His entire face almost beamed with pleasure.
“Your plan has brought them within arm’s reach, and I look forward to this engagement. It will be glorious.”
“As do we all,” replied Xenias.
He tilted his chair a fraction before continuing.
“I assume you will accept my command, until the vote of course?”
Sosis once more bowed down a little in acknowledgement, and Xenias finally allowed a narrow smile to appear on his stern face. The tension on the ship had almost matched that of the Laconian Titan. Sosis however was more flexible than his Laconian compatriot. Xenias nodded in thanks.
“Good. I am sure the warriors on this ship will choose you as their commander once the battle is over. In the meantime, I will ensure we devastate this rabble, and I would appreciate your assistance in doing so.”
“Of course, Dukas.”
A man clearing his voice made him turn about to stare down at Xenophon and his group.
“What about us?” Glaucon asked.
He looked as excited at the prospect of battles as the rest but also a little unsure as to what their part would be in the upcoming fight. Sosis placed the back of his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. Xenias was technically in charge of the Titan, for now at least, but the Komes was best placed to deal with those still on the ship. He answered the question before Xenias had time to open his mouth.
“I have mixed contingents of Atticans, Arcadians, and Laconians on board, and they are causing all kinds of trouble. They will not obey orders from any officers outside of their own contingents, but they might listen to one of Attica’s old conservatives?”
Xenophon didn’t seem particularly convinced at this but could understand Sosis’ idea. Though he was from the pro-democracy world of Attica, his family had never really fitted in. Like many of the wealthier people upon Attica, he had favoured the more traditional political and economic ideas over what he considered to be the mob-rule mentality of the democrats.
“Why would they listen to me?” he asked, even though he knew the answer already.
“They are not working well together. Perhaps you met some of them on your way here?” Sosis answered.
Glaucon coughed in amusement at this comment.
“Yes, we spoke with a few. They weren’t particularly polite.”
Sosis extended the palm of his right hand.
“If you can do something with them, they are yours. I cannot have them on my ship. Ever since we left Cunaxa, they have caused trouble. There will be over a thousand spatharii and a smattering of stratiotes. I need them off my ship now, and the man that can control them would be a worthy Komes.”
Xenophon looked up to Xenias.
“This is surely better suited to you? I can help fight this battle.”
Xenias shook his head.
“Your plan is being executed, my friend. I will see it through. I need people to win this fight, and your little group have proven somewhat imaginative in solving problems. Unite the spatharii and make them yours. I suggest you make use of them. They are all experienced, and with the right persuasion will do the job. I suspect there will be plenty for them to do once this battle gets underway.”
That was the last he said before moving back to the officers on the command deck. Xenophon watched them for a few seconds, now feeling completely apart from the battle and even the ship.
“Xenophon, shall we?” asked Glaucon.
He looked at the small band. They were on a hostile ship filled with Terrans more intent on killing each other than the enemy, and he had been split away from his own plan, yet the thought of his own command, even one such as this, filled him with a feeling he hadn’t felt for some time. It was pride. Xenophon had never really been much of a follower, yet it had never occurred to him that one day he might actually have his own command. It was exciting.
“Yes, let’s show them what Terrans can actually do when they have an enemy they hate more than their own brothers!”
Tamara said nothing, but the thought of wanton violence must have excited her, as she was out and in the corridor in seconds. Glaucon was next but slowed to say just a few words to his friend.
“If we’re ever going to go home, we will need friends and support. If we do this right, it could be the making of us.”
Roxana had heard him and walked past them nonchalantly.
“Don’t start counting your chickens yet, Gentlemen. You have a long way to go.”
Artemas brought up the rear with an even more bemused look on her face.
“Chickens?”
CHAPTER SIX
Terran Titan ‘Poseidon, Larissa System, Core Worlds
Komes Sosis wiped the beads of sweat from his brow as he looked at the tactical dispositions once more. The enemy Terran vessels had fled the field of battle just as he had expected. The Laconians under the command of the reckless Chirisophus were in full pursuit, and Sosis was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. He’d fought the Medes and the Terrans enough in the past to know that neither would throw their forces into the battle unless there was something to gain. The Terrans, especially, were mercenaries and would do nothing unless there was a reward for them.
How is letting your force get smashed to our benefit? he wondered.
Until Xenias and Xenophon had arrived on his ship, it was something he’d barely given any consideration to. It was the words of Xenophon that stayed with him the most, and he suspected that was because they were now so far from home they could not afford the luxury of a mistake. He looked to the ships once more and swallowed.
“Dukas, they are getting awfully close.”
Xenias nodded in agreement.
“Yes, I think Dekarchos Xenophon is correct. They intend on pinning us here and causing heavy casualties. Even if we prevail, they will simply withdraw and send in more ships to hit us at the next jump coordinates.”
As he considered the words from Xenias, he finally felt he understood the enemy strategy. He very much doubted the Medes would be spoiling for an epic battle that they might lose. The more he considered the situation, it was clear to him the Medes wanted to simply wound the fleet, and to go on wounding them until they were so weak even a child could wipe out what remained. It was a cruel way to destroy such a formidable fighting force but also elegant.
“They can attack us every day with a hundred fresh ships until not one of us remains.”
Xenias was surprised to hear the words from Sosis.
“I agree. They can lose a hundred a day and still class this as a victory. The Medes do not value their own people in the way we do.”
Sosis wiped his brow, imagining the final days of their fleet.
“When we are weak enough, our numbers are low, and the Titans are on the verge of surrender, that is when the big guns will come for us, and we will be unable to stop them taking our Titans.”
Xenias frowned at the last part.
“You think they mean to capture us? I suppose they might try and recruit us to fight as mercenaries, just like those bastards out there. They might also just be waiting to bring in their capital ships to destroy us piecemeal. You recall the Laconian last stand at the Hot Gates? They didn’t finish them off in battle. They merely bombarded the final position of the Laconian monarch and his men until all were annihilated.”
Sosis laughed, much to the surprise of the rest of the officers on the command deck.
“They don’t need big guns; they have enough ships here to wipe us out in less than an hour.”
Xenias had run the scenario through his head so many times now. Xenophon’s plan was simple, and he would have liked to have the man with him to help with the operation. Sosis was a proud man, and though he might take orders from the Dukas, the junior officer would likely cause more problems than he might fix.
No, I have my role to play, and he has his.
The thought of Xenophon trying to get the warring Terrans to work together put a twisted grin on his face.
If he lives, he might even make himself a Komes.
That brought him back to their predicament. Sosis was of course correct. The rest of the Legion was now completely surrounded by Medes ships, which in the last ten minutes had managed to infiltrate every single group of ships, though so far none had initiated any kind of offensive action. The Terran ships looked clumsy and old fashioned in many respects compared to those of the Medes. Where the Terrans were heavily armed and armoured, the Medes ships were smaller, lighter, and weaker. Yet the great numbers of the Medes would always give them the advantage.
“They are close enough I think. The corvus will require less than sixty seconds at this range.”
“I agree,” said Sosis slowly.
The corvus had its benefits. That was something Xenias had no doubt about. It was the fact that by using the corvus they would give up any chance of escape or mobility that concerned him.
Xenophon, if they don’t take the bait, we will be finished.
“It is time then,” he said.
Komes Sosis squeezed his aching temples for the briefest of moments. He looked to the old warrior while the bright shapes of a hundred ships filled the background. Although the command deck was tense with the enormity of what was about to happen, it was still impossible to hide the excitement showing in his cheekbones. He nodded, barely able to speak. Xenias closed his eyes, the enormity of what he was about to say now filled his body. He knew the plan was a good one, but there was still doubt in his soul.
To hell with them, we must strike!
He opened his eyes and gave his orders to every vessel in the fleet that had decided to listen rather than fight alongside the smaller force of Laconians against the Terran traitors.
“Bring me their fleet!”
Due to the view offered by the VOB system, every single person on the command deck was granted a privileged position from which they could watch the battle unfold. The opening phase wasn’t the most inspiring, but it was necessary. Normally, the fleets would engage with heavy weapons to bring down shields. This battle was different. The impression given was that they had been caught in the middle of a transport operation and expected no major combat. That was why so few ships opened fire. Just as Xenophon had intended, the cloud of small vessels moved in on the Medes ships using every ounce of speed. In less than a minute, the first of them had reached the closest of the Medes ships, and it was then that the first of their commanders must have realised something strange was going on.
Come on, when will this begin? Xenias thought, waiting patiently.
That was when the guns started up. The first volleys were impressive, but as the battleships and Titans exchanged broadsides, the blackness of space filled with beams. The larger ships used their cutters to punch through armour while the plasma weapons hammered in bursts against shielding to try and create gaps for the heavier weapons. Great balls of blue energy roared back and forth, and in seconds, the entire region of space was filled with violence. The Legion ships were doing something unusual. Instead of engaging the enemy in a battle of attrition, they fought a battle of confusion. Volleys of lasers ripped through the fleet’s most distance ships and left those nearby completely unmolested.
“This is it then. There’s no turning back,” Sosis said more to himself than to anybody else on the command deck.
“Torpedo boats are in range. They are activating their corvus,” said the tactical officer.
Xenias watched an enlarged image from their right flank. Two of the smallest Legion ships had moved alongside a Medes cruiser. The enemy ships were easily ten times their size, yet the smaller ships looked as though they had crashed into the ship. In a flash, the shields dropped, and the gunfire reduced substantially.
“Excellent,” said Sosis with a widening grin on his face, “this is not what I expected.”
They watched as more and more of the nearest ships became ensnared by the myriad of smaller ships. Some of the torpedo boats had even moved in on the armoured heavy cruisers and latched on.
“Xenophon wasn’t as great a fool as I thought. They will not turn their heavy weapons on our ships at this range for fear of hurting themselves.”
Xenias chuckled.
“Indeed. Their own self-interest will be their undoing. Just look, over two score ships have been reached and are locked in with our small vessels.”
Sosis scratched his chin and watched as reports filled the screens around them. At the same time, the VOB system showed the kaleidoscope of colour as ship after ship blasted away with heavy weapons.
“What now, Dukas? Do we assist them?”
Xenias shook his head.
“No, the lighter ships have been pinned. Now it is time for our heavies to do their work. Proceed to phase two.”
Sosis nodded in agreement and then indicated for the Kybernetes to approach. The man moved quickly, even as the thuds of plasma projectiles crashed into the shielded flanks of the Titan. Each impact dropped them by a fraction of a percent, and very occasionally a stray round worked its way through the outer skin of armour.
“Give me full power to the engines!” said Sosis.
Xenias smiled as the engines powered up, and the mighty Titan shuddered with raw power. Around them the remainder of the battleships, cruisers, and battlecruisers set course for the most powerful ships in the Median fleet. It was the shape of the Medes flagship that took the greatest attention of both Sosis and Xenias. The Dukas pointed at her hull and roared.
“Make sure the spatharii are ready for full assault. I want them on board the Sraosha, and I want it taken, now!”
* * *
Xenophon looked at the horde of warriors and felt a lump in his throat. There was at least a handful that recognised him from their violent entry earlier on when they had landed alongside Dukas Xenias. Though they had stopped fighting, they were far from wanting to listen to any officer, especially a mere Dekarchos from Attica.
“Warriors, I need you to follow me,” he started, but his voice felt like a squeak. Several of the men spoke over him, and he was forced to call out again, this time louder.
“Listen to me!”
His words came over as being more aggressive than he intended, but at least it gained their attention. He was now back in the uniform and clothing he had worn prior to the fighting on Cunaxa. Under his spatharii armour was the dark grey material of his tunic and the iconography of both Attica and Lady Artemas, for whom he had been made a bodyguard. He almost lost his balance when a volley of plasma pulses thudded hard against the ship’s flank. The multi-layered shielding of the Titan easily beat aside the attack.
“We’re not gonna fight for you, traitor!” shouted a man in a common Attican accent.
Xenophon tried to spot him, but it fell to Tamara to spot the movement off at the rear of the group. She pointed at him, nodding as if asking whether he wanted her to move in, but Xenophon beckoned for her to stay where she was.
“It is true; I did work for the Thirty. I did it to help our people, not to attack them.”
The rabble of warriors once more descended into argument before the sound of Dukas Xenias drowned them all out over the internal speakers.
“Spatharii, prepare for assault. In less than three minutes, we will be in range of the Sraosha. Ready your dromons!”
The hangar areas transformed from a bustle of angry voices and complaints to one of complete silence. There were no officers, apart from a smattering of junior pentarchos that commanded five-man teams known as Pempas. Some seemed keen at the prospect of a boarding action but most continued to drone on with their own petty arguments. Xenophon tried to speak again, but the noise was too great. Artemas moved closer to him and grabbed his hand that was still firmly gripped around the custom Asgeirr-Carbine he had taken from their fallen commander.
“Use it. They will listen to the man that carries his weapon,” she whispered into his ear.
The custom Asgeirr-Carbine was in his right hand. Apart from the colour
ing, it was little different to the gear used by any other Laconian, yet it was the property of the revered leader. Even among this group of argumentative Terrans, there were few that would deny Clearchus’ right to command the Legion.
“By the authority given to me by the Strategos, I claim this command.”
Artemas looked over to him in surprise. There were grumbles and murmurs from others, and it looked very unlikely they would help. Glaucon moved to his friend’s side and pointed at one of the warriors at the front of the group.
“What do you want?” he demanded.
The man look confused but finally answered.
“A fight...a damned good one!”
Two other men nearby laughed at him.
“Money!” called out another.
More voices joined them.
“Women!”
“The Sraosha is out there waiting for us.”
“The what?” asked a woman in the armour of Attica.
Xenophon smiled at Glaucon before answering the woman’s question.
“The Sraosha is an infamous Medes warship, the flagship of Tissaphernes, the Bastard!”
It was an old nickname used for the worst and least loved of all the Median commanders. Tissaphernes himself was itself a byword for cruelty and enslavement back on the Terran worlds. Artemas almost had to hide her face to avoid betraying the amusement she felt at this obvious ploy.
“The Sraosha is responsible for the destruction of a dozen Terran worlds, and commands this enemy fleet in their attempt to destroy our Legion once and for all!”
Roxana and Artemas looked in surprise at his words. Some still tried to shout down Xenophon but most were more interested in this enemy vessel. He had one final gambit to try and to the amazement of his friends, it worked.
“Sosis himself intends to capture this ship and use it for his sport. I say, we take the ship and make it our own, a ship for the free fighters of the Legion. Will you come with me?”
There was little more a mercenary loved than the chance for spoils and rewards in war. The cry of excitement, lust, and greed ripped through the hangars like a burning wildfire. He knew his words were simple and riddled with cliché, yet these warriors were no great intellectuals. Most were out of work soldiers and the rest freebooters, robbers, and scoundrels.
Black Legion: 04 - Last Stand Page 10
