Black Legion: 05 - Sea of Fire

by Michael G. Thomas

  “Help protect my baggage train. That is your job. There is more treasure in those ships in terms of coin and nobility than in the entirety of Carduchia. More than enough to pay for any more mercenaries, should they be needed for this little war. Leave this battle to me. If the Terrans are to be defeated, it must be at the hands of the Hayastani Royal Fleet, and under my command.”

  Tirbazus straightened his tunic and turned back to Koni and his corsairs.

  “Send the signal for pursuit. We will chase them down like the dogs they are. When they are defeated, and we receive credit for the victory over the Terrans, it will be time for a new, more reliable leader in the disputed territories.”

  He rubbed his lower lip.

  “And if they panic and flee, well...”

  He smiled, baring his teeth to the mercenaries.

  “...They will be lashed and torn apart by the Gods themselves.”

  “Yes, my Lord!” roared Koni in approval.

  The mercenary marched down the steps with his entourage right behind him. They talked on their communicators, and by the time they were at the bottom of the steps, the first of their ships had already jumped into the treacherous region.

  * * *

  Light Cruiser ‘Antaeus’, Sea of Fire

  The cruiser slowed down just in time to avoid crashing into the starboard section of the Terran fleet. Kentarchos Cadmus had plotted the return course well and avoided the outer screen of mines by just ten kilometres, a feat of incredible skill and mathematics. Even so, as they arrived, there was a collective sigh of relief that they had not run into the very weapons that had been erected to defend them. Unlike their normal battle dispositions, the fleet was forced to move much closer together than normal. The three Titans marked the outside of the formation, while the smaller escorts and transports sheltered inside the massive group of vessels.

  “Good,” said Xenophon, “The Dukas has kept his softest ships out of the firing line.”

  He pointed at each of the groups, highlighting in particular the number of cruisers, battlecruisers, and battleships. It was an odd deployment and the exact opposite of what would be normal practice. Glaucon smiled as he looked at them.

  “Today the escorts are now the escorted.”

  “It’s the only way when you’ve got no shield and limited armor. A Terran torpedo boat will have a hard time up against a concerted attack. At least the heavies are fitted out with layered armor and thick belts of protection. Well, the Terran ships do, anyway,” said Roxana.

  Even she had forgotten that fourteen of their capital ships were actually captured Median vessels. The two largest were Elamites, the standard heavy Median battleship. Even as the fleet engaged in battle, it continued to witness the savage maelstrom of the region as arcs of energy lashed nearby.

  “Shields up!” Kentarchos Cadmus cried out.

  It was automatic and immediately brought him shaking heads from his engineers and tactical officers. After years of experience, it was standard practice to activate shields when there was even the slightest chance of danger.

  “I told you,” said Roxana.

  She looked back at Xenophon.

  “Scanners, communications, and shields will be useless here. If an external shield is struck by the energy blasts, it will cause a catastrophic backlash that will vaporize an entire ship.”

  Xenophon was far too busy watching the VOB system to pay much attention. He had a perfect view of the fleet, as well as the ships under the command of Ariaeus, and he was desperate to know if the plan was working.

  “Xenophon!” Roxana repeated.

  He looked back at her and shook his head.

  “I know. There’s nothing we can do about that now. Each commander knows the risks in this region. If they listened, they will keep their shields off.”

  He looked back to the VOB system and watched the Carduchians moving in close, but from what he could see, they were suffering far worse in this battle than the Terrans. Although both sides made extensive use of shielding, only the Terrans invested so much in the thickness of their armor. Medes ships of all kinds relied upon speed and long-range firepower at the expense of protection. In the Sea of Fire, the edge moved to the heavily armed cruisers, battleships, and Titans. Without shielding, they would all take damage, but in the short-term it looked as if the Terrans had the greater staying power.

  “Light code from Xenias says they have lost three frigates, but they are holding. He says the minefield is eighty percent active and ready. If any ships come in on your vectors, they will be hit,” said Auletes Alexandros.

  Xenophon allowed a narrow smile to form on his mouth. He looked to Glaucon and struck him in the shoulder blades.

  “Didn’t I always tell you that light code signals would be useful one day?”

  Glaucon shook his head.

  “Yeah, because this was just what you had in mind. Is eighty percent enough? What if the intelligence was wrong and they come in from other directions?”

  Xenophon shrugged.

  “We’ll find out soon enough one way or the other. They were right about the Hayastani fleet.”

  “Hold on,” said the Kentarchos, “The Robotic Domain ships are moving in to attack the escorts through the gap between the Titans. I’m bringing us about to form up with Drakonis and the other cruisers.”

  Xenophon checked the positions of the other ships and then called out signals to be sent via the auletes. It was slow, laborious work, but the officer was efficient, and squadron-by-squadron the signal managed to get through with few significant errors. They moved apart in groups to create a gap in just the right place. The Robotic Domains ships entered the gap to penetrate the Terran defenses.

  “What about the others?” Roxana asked, “If Tirbazus doesn’t come, the plan will be a loss.”

  A Terran tanker, half filled with fuel and carrying nearly a hundred Carduchian prisoners broke apart. Three explosions ripped away her stern before a bright ring of fire engulfed her midsection.

  “Damn it,” muttered Xenophon.

  It was a minor loss to the fleet in terms of raw combat power, but of more importance was that they were losing ships fast due to the lack of shielding and the fuel that would be needed for the next few jumps.

  I expected Tirbazus to get here a lot quicker. We can’t take too much damage before we’ll be forced to jump to the exit coordinates.

  At that point the Robotic Domain ships ran right into a group of twelve proximity mines. These pieces of hardware were rarely used in open battle, but with sensors proving less than useful, and with the ships in such close proximity, they were now perfectly placed. As the massive metal structures moved past, they activated and then detonated. Each one flashed bright blue and then sent a powerful pulse of energy that shattered electrical systems, computer components, and power units. Two of the smaller escort ships exploded from the overload, and the larger heavy warship drifted out of control and away from the Terran ships. Another cruiser class vessel began to fire in all directions as its targeting and gunnery controls failed.

  “Perfect,” said Roxana.

  Her voice betrayed her surprise, much to Xenophon’s irritation. She looked to him, but their own ship shuddered violently as they were struck. Kentarchos Cadmus shook his head and gave further orders for course changes. As they began to move, he nodded at the VOB unit so that Xenophon could see the problem.

  “Random fire from the Robotic Domains cruiser. What are the odds?”

  Glaucon laughed.

  “Do you really want to know?”

  “The Bactrians!” Roxana yelled.

  Xenophon had almost forgotten about them, but they clearly hadn’t forgotten about him. They moved into a wide formation, their gun ports open and targeting any nearby ship. Glaucon and Roxana focused their attention on the small group of ancient and incredibly power ships.

  “This is going to hurt. What would I give to be on one of the Titans right now!”

  They opened fire, and
the great salvos gushed out toward the Terran ships. A single cruiser was caught in the crossfire and lost an entire engine nacelle from the bombardment. At the same time, three of the nearby proximity mines detonated right next to a Bactrian.

  “Target their gun decks, fire!” said the Kentarchos in a smooth, calm voice.

  Plasma cannons fired as quickly as they could be reloaded. Drakonis, their sister ship, moved in above them and joined in, targeting the same locations. The firepower was impressive, but against a Bactrian warship it was too little and too late.

  “Poseidon is moving in to assist,” said Xenophon.

  Off to their left the massive Titan had changed course to face off against the Bactrian Grand Battleship. The two exchanged broadsides with hundreds of balls of plasma crashing into the armor of each vessel; every impact marked by flashes and explosions. Heavy cutters tore chunks of plating away, and in just a few minutes both had suffered substantial superficial damage.

  “Contact!” shouted the tactical officer.

  Kentarchos Cadmus pointed at the blurred shape of squadrons of the Hayastani ships appearing all around them. Xenophon lifted his hand in the air triumphantly.

  “Send the signal. It’s time to light the fire!”

  Without having to check, the auletes sent the single code, a simple sequence of numbers that had been prearranged prior to entering the Sea of Fire. The squadrons turned their guns against ships from both groups. The gun batteries struck the new arrivals even as they finished their deceleration. Six of the ships materialized directly inside a large force of Carduchian heavy fighters, and the entire group ripped apart in a massive explosion of fuel, power, and ammunition. A single mercenary cruiser was cut clean in half, but with such force it was impossible to tell the origin of the craft.

  The Terran fleet scattered amongst the enemy, with nothing to mark them apart in the storms. With communications and scanners almost nonexistent, they were forced to rely upon visual aids, something that would be impossible as gunfire, explosions, and the constant lashing of storms struck about them. Terran cruisers moved alongside corsairs, and captured Elamites gave battle with the ships from Hayastan. Kentarchos Cadmus looked to Xenophon.

  “Is it time?”

  Xenophon shook his head.

  “No, not yet. We wait until there is no turning back for them.”

  * * *

  Terran Titan ‘Valediction’, Sea of Fire

  The Titan rumbled continually as her hundreds of guns blazed away in every conceivable direction. Chirisophus watched but left the management of the ship to Kentarchos Monsimm, the ship’s commander. From his spot in the center of the command deck he could see the lines and dots from his guns reaching out in all directions.

  “Another cruiser hit. They’re burning,” said one officer.

  “Cycle thought targets six and seven. Burst fire, keep them busy,” replied the tactical officer.

  The battle was being run with utmost efficiency and skill, exactly as the Strategos would have expected from his warriors. More and more explosions announced the victims of his ship’s guns, but even as they inflicted damage upon the enemy, so did they take a heavy beating in return; every few seconds a great thud would mark yet another hypersonic torpedo breaking through the defenses and damaging the hull.

  “Breaches on decks four through nine,” said the kybernetes.

  Kentarchos Monsimm opened his mouth to speak, but a battery of six torpedoes exploded simultaneously, and he staggered before grabbing onto an emergency rail. Strategos Chirisophus took immediate command.

  “Send in the spatharii. If they try and enter my ship, they will burn. No prisoners, kill them where they stand!”

  He then looked back to his Kentarchos.

  “How is my ship?”

  The man took in a long, deep breath and checked the status screens that ran along the lower level of the deck. Data poured in from every part of the ship, and little of it was good news.

  “My Lord, we have sustained light damage to the armor, but with the shields gone, the enemy is able to send in small teams at every point. So far, we have thirteen separate battles going on.”

  Three flashes ripped through the interior of the ship as yet another vast section of the outer plating was torn off. From this far away it was impossible to see the damage, but flashes lit the hallways running from the command deck, and an explosion ripped through onto the deck. Two officers were killed outright as a metal container embedded itself into the floor. Internal shielding quickly diverted power where it was needed and sealed the breach, but not before several unfortunate crewmembers were sucked out into the void. The tactical officer cried out.

  “My Lord, we have mercenaries entering through the dorsal escape ports. Three more of these objects.”

  Strategos Chirisophus shook his head in amazement. The escape deck was a heavily shielded section of the ship immediately above them. Without shielding they were vulnerable, and that meant the enemy troops were only a few decks from his current position. He pointed to his Kentarchos and then spotted movement from the metal object off into the distance. Hatches were unscrewing, and then a small group of mercenaries leapt out.

  “Watch for the signal from Antaeus. Be ready to act.”

  A shot whistled past him, and a second struck his breastplate. The round penetrated into his chest and made him grunt. He spat on the floor and then lifted his right arm and opened fire. The inbuilt carbine roared three times, and the nearest mercenary died where he stood.

  “To me, brothers!” he yelled.

  The Epilektoi were already rushing from their positions at the flanks of the command deck. They reached him and activated their shields. Chirisophus did the same, and in seconds there were eight of them, each spaced apart by a meter and armed with their deadly Asgeirr-Carbines.

  “Kill them all!”

  They moved along the deck and killed two more mercenaries, just as another pair of hatches opened and out climbed many more warriors.

  “Charge!”

  The eight Terrans ran at the new arrivals even though they were outnumbered three to one. Kybernetes Ditha Artell watched for a second as the two groups met on the deck in a brutal melee. Laconian close range shields and Asgeirr-Carbines were matched up against the rapid firing pulse machine guns of the raiders. Two spatharii were hit so hard their shields faltered and then failed. They were torn apart by fire, but then their comrades were within range. Like a brutal, well oil machine, they went to work.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Light Cruiser ‘Drakonis’, Sea of Fire

  The auletes shouted for the third time, desperately trying to be heard over the din of battle. Shot after shot exploded around the cruiser, but it was the screen of mines that caused the biggest problem. Three had detonated around a Hayastani cruiser, and the blast had triggered two more just a short distance away.

  “Kentarchos, there’s an urgent message coming in via light signal from Antaeus. It’s Xenophon.”

  Kentarchos Ezekiel Manus shook his head in frustration.

  “We’re kind of busy.”

  He looked away and then realized that the message would only have been sent if it had been deemed critical by Xenophon. He’d met the man plenty of times but was glad to have senior officers off his ship. There was nothing worse than being micromanaged in the heat of battle. A commander needed a flagship, not a cruiser.

  “What does he want?”

  Auletes Pradonis looked almost relieved.

  “Sir, he has started the countdown to the final jump.”

  He looked around for his second-in-command, Kybernetes Maxentius.

  “You have the coordinates?”

  Maxentius shook his head quickly.

  “In the computer and ready for the sequence. One short hop to the edge of the border, and the second we will receive when we get there.”

  The Kentarchos didn’t seem to like that last part. With communications out, there was no way to get detailed information sent
and received between the ships. Light communication was slow and error-prone at the best of times. He looked ahead, but the myriad of targets made it almost impossible to determine whom exactly he was facing.

  “Bring us around, and match course and heading with Xenophon. Keep monitoring his hull and look for the final signal. I don’t want to get left behind.”

  Kybernetes Maxentius began to answer, but he interrupted to add just one final order.

  “...Put down fire on those ships before they ram us! We won’t be jumping out of here with half the goddamn ship missing!”

  * * *

  Terran Titan ‘Valediction’, Sea of Fire

  The mercenaries were brave to the last. Even as they were shot or cut down with blades, they still refused to back down. Their crashed boarding craft made it impossible to do so, but even as the Laconians tore them apart, they continued to fight, never looking for quarter. It was just as well, though, because Chirisophus was in no mood for offering it.

  Block, twist, stab!

  He chanted the words silently, acting out the movements as they had been drilled into him since he was just seven years old. He might have been a senior commander, the equivalent of the great nobility in the past, but he was still a soldier through and through. It was instinct and muscle memory, a way of fighting that he could have done half asleep or barely conscious from lack of food. Like all of his Laconian kin, he had been bested both mentally and physically all of his life. A lowly spatharios up through to a Dukas would be expected to stand in the phalanx and to fight. There was no distinction or honor in personal skill or glory. It was the collective, and that is why he took it as his personal duty to clear the command deck with his entourage right beside him.

  Block.

  A bayoneted rifle slipped past him and brushed his chest. The weapon slid along the layered plating, and he beat it aside with his left arm. The shield crackled and flashed as it pushed away the weapon and created an opening for him to attack. Unlike the light shields used by the other Terrans, the Laconian shielding was sufficiently powerful that it could even be used in hand-to-hand combat. He then pointed his right hand at the warrior’s face. A single burst from the carbine element turned the mercenary’s face to a red mist, and then there were just two left.