Black Legion: 02 - Assault on Khorram

by Michael G. Thomas

  Kybernetes Manus turned from the door and faced the injured Dukas who could just be seen on the cabinet. He was laid out, and Tamara and other crewmen were doing their best to stem the blood loss.

  “He didn’t activate the charges, did he?”

  Xenias said nothing, but the gravity of what he was saying was now only just beginning to set in. If what he suggested was true, then the Titan would have been left adrift but salvageable.

  “Are you suggesting the Olympia is still there?”

  The Kybernetes looked back through the gap in the middle of the door and out into the side corridor. At the far end he could make out various crew and soldiers moving back and forth. None looked into the darkness where they were now imprisoned. Five or six metres away stood two spatharii, both wearing the uniform of the Legion and carrying carbines.

  “If Andronicus sabotaged the Olympia, he may be planning on returning for something, but what?” continued the Kybernetes.

  Xenias sighed, he now understood.

  “Of course, you fool,” he said to himself but loud enough for the others to hear. The pain from his wound must have slowed him down for a second. He groaned and took in several pained breaths before explaining further.

  “Each of the four Titans carried a reserve of currency, a down payment if you will, for our services. It is nothing compared to our final payment, but more a deposit and a guarantee for our involvement. The funds are in the form of enriched platinum of mercantile value.”

  Glaucon had to force himself not to laugh at the news.

  “You’re joking. There’s a quantity of enriched platinum on the Olympia, and somehow, a bastard like this Andronicus, has found out about it?”

  Xenias coughed, and Roxana was forced to lean on him to stop him from falling off the low cabinet.

  “It would appear so,” he muttered.

  “Surely Tissaphernes will have stripped the Titan to the bone by now? The salvage in raw materials alone must be worth a fortune?” asked an unseen woman from the side of the room.

  “They won’t be rushing. When we left, the power plants were overloading and about to go critical. When they blew, they would have blown out the aft section of the ship and spread contaminants and debris over a wide area. But worse than that, the blast from the core could vaporise any vessel within range. You can guarantee Tissaphernes and his friends would have left the area well alone. He can come back for the wreck anytime he wants to pick up the remains.”

  “What about Olympia? Wouldn’t the blast destroy her?”

  “That was the whole point. The power of the blast would gut the Titan from the inside out,” said Xenias.

  Roxana’s mind was working quickly, and already she was wondering what Andronicus could have been up to in the short time he had on the Olympia, prior to evacuating. His job was evidently to activate the system to force the overload and an inevitable self-destruction of the entire Titan.

  “Let me guess, he set charges all right, but only to set off what looked like a meltdown of some kind. Tissaphernes would leave the area and pursue us, and probably the rest of the Legion. In the meantime, Andronicus and his cronies steal a ship, travel back and slip in near the wreckage to start a salvage operation on the bullion.”

  Xenias snorted in outrage.

  “That traitorous animal!”

  * * *

  “Wake up, you fool. Come on!” said the voice. Xenophon was convinced he was falling, yet the voice was right next to his ears. He tried to turn, but the voice continued wherever he looked. He tried to speak only to find his own voice making him jump.

  A dream!

  The woman’s voice, it was familiar, high pitched.

  Who is it?

  It continued in an almost nagging drone that came from about a metre in front of him. The tone of the person’s voice faded in and out as though they were moving about. He tried to look in the same direction, but he saw nothing, just the blackness around him. He tried to move, but his hands refused to budge.

  What happened? He asked himself, desperately trying to remember.

  He could hear nothing else other than the voice of this woman and his own breathing. The temperature was normal, and there was no discernible wind or air movement, so they must be on a ship. Wherever he happened to be must be somewhere discreet, and somewhere off the main routes inside the ship. Then he remembered the incident in the corridor.

  The woman, yes, the Medes woman in black, she must have done something to me.

  “It was you, wasn’t it? The woman with the knife?” he demanded.

  The unseen woman sighed.

  “Yes, Xenophon, it was me. Now look towards the sound of my voice, and I will remove your blindfold.”

  Xenophon could hear her breathing as she moved closer to his face. He still couldn’t see her, not even smell her. He tried to push forward, but the shackles or ropes that bound him kept him firmly into position. Soft, cold hands touched his skin, making him jump in surprise. Then a bright white light almost blinded him.

  “Wait a moment, your eyes will adjust,” she said quietly.

  He tried to stay calm, but the memory of following Glaucon and Tamara was now returning. It wasn’t just the fact that he was now a prisoner, but the possibility that his friends had been caught, and probably by this woman or her comrades. The pain in his eyes had faded, and he could now see the woman’s face. She was close to him, so close he could see her pale skin and bright eyes. She was definitely not human; a Medes spy or assassin, for sure.

  “You’re a Medes agent. What are you doing here?” he demanded furiously.

  “Keep your voice down. Things have taken an ugly turn on this ship.”

  She moved close again, and this time with her dark knife unsheathed and in front of him. She moved it slowly so that Xenophon could see her bringing it to the bindings on his wrists.

  “I will let you go, but you mustn’t struggle. I can put these right back on you and leave you to the mercy of these looting animals.”

  He gasped in surprise, but whether it was because he didn’t believe her wasn’t obvious. He did his best to remain still as the blade moved closer to his body.

  “What? Looters on the ship, this ship?” he said incredulously.

  With a single accurate slash, she removed the plastic bindings from his hands and freed him. For the briefest of moments he contemplated reaching out, but he well remembered their fight in the corridor with this woman. At least he liked to think of it as a fight; the only part he could remember was that she was fast at both moving and striking. He decided to hear her out. She leaned forward and slashed the binding on his feet, now freeing him completely.

  “I had to take precautions. There is a sickness on this ship. Some kind of mutiny is undergoing, and I think I know who is behind it.”

  Xenophon was surprised at the news, but of more immediate concern to him were the whereabouts of Glaucon, Tamara and Roxana. They were a tight group, and if anything had happened while he had been away, he wanted to know.

  “What about my friends?” he asked, dreading the answer.

  “Friends, I know nothing of them. Just that a man called Komes Andronicus, at least that is what he is being called, has taken over the ship and that we are no longer moving to join the Legion.”

  Xenophon looked at her, almost admiring her strong athletic figure and form. She was no simple crewman on the ship. Based on the way she held her poise, she was definitely Special Forces or an Imperial agent, perhaps both. He almost didn’t notice her explanation, and it took several seconds before the magnitude of what she had said struck him.

  “Mutiny? Why should I trust you? A masked agent for the Empire would never work on behalf of the Legion or those on this ship. Why should I listen to a word you say?”

  She looked at him, but said nothing, just stared at Xenophon as if trying to size him up. Her eyes gave nothing away whereas Xenophon tried, but failed, to mask his eagerness to understand. The two looked for what seemed lik
e an eternity before speaking.

  “Come with me, and I will show you,” she said in her quiet, almost singing tone of voice.

  He stood to follow and almost crashed back down due to the cramp in his muscles. As he wavered, she grabbed him, and her balance and strength surprised him once more. They moved out of their hiding place and into a dirty shaft packed with thick cabling. At the end of the tunnel were flickering lights and the sounds of people talking, perhaps even shouting. The woman moved ahead and indicated with her hands for him to follow a short distance behind. As they walked one step at a time, he strained his hearing to work out what the people were saying. At first it sounded like an argument, but once they were just ten metres from the end of the shaft, she stopped and waited. He did the same, and with effort could make out some of the words.

  “Take two squads and check the engine rooms. You stay here,” said an unseen man.

  They were interrupted by shouting and then two gun shots. The sound made Xenophon stumble, and he crashed to the wall. He was falling, but the mysterious woman pulled him to the shadows and out of sight. A face peered inside the shaft and waved a torch, checking for signs of movement.

  “What was it?” asked a man.

  Two more shots rang out, and the entire group rushed away, but whether it was towards or away from the gunfire wasn’t certain. Xenophon reached out to the woman and spoke as quietly as he could.

  “Who are you and what’s going on?”

  “I will explain later, but for now we need to help turn this around before the mutineers get us near Tissaphernes.”

  She started to move, but he reached out and stopped her.

  “What do you know about Tissaphernes?”

  “All you need you know is he is no friend of Lord Cyrus and has been bribing your people. Some of the commanders in the Legion have been paid off, even some of your politicians. Do you think the trouble on Laconia that forced them to leave your world was a mere coincidence? Most of the Thirty Tyrants were in his pay.”

  “What? My father was one of the Thirty!” he snapped, almost shouting.

  She pulled him back to the darkness and placed her hand over his mouth.

  “Your father was Gryllus, was he not?” she asked, almost reverently.

  Xenophon nodded, saying nothing.

  “Yes, we knew of him. He was a proponent of the plan of Cyrus for peace between Terrans and Medians. There was to be an agreement announced in the Assembly before the uprising brought him down.”

  “He wasn’t brought down. He was murdered by one of the Thirty,” he replied angrily.

  “Interesting, I did not know that. Anyway, all you need to know is that I am on the side of the Legion. Cyrus is my master, and it is my job to ensure the tendrils of Tissaphernes do not delve any further into this force.”

  Xenophon stood upright and looked at her carefully.

  “Why bother with this contingent? We have already split from the Legion.”

  “True,” she replied, nodding gently. “Cyrus has an agent on each Titan to ensure none are used against him. There was always the possibility that they might turn against his own forces at the critical time. Don’t forget, his money runs throughout this expedition. You think the Cilician Gates were a coincidence? Tissaphernes wants nothing less than the destruction of the Legion and the humiliation of Lord Cyrus.”

  Xenophon wasn’t sure he believed any of this, especially about her knowledge of Tissaphernes or his agents. The Medes were well known to be the greatest tricksters in the known galaxy. If a deal or deceit was to be conducted, and a Medes was present, the deal would frequently be invalidated, such was the reputation of the Medes for subversion.

  “Assuming you are right, we need to help stop this mutiny. Where are the crew? The ones we can trust I mean.”

  “I will take you to the last place I saw them. Most of the commanders have been taken to temporary prisons near the command deck. I did see a group heading to port armoury, probably to arm themselves for the fight.”

  “Good, take me.”

  They started to move from their hiding place when Xenophon tapped her gently on the shoulder.

  “Your name?” he asked.

  She glanced at him and looked back to the sound of the battle. She spoke quietly, almost too quietly for him to hear.

  “My name is Artemas of Caria, now follow me!”

  She moved out into the open and directly to the body of a woman on the ground. The body was that of a junior crew member, evident by the uniform and regulation sidearm holster. Artemas looked up to Xenophon.

  “You see, she is one of the crew and has been butchered by Andronicus’ men. We have to stop this before we lose what is left of this force.”

  Xenophon nodded in agreement but stayed a safe distance behind her. He had little experience of the Medes. Most of what he knew was negative, and he didn’t want to test his experience in such a dangerous situation. Artemas moved forward after checking the body and away from the sound of the shouting to the left. Xenophon felt unarmed and helpless, especially when being led by an unknown and armed Medes agent. They moved from their position and out into one of the parallel service corridors. These were more frequently travelled but had the benefit of being the quickest way to move through the ship. Every twenty metres, a thick section of metal jutted out to mark the frame of the emergency seals. It was critical that this part of the ship could be sealed from major breaches, depressurisation and from boarding actions. What caught the attention of Xenophon was that all the doors were open, bar one. This single airlock seal was heavily burned with scorch marks and dents. A body lay nearby, along with several empty weapons.

  “I don’t understand. Who exactly would side with a turncoat like Andronicus?” he asked, more to himself than to his Medes friend.

  “He is a Komes, so I assume that means he has his own retinue of warriors. It is convenient that of the survivors of Olympia, the bulk of the warriors were from his unit.”

  She moved a little further and stopped to look up at a circular seal above them. It was hexagonal in shape, and a series of metal bars stuck out to form handles. As she looked at the seal, Xenophon pulled one of the empty carbines from a dead crewman. He checked the magazine and sighed, like the others it was empty. Even so, he slung it around his body. It lacked ammunition, but there was a chance he might find some. If not, then he might be able to trick somebody, or possibly hit them over the head.

  “What now?” he asked.

  “We go up and reconnoitre the command deck. I have these to leave behind when we get there.”

  She held out four small metal spheres. Each had small bumps and ridges on their surfaces. At her touch, tiny mono-filament spines appeared to unfurl almost transparent wings.

  “Bugs,” she said with a bemused smile.

  Xenophon hadn’t seen this particular type before, but it had much in common with some of the new developments back home. They were semi-autonomous and could travel short distances before hiding away in the shadows. The wings were an interesting idea, but how effective they would be was of much interest to him.

  “Audio only?” he asked.

  “Of course not, it’s a full spectrum audio-visual system with a range of fifty metres. All we need to do is get access to one of the main corridor that serves the command deck.”

  “Didn’t you say they are keeping prisoners nearby?” he asked.

  “Yes, that is right, but we need information before we can act.”

  She tensed herself and then ran to the wall, jumping at it. With great skill, she bumped off the wall and higher up to the ceiling to reach the grab handles. She hung like an acrobat with both of her hands wrapped around the metal. Just one tug and the short extending ladder dropped down a metre so that he could reach it. Artemas launched herself up the ladder and deactivated the seal, forcing it open with a hiss. She was already through before Xenophon even had his hands on the rungs.

  “Well, you coming?” she asked coyly.

>   She moved up into the blackness of the hatch, giving Xenophon a fleeting glimpse of her legs as she wriggled her way inside. He couldn’t deny she was one of the most unusual and agile people he had ever met. He glanced around to check they were not being followed and pulled himself up after the strange Median woman.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Laconian Titan ‘Valediction’, Aronton Sector

  Clearchus, Lord Cyrus and a dozen senior officers stood on the command deck, each watching the final destruction of the small mechanised defenders. The Virtual Observation System (VOB) gave them all the sensation they were floating, almost like demi-gods, above the destruction of the ships. Terran heavy cruisers had surrounded the last two ships and were quickly cutting them apart with their powerful beam weapons. Clearchus looked to the assembled group and grinned, his entire body shaking with enjoyment.

  “This, gentlemen, is how we Terrans deal with robotic defence systems.”

  Lord Cyrus looked uncomfortable at the enjoyment the humans seemed to be taking at the expense of the defence systems. It wasn’t that he had feelings one way or another, but it was that he knew their pleasure derived from knowing they had bested Median technology and by extension, himself.

  “Perhaps you might be able to achieve the same level of success against an intelligent opponent rather than simple machines? You do realise these are mere guardians against pirates and raiders. They are not for fighting conventional military forces.”

  The Terrans continued to laugh and joke between themselves, and the destruction of the last two ships lasted just a few more seconds. With the final explosions, came the shutting down of their automated jammers.

  “Strategos, we have a clear signal through to Ariaeus,” said the Auletes.

  Clearchus nodded in pleasure.

  “Excellent, put him through on the main screen.”

  Lord Cyrus motioned towards the Laconian commander, but he either didn’t see him, or chose to ignore him. The video feed from the station filled most of the main screen, and it gave an odd look to the deck, the screen to the centre and the VOB system all around them. Cyrus felt a little queasy at the visual and sensory overload he experienced. Ariaeus was already speaking before he was able to reassert himself. He stepped closer to the display and interrupted the violent discussion between him and Clearchus.