“Calm down now, just a few more jumps and then we’ll be getting rid of you. Apparently, there are some people waiting to take a few of you back to your homeworlds. Who’s been a little naughty?”
The familiar feeling of the FTL drive started up again, much to the surprise of the guard and the prisoners. This time it was different, and a series of shudders shook the massive vessel followed by a loud grinding sound. It was similar to the rubbing of heavy metal together. Almost immediately after, the sound of the emergency alarms activated and the lights dimmed.
“Stay here!” shouted the guard and then he was gone.
Red lights flashed on, and the Titan quickly transformed from its sedentary state to one of a ship at battle stations. The brig was quickly deserted, and just a couple of guards stayed to stand at their posts. The rest grabbed armour and weapons from the lockers and exited through the single entrance to the brig quarter.
“What the hell is going on?” shouted one of the prisoners.
“Maybe it’s a mutiny. There’s a lot if dissatisfaction on board.”
Tamara leaned against the wall and placed her ear to the solid surface. She winced several times as she listened as best she could. Roxana moved towards her and started to speak. She was interrupted by a group of crewmen rushing in to check the firearm lockers. There was just one pulse pistol left, and the first woman to arrive grabbed it.
“Is that it?” asked one of the men with her.
“Yeah, come on, we need to get out of here!”
Another peered inside at them.
“Let’s go, they are coming this way!” he cried.
The group moved to the door before any of the prisoners even thought to speak. It came down to Tamara to get their attention as the woman with the pistol started to disappear through the gap.
“Hey, what’s happening out there?” she shouted.
The woman vanished but reappeared, peeking back inside. Her look suggested she hadn’t even noticed them in the cells, let alone had given them more than a few seconds consideration.
“We don’t know. There’s fighting on the ship and fires in the landing bay.”
She looked around the brig and slapped a large red button on the wall with the palm of her hand. She then vanished and left the prisoners to their fate.
“That’s just great!” muttered somebody in one of the adjacent cells.
A hiss reverberated through the brig and in perfect synchronisation, every single cell door slid open.
“Yes!” shouted Glaucon.
Xenophon reached out and held him back.
“Don’t be too excited my friend. Why did she release us?” he added.
“Who cares? Let’s go!” said Tamara excitedly. She was at the door and moving out into the corridor before the rest had even moved. Dozens of other prisoners rushed out, and in less than half a minute, the entire place was deserted. Xenophon, Roxana and Glaucon joined Tamara in the corridor. The sight that greeted them all left them speechless. A dozen bodies littered the ground, and splatters of blood covered one side of the corridor. Two men at the far end were dragging a third wounded soldier after them. A powerful blast shook the Titan with such a force that all of them were thrown hard against the wall.
“Uh, guys? What the hell can make a Titan do that?” asked Glaucon.
Xenophon said nothing, but his expression was all Glaucon needed to see. A clatter of small arms fire rattled out in the distance, but there was no easy way of telling quite how far away it was. As they stood against the wall, the old man from the brig appeared. Another violent shake threw them about, and he stumbled towards Xenophon. He grabbed him and pulled him to the side before he almost fell to the ground.
“You okay, old man?” he asked in an amused fashion. The man looked up and grinned.
“Kid, you can call me Marcus. You know those sounds are heavy pulse weapons, don’t you? This ship is in big trouble.”
Glaucon moved off down the corridor and vanished into the smoke but quickly reappeared. Several bright flashes behind him gave the impression he was jumping back from a violent storm.
“We need to get out of here, let’s do it!” he cried.
He turned back to the smoke and vanished, quickly followed by Roxana. The others did the same and left the brig behind. As they moved their way along the corridors, they passed many more dead or injured crew. Some were badly burned but most showed firearms injuries. Marcus knelt down and examined one of the casualties of whatever battle seemed to be raging.
“This is odd. He’s carrying webbing and ammunition but no weapons.”
No weapons, what happened here? Xenophon thought.
Tamara jumped back, looking in vain for somewhere to hide. She looked at the others with a desperate look on her face.
“Somebody is coming!”
There was nowhere to hide, and even as they looked about, a stream of dozens of the crew dashed past at the end of the corridor and kept moving. One collapsed to the ground not far from Tamara, and then they were gone. The clatter of gunfire continued. Xenophon spotted a weapon on the floor and reached out to grab it. He pulled the sling towards him and lifted the carbine up to his face, checking the safety was off and there were rounds still in the magazine.
“Anybody got a suggestion?” he asked.
“I know the way to the evacuation deck. It’s about eighty metres from here, one level up and near to the port observation deck. But there’s one problem.”
Xenophon leaned in closer.
“Yeah, why am I not surprised?”
“There is one armoury on the way, so we might run into trouble.”
Glaucon nodded in agreement.
“Maybe, but we’ve already run into trouble. We might even get our hands on some weapons. I say we do it and fast. We need to get somewhere safe, arm ourselves and then try and find out what the hell is going on.”
Xenophon pulled back the bolt on the carbine and locked in the first multi-pulse round. The weapon was now ready for use. He looked up to the others.
“Good point. Is this a prison revolt, a coup or is the ship breaking apart?”
“I suggest we get moving and find out for ourselves,” suggested Roxana.
With unspoken agreement, they moved out from the corridor and took the first turn to the left. Marcus moved close behind with Xenophon and their single firearm. The sound of gunfire and battle continued along with the occasional blast that shook the Titan. It took several minutes for them to reach a wide open space that was the main level hub with elevators, ramps and staircases leading to a dozen different levels. The damage from battle was everywhere. Pulse rounds, discarded magazines and dozens of bodies lay scattered. It was one of the more attractive parts of the ship. At least it had been prior to the recent violence. The elevators used tube like tunnels to move about the ship, whereas the ramps were more oval in shape and ran like arteries through the vessel.
“Which way?” asked Xenophon. He dropped to one knee, lifting the weapon to his shoulder to better to stabilise himself in readiness for the inevitable attack on their position. The sight used a special overlay system that incorporated a simple optical sight as well as a projected tactical overlay. Sadly, it seemed to be non-functional, so he was forced to use just the mechanical optics.
“That way!” replied Marcus, pointing to one of the oval entrances that led up. He grabbed one of the many discarded weapons and moved for the ramp. The others did the same, picking up the nearest weapons they could find. The sound of battle became louder the closer they moved to the next level. Another two blasts shook the ship before they reached their destination. It was more spacious than before, and a number of fires were spreading smoke. Glaucon looked around the corner and pulled himself back.
“I don’t get it, how did this happen so fast? We weren’t in the brig that long?”
“Stop!” It was an odd shout from further back in the tunnel.
They spun around to spot their adversaries, but at this distance and
with all the smoke, all they could see were dark, armoured shapes. They advanced slowly but methodically towards them.
“Run!” shouted Xenophon.
They abandoned the tunnel and rushed out into the open. Marcus moved ahead and waved his hand to point out the evacuation deck. Green and red emergency lighting marked the route. It was disordered chaos as they rushed in the direction he’d pointed out. They almost made it as more dark shapes appeared ahead of them. A volley of shots rattled out, and they were forced to spread out and take cover along the widely spaced side walls. Streaks of fire from pulse weapons ripped passed them, turning the corridor unto a deadly maelstrom of fire.
“What now?” Tamara shouted. She held her carbine in her right hand and shielded her face with her left. Roxana looked about and spotted the wide open archway that was signed to the observation deck. She nodded with her head in the direction of the door. Xenophon, Glaucon and Marcus were pinned down on the other side of the open space but conveniently closer to the arched entrance.
“Through the archway!” she shouted, but more gunfire blocked out the sound of her voice.
A group of stratiotes, the light infantry of the Legion, ran passed them all. They seemed completely disinterested in their small band and made it nearly twenty metres before the massed gunfire tore them to shreds.
“Why?” screamed Tamara.
Roxana grabbed her by the arm and braved the pulse rounds to rush across the corridor. Round after round blasted passed them both, but they miraculously made it and ran through the archway. Xenophon watched in awe as they moved through the hail of fire and disappeared. He looked back to Glaucon who just grinned at him.
“Go!” he cried, and the three men jumped around the corner and followed the two women. The gun battle continued behind them as the survivors of the stratiotes fought for a few more seconds before being silenced by the enemy guns. The archway led to a small open space and three doors. Roxana and Tamara disappeared through the largest door and out of sight. Xenophon chased after them and jumped into the room, his carbine at the ready. Instead of bodies, he found he was in one of the most luxurious parts of the ship. Glaucon and Marcus arrived close behind him.
“What the hell is this?” asked Glaucon. The room was wide, and many chairs and comfortable seats were arranged to face one side of the room. Roxana had already shut the door behind them and was busy sliding furniture against it to create a further obstacle to the enemy. Marcus placed his hand on a switch and flicked it. With a soft mechanical whirl, the entire side of the room seemed to vanish. It was all an illusion, and the metal of the wall slid away to reveal a thick, transparent skin, much like glass.
“Wow!” exclaimed Xenophon. He could see scores of spacecraft outside, some in battle formation and others circling their Titan. Large numbers of heavy cruisers of an unrecognised configuration waited as if on parade. Groups of fighters swept passed the Titan, and one blazed away with an energy weapon.
Animals, they must be chasing down escapees like us, he thought.
“This is one of the public observation decks. Enjoy the view,” said Marcus.
Roxana looked less than impressed, however.
“People, forget the view, we have a major situation here. We need to barricade this place, set up cover and check our weapons.”
She was ignored for a few more seconds before Xenophon heard more noises outside.
“Roxana is right.”
He looked about and did a quick tactical assessment. There was only one way inside the deck and that was through the doorway they had already entered. The doorway itself was wide enough for three people to easily enter at once. They couldn’t be flanked in this position, and that granted them an easily defended location.
But there is one problem, he thought dismally. We have no way out.
* * *
They waited for what seemed like an age before the noise returned. At first, it sounded as though a hostile force was about to smash through the door, but it never came. Just when the sounds of struggle started to fade, a group appeared at the arched doorway, and the sound of a metal fist or tool banged on the door. Tamara nearly spoke, but Xenophon drew his hand over his mouth, indicating for her to keep quiet. The banging continued.
“We’ve been sent by Xenias to evacuate survivors. I am Dekarchos Julius of the 6th Spatharii. We know you’re in there, open up!”
Roxana whispered over to Xenophon.
“What do you think?”
Xenophon considered both her question and the comments from the soldier. He was taking a chance by answering but also perhaps an equal chance if he didn’t. The man continued speaking.
“Medes boarding parties are still on the ship. The reactors are already in meltdown, and most of the crew have already left. There are small pockets left that are holding out. Come with us, we have a dromon waiting off the evacuation deck.”
“We need to go!” cried Tamara, finally breaking their silence. Glaucon grabbed her to stop her saying any more, but it was already too late. Xenophon looked to his group with a look of both dismay and optimism. Another of the loud blasts shook the ship, and Xenophon was thrown to the wall.
“That’s heavy cutters, we’re surrounded. Open the door or we’re leaving you behind, your choice!” called out the man on the other side of the door.
Xenophon lifted himself up, moved to the door and started dragging one of the units away from where it blocked access. He glanced back at the others and indicated with his head for them to help. Glaucon came over immediately and helped him move the larger unit. Roxana indicated the position for Marcus and Tamara to move to. Each waited behind cover with their weapons loaded and ready.
“We’re opening up, now!” called out Xenophon, for a second worrying that they might have already left. The two men pulled the final obstruction out of the way and paused for a brief moment.
“Ready?” asked Xenophon as quietly as he could manage. Glaucon nodded in agreement and stepped back, his own weapon at the ready. Xenophon reached out, released the lock and pulled the door back in one swift motion. It was a large door that was normally powered. It swung open slowly to reveal darkness and several wisps of smoke. The shape of an armoured man appeared, but he didn’t enter.
“How many of you are there? Can you walk?” he asked.
Xenophon sighed inwardly, satisfied, at least for now that these men were not here to harm them. He looked back and spotted the relief on the faces of his comrades before answering the man.
“Five, all armed and yes, we can move.”
“Good, stay behind us, and watch for trouble.” And then he was gone.
Xenophon moved out first, and the others followed closely behind him. He was amazed at the carnage in the corridor outside the observation lounge. Over a dozen Medes bodies lay broken on the floor. He had never actually seen a Medes warrior before and was curious to look at one close up. He stopped, but an armoured hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him forward.
“Don’t gawk, we ain’t got the time!” snapped back the faceless warrior.
Good point, he thought.
There were seven spatharii, and they were fully armoured and carrying carbines. They were standard issue Arcadian weapons, and he recognised the cooling fins and ridges along the barrel and topside as quite clearly their standard weapons. Xenophon pushed ahead so that he reached the middle of the squad. One of the spatharii looked to him in surprise.
“What happened?” asked Xenophon.
“Tissaphernes is what happened. He betrayed us. A contingent of his emissaries came aboard after the last jump to arrange the terms of our contract. They weren’t emissaries though.”
The group reached the evacuation deck but immediately hit trouble. Flashes of light off to the left forced them to take cover. One of the spatharii was hit in the chest, but his heavy armour reduced the damage and simply blasted him to the ground. Two of his comrades pulled him to cover and returned fire with their own carbines. Flashes of light moved
back and forth between the two sides, with neither appearing to have the advantage. Dekarchos Julius took careful aim and fired a single shot at the huddle of enemy figures. One slumped to the floor.
“One down,” said the commander quietly to himself.
“What are we going to do?” asked Glaucon.
“We have to get to the dromon!” called out Julius. He pointed off to the right and to the dark shape of the armoured dromon that was waiting for them. A small group of fighters were firing away at the enemy. They were secure but no closer to escaping.
The other warriors returned fire, and it was clear they were no warriors any of them had ever seen before. Unlike the normal Medes troopers, these were something else again. At more than a head taller than a Medes soldier; they were big and heavily armoured. Their bodies were still lithe and athletic, but they were either a special breed of Medes or an entirely different race.
Xenophon lifted his carbine and aimed down the open sights. The Medes soldiers were well defended behind a damaged dromon engine assembly, and their fire made the open ground to the dromon a killing ground. Due to their size, they were finding it hard to find enough cover to stay completely protected. He aimed high and to the right and squeezed off a round. The carbine kicked into his shoulder, and he was pleased to see one of the soldiers drop down. His elation was short lived though; the soldier lifted himself back up and returned fire.
“Dammit, are they shielded?”
One of the spatharii fired a burst and then ducked down to speak with him. He shook his head as he watched more fire hit around the enemy ineffectively.
“These aren’t normal Medes soldiers. We’ve heard rumours of this unit. They are supposed to be in their thousands and guard the Emperor and his commanders. Apparently, they are an elite unit called Anusiya. I think it means something like ‘Immortals’, and they are from a part of the Empire no Terran has ever visited.”
“Sound like a pile of horse crap to me,” laughed Glaucon while simultaneously blasting one with his weapon.
Black Legion - The First Trilogy Page 31