Yes, my friend. When this is done, you will see it is me that has saved our Empire. And all the while you were hiding at home hoping the Terrans would simply drift away.
Ariaeus looked back, but apart from the robotic machine, he had no friends on this ship. Just scores of automatons and Imperial lackeys, each looking to further themselves at his expense. With a simple gesture, he disconnected from the fleet and spoke only to Forouzandeh. She looked at him without expression or emotion.
“What are you doing here? Darbabad.”
The use of her position rather than her name was an obvious attempt at an insult, but it had little, if any effect on her.
“My Lord, I am here to provide assistance, as and where required. After the disaster that befell our forces after Cunaxa, I volunteered to assist you in the operation to bring the Terrans to their end. We missed your departure. Luckily, we found the Terrans after interrogating local traders.”
Ariaeus didn’t entirely believe this story, but he was fully aware that Forouzandeh was something of a loose cannon in the Empire. The Emperor would be wary of using certain sanctions against her.
This must be a ploy to get her out of his way and give me further incentive to succeed.
He shook his head in frustration. It was not uncommon for Imperial commanders to send more than one leader or force to complete a mission. Competition for success, and the honors associated with it, was all too common in the Empire. Infighting was one way the Emperor kept regional commanders weak, but it also left them vulnerable to outsiders.
“And Lord Ruhollah. What of your interest in him, and why are you commanding part of my fleet?”
Now he could see something, a mere glimmer of doubt on her face.
I see, so there is something here.
“Lord Ruhollah contacted us before we reached Carduchia. He asked for my help, something I am happy to offer, as I already had the location of the Terrans. Where is he? I have not heard from him in hours.”
Ariaeus looked to the prostrate shape of Lord Ruhollah and then back to Forouzandeh.
“Lord Ruhollah is being reminded of the chain of command. He is not, and was not, in charge of this operation and has taken it upon himself to try and usurp me in the middle of battle. Can I assume I have your full support in this action?”
Darbabad Forouzandeh nodded ever so gently.
“Of course, my Lord. My ship and my crew are at your disposal. We are here only to serve.”
“Good. In that case my orders are simple.”
As he spoke, he watched a Carduchian heavy fighter crash head on against a Terran battleship. It exploded as its power plant went critical, and for a second he thought the Terran warship had been lost. As the flash subsided, he could still see it, and nothing remained of the smaller vessel. He sighed and then looked to the communications officer.
“Auletes, I want this duplicated and sent out on every channel. The entire fleet will know my plan and my intention to wipe out these Terrans.”
“Darbabad, you have done well to corner these Terrans, but that is not enough. They have escaped before, and they will try again. That is why we will hit them, and we will not stop until every ship is captured or burning.”
He had his doubts as to how much damage he could achieve. But he also knew that on the other side of the treacherous Sea of Fire was Tirbazus with a host equal in size to this one.
We can lose this battle and what will it cost me? Mercenaries that will not need to be paid. Whatever they do not kill will simply struggle on to the next fight.
He almost felt sorry for the Terrans. He’d known many of them, and though they were no real friends to him, he still had no desire to see their extermination. They were still invaders, though, and their defeat could only propel him up the ranks of the nobility. He considered his words carefully before speaking to the entire fleet.
“Rewards will be combined and distributed by your commanders each day you fight. For every Terran killed, the God King will pay a bounty of one talent, and for every officer killed a hundred. A thousand talents for an enemy ship destroyed, ten thousand talents for a Titan, and promotion to the nobility for every warrior that steps inside a Titan. All of this will be paid to you at the end of today. There will be no waiting.”
He paused and let those words sink in. For the mercenaries of the Hooshang Brothers, this offer would be exactly what they wanted to hear. There was a chance for their mercenaries to become incredibly wealthy if they were successful. Even the destruction of four or five ships would bring them tens of thousands of talents, wealth unimaginable to most of them. Price was, of course, no object to the destruction of the Emperor’s enemies. Ariaeus had been given open access to the Royal treasury, but only for the one purpose. Spending could be lavish, but anything remotely fraudulent would result in nothing short of execution.
They are now mine.
“You will coordinate the mercenaries and their Bactrian warships in a direct assault upon their Titans.”
Darbabad Forouzandeh, ever the loyal Imperial officer, simply nodded. He looked for signs of disagreement or disappointment, but there was nothing; instead something closer to resignation.
“I will lead the attack personally against their flagship the Valediction.”
Even Ariaeus was surprised at her chosen target. The Titans were something of a legend amongst the Terrans, but among the Medes they were considered a fantasy. No true Medes could fear something that a Terran built; yet some of them had seen these ships in the flesh. Any that had witnessed the firepower of a Titan knew how deadly they could be, but more concerning was always the cargo of heavily armored warriors contained within them.
“The Laconian warship? Yes, that is perfect.”
He imagined the ships circling and blasting the Titans. One had been lost already, and if they were smart, more could be destroyed today.
“Smash their Titans and ignore the cost. We can buy more soldiers, more automatons, and more ships. The Terrans will panic at the sight of their beloved Gods being destroyed by the might of our weapons.”
“As you wish, my Lord.”
Darbabad Forouzandeh vanished, and once more Ariaeus found himself alone. He looked at the small screen, only then realizing that a small column of Terran transports was assisting in the evacuation of dromons. It didn’t take long for him to find the section of the floating city.
Good, we will end these Terrans, today!
He called out to the Darbabad.
“Lay in a course for their evacuation forces. We will lead an assault on them before they can withdraw.”
The shadowy figure nodded and spoke back in a nervous tone.
“My Lord, our forces have been defeated on the surface. The Terrans are rejoining the fleet.”
“Jam them, and target their transports. Now!”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Light Cruiser ‘Antaeus’, Bijar Prime, Carduchian Wilderness
The Terran forces were scattered but still providing mutual supporting fire. Constant volleys from their plasma cannons lit up the area of space around Bijar Prime. At the same time, hundreds of streaks marked the heavy cutters of the larger cruisers and battleships. A dozen ships on both sides had sustained heavy damage, but the Carduchians had suffered the worse so far. Although Terran ships had been damaged, only one had been knocked out. The interior of Antaeus was a hive of activity as the crew rushed from station to station. Lancing strikes were already hitting the shields, and the dull throb of impacts was obvious to all of them.
“Incredible.”
Kentarchos Cadmus looked at the scene of the battle and the disposition of the newly arrived ships of the Robotic Domains. The unusually shaped robotic vessels particularly intrigued him. They were something few of the Terrans had ever seen. Unlike the craft they had fought before, these were capital ships from that mythical territory and looked every inch the alien ship.
“I’ve not fought these before,” he said in a slow, calm voice.
Roxana waited alongside him, but Xenophon was far too busy looking at the groups of ships and marking out routes and waypoints. The screen he was using was covered in clusters of locations, far more than even she could keep an eye on in the middle of such violence. Roxana looked back to the VOB system and the ships the Kentarchos had pointed out.
“They are a much tougher nuts to crack than anything we’ve faced before.”
Xenophon heard them talking and threw Roxana a quick look.
“We won’t be here for much longer. Just keep the machines busy, and do not launch fighters or dromons under any circumstances. We will be leaving very soon.”
Roxana nodded, moving her hands apart to enlarge part of the large display that filled the ship. It showed the damaged Carduchian facilities and the last three dromons that were busy escaping to a waiting heavy transport. Torpedo boats circled the ship, but they were under heavy attack.
“They are in trouble, and their communications are being heavily jammed.”
Kentarchos Cadmus looked at them carefully.
“Yes, it is this ship. The Medes battleship.”
Debris from three smashed ships blocked it partially from view, but it was clearly an Imperial capital ship.
“We can get her attention.”
The man looked to his officers and passed on the target information.
“Coordinate with the light cruiser squadron and hit that battleship. Target her shield generator and engines.”
The guns began firing in earnest, and they watched in satisfaction as the first projectiles struck home.
“Good, that should buy them enough time,” said the Kentarchos.
Roxana had already moved her attention away from the minor engagement and so toward the more immediate threat, the escorts around the Imperial ship. The three nearest vessels enlarged substantially and drew a groan of awe and surprise from some of the officers.
“Yes, they are tough, and their boarding parties are powerful. Their numbers are few though, and they are protecting one ship, look.”
She tagged the Imperial ship behind them and stopped upon spotting the insignia along the sides as it emerged from the cover of the debris.
“Ariaeus!”
Xenophon heard the name and looked at her. He could see the shape of the Imperial ship, and it stopped him in his tracks. He didn’t look worried, though. Roxana noticed something more.
“What is it?”
Xenophon’s mouth changed to a grin.
“If that really is Ariaeus, then we can use it to our advantage. He can’t be popular back on Babylon Prime.”
Roxana quickly understood what he meant.
“Of course. He’ll be looking at making a name for himself.”
The Kentarchos looked away from the two of them and continued to run his ship. The battle was ongoing, and he had no time to listen to them discuss strategy when a battle remained to be fought. He pointed at the narrow section of hull near the port weapons array on the closest Machine Domains heavy cruiser.
He called out, “Leave the Imperial ships. Change targets and focus fire on the Machine ship I have flagged. All weapons, fire in pulsed volleys, now!”
One by one the plasma cannons sent their deadly cargo toward the robotic ships. Instead of firing in one long blast, they fired in small groups, one at a time. The effect was much like a wave crashing onto a beach. The other light cruisers did the same, and in less than half a minute one robotic ships had lost its shielding. Xenophon looked on as heavy cutters from one of the Titans cut a section off its back.
“Perfect. Now it is time.”
He nodded at the auletes.
“Do it.”
Xenophon had planned everything down to the last ship, but even now there was doubt in his mind. One after the other the squadrons responded, with the exception of the Valediction and four of her escorts.
Damned Laconians.
All Xenophon could do was hope they would follow. Even though they refused to acknowledge his plan, he still ensured the data was sent directly to Chirisophus. When the final ship sent in its acknowledgement, he moved to hit the final button. But there was something, a flashing code coming from the VOB system and far off to the left. He strained his eyes and finally made out the angular shape of an enemy ship. He pointed.
“Who are they? That is a Legion code.”
Kentarchos Cadmus spun about, still expecting to receive the final command to jump away from the battle. Two heavy cutters struck the bow, and flashes of flame announced a deep penetration of the hull. Alarms sounded, but the crew dealt with the attack with silent efficiency. Even a Laconian would have been impressed.
“Redirect power. Bring us about.”
He then looked to Xenophon, but the auletes spoke.
“The code is from Komes Artemis, the Laconian officer. It is an emergency retrieval code for high value Medes personnel.”
Xenophon looked to Roxana, but there was only one person they could think of that matched that description. Xenophon had been sent codes from the Strategos confirming that the last few warriors were seconds from retrieval. He’d never mentioned that his friends were still unaccounted for.
“Medes. He has prisoners?”
Roxana opened her mouth, and they both voiced the same name.
“Artemas.”
Xenophon selected the vessel, enlarged it, and shook his head in surprise.
“It’s a small mercenary vessel, but their gun ports are open, and look.”
Right behind the craft was a pair of Mercenary fighters. The models were unfamiliar, but the formidable arsenal of small plasma guns fitted around the engines nacelles more than matched their rough design and layout. Streaks of blue matter rushed about the escaping craft.
“Signal, Sir, it is the Komes. It’s a one way transmission.”
“Put him on.”
There was no video, just the crackle of an improvised communication circuit.
“This is Komes Artemis. I have Lady Artemas plus spatharii survivors. We need immediate assistance. Our shields...”
The audio faded in and out but was far too damaged to understand. Xenophon looked to the Kentarchos and then to Roxana.
“We have to save the fleet.”
He then looked to the Kentarchos while sending updated waypoints for the other ships.
“The light cruisers will hold until we’ve recovered them. I have a plan.”
The man opened his mouth to complain, but Roxana intercepted him.
“The plan has changed, Kentarchos. We have Lady Artemas and Ariaeus to deal with. I know what he’s thinking.”
Xenophon was still sending the last few coordinates and looked to them both while tapping his temporary communications node. He then hit the button that would put his plan into action.
“By squadrons, jump!”
One by one the cruisers, escorts, transports, and battleships jumped out. Then two of the Titans leapt away to leave just two tiny groups. One the four light cruisers that included Antaeus; the second was the Laconian Titan and her small escort.
“What now?” Roxana asked.
Xenophon rubbed his forehead and then nodded to the Laconian Titan that showed up clearly on the VOB. With the rest of the fleet gone, the Carduchians moved in to attack the few vessels remaining.
“Put me through to the Strategos.”
The holographic shape of the Strategos appeared, and he looked less than impressed. The imagery shuddered and flickered with each volley of gunfire.
“Strategos, I see you kept me in the dark about Lady Artemas and your own men. I offer you the chance for redemption or the desolation of an ignominious defeat in the Carduchian Wilderness.”
The VOB system showed the Titan was now under attack by more than thirty ships and was surrounded in flashes. The subtle difference between heavy cutters and plasma was not always obvious, but when they managed to break through a section of shielding, it was very clear; every few seconds another flash would mark whe
re a large section of armor had been breached or wrenched apart.
“What is your plan, Xenophon?” said the Strategos.
Xenophon knew that tone, and also that there would be a reckoning if any of them survived. Right now, that was a problem for another day and would require a victory, or at the very least, a cunning escape.
“I want you to assault their command ships, but be prepared to jump to the new waypoints on my signal. When you jump, make sure you are venting plasma from your port breaches.”
“Are you insane?” snapped back the Strategos, “I have already sustained heavy damage. Venting plasma will reduce my range, and it will lead them directly our new location.”
“Exactly,” Xenophon replied.
He looked back to Roxana.
“I’m not leaving till they are back here. If Artemas is on that craft, then so are Tamara and Glaucon.”
Roxana simply smiled back at him.
“I know. I’ve already plotted an elliptical course that will run us directly past them. We can do a rotational pickup.”
Xenophon raised his eyebrows at that and then looked to the Kentarchos.
“Can you do a rotational pickup there?”
He pointed at Roxana’s plotted course and considered it for a few seconds. His Kentarchos moved alongside him and checked the data himself before breathing out slowly and nodding. The Kentarchos looked back to them.
“Yes, but it will not be easy.”
Xenophon laughed and recalled something his old teacher Kratez hold told him.
“Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.”
Roxana moved to the Kybernetes and checked the details with the second-in-command of the ship. She noticed Xenophon watching carefully.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get them. You’d better deal with him.”
Black Legion: 05 - Sea of Fire Page 19