope the information was correct, or this will be a very, very short trip.
* * *
Battleship ‘Zaal’, Hayastani border
Tirbazus watched the battle with much interest. The Terran ships had arrived in far smaller numbers than he had expected, but they were still attacking. At the heart of the small group was the Titan, a ship even he was impressed with. He had seen images of them, but he never thought to see one inside Median space. As he looked at the vast object, there was just one thought on his mind.
How can I get one for my own fleet?
He recalled the old stories of these Terran ships, but none of them did justice to the great structure that lay before him. Even his own battleship looked more like a second-line cruiser in comparison to the vastness of the mighty Titan. The gunfire from the floating city was continuous, and any craft unwise enough to move too close was raked with a blistering volley.
“Incredible, truly incredible.”
He looked to his new mercenary advisors while nodding to his native commander. These secretive figures waited in the shadows for their orders. Tirbazus was keen to give the impression that this operation was something out of the ordinary. In reality, he would operate only via his own well-defined chain of command. As well as his flagship, there were plenty of Hayastani ships, and none would move without a word from their supreme commander.
“What is your assessment?”
Koni, the leader of the Hayastani Corsairs smiled. Behind him were two more of his commanders, and each of them was busily watching the unfolding battle. Kallinos fidgeted and looked as though she might speak before he could answer.
“Ariaeus is a weakling.”
Koni almost spat out the words, desperate to beat off Kallinos.
“He promised us all wealth and riches to end them, and this is the fleet? Ariaeus told us there were hundreds of ships, but I see a tenth of that.”
Kallinos shook her head.
“All you see, Koni, is that which is before you. The Sea of Fire hides the truth from us all. I advise caution. The Terrans are no fools. That is why they have lasted this long so deep into our own territory.”
Koni laughed at her.
“I would expect no less from a...”
His voice tailed off, either from a lingering doubt as to whether he should continue, or because of what he had just seen. He pointed at the shapes of the ships that were turning about and moving at high-speed back toward the Sea of Fire.
“They are leaving.”
“Of course they are,” said Tirbazus.
There was a tone of self-satisfaction to his words.
“Whatever this was, they are unable to match our strength. Instead, they will withdraw into the Sea of Fire, and there they will suffer eternal torment at the hands of the storms.”
That was the moment one of his senior officers, an unnamed female in full dress uniform, stepped away from the shadows. Tirbazus spotted her immediately and also sensed right away something was wrong.
“My Lord, border scanners are detecting scouts. We have fighters coming through the two breaches.”
&n
bsp; Tirbazus watched the shapes of the Terran ships skulking back into the border region. One by one they moved, and as they vanished, so did any chance of detecting them. All but the single Titan, and as it moved away, a number of diamond icons appeared on its hull.
“Can the ship be tracked?”
Koni was busy talking to his comrades, but Kallinos was already at the Satrap’s side and still advocating caution. Koni leaned away from his men and approached.
“My Lord, my ships are monitoring the escape vector. They are moving at sub light speeds. With a little guile, we could match them and hit them before they can make a course change.”
Tirbazus considered his options. Kallinos shook her head.
“You gain nothing in pursuit, other than leaving the border open. What if this is a feint to draw us away from this sector? The Terrans could choose any of the other points and pour through.”
Koni laughed.
“Pathetic. That is why we move now. We pursue, hit them hard, and destroy them. Unlike the Terrans, we have detailed charts. We find them and hunt them down. They cannot threaten Hayastani if they are dead.”
Tirbazus wasn’t happy, but he nodded in agreement with the man.
“Koni is correct.”
The mercenary began to laugh but stopped at the next words.
“As is Kallinos.”
He looked to his own officers, and four moved out and toward him.
“Send the signal to the fleet. We will follow the corsairs into the Sea of Fire. The rearguard will stay back with the baggage. It is time we made our claim on the disputed border regions of Carduchia. Five hundred years ago they were part of our realm until the Carduchians unleashed the Sea of Fire upon us.”
He then looked to Kallinos.
“You will stay and escort ten of my advanced battlecruisers. Together you will watch our rearguard, just in case any of the Terrans slip through. I will not risk my civilian ships in this fight.”
Kallinos began to speak, but Tirbazus cut her off.
Black Legion: 05 - Sea of Fire Page 21
