Black Legion: 02 - Assault on Khorram (20 page)

“They’ve adapted already,” said Komes Artemis.

“Yes, but I think you’ll find this is the doing of Menon. He is skilled in their use and won’t risk them in close quarter combat with Laconian troops again.”

He looked back at the small group of warriors, all of them waiting patiently, and every one keen to continue the battle. They were spread out in the dark, and with each of the warriors taking cover from the sporadic heavy gunfire emitting from the defensive positions the drones had adopted. They had changed shape, and as best as Clearchus could tell, the drones had tipped their bodies over to reduce their size and place the maximum armour to the front. They seemed unable to move, and yet presented a thickly armoured porcupine of gun barrels and rockets.

“Kleandridas, what is your status?” he asked using his communications node.

“We’re stuck, Strategos. They have locked down the drones, but we have to take them out before we can get inside.”

Dammit,
thought Clearchus.
How can we get inside without losing more men?

He looked around the lobby area, but there was nothing of use, just a few light tables and chairs plus non-functioning computer systems. The gunfire from the drones was now a mixture of pulse rounds and automatic cannon projectiles. The latter were archaic, even by combat drone standards, and now rarely used by any of the modern forces. The spatharii fired back at the drones, and the sparks and flashes in the darkness indicated the scores of hits they made on the great metal machines.

“Can we get more forces at access points in the station?” he asked.

“No, Strategos, we already have ample forces at my point and yours. I have requested heavy weapon support, but they will not be here for forty minutes.”

Clearchus shook his head.

“No, that’s too long. We’ve already seen what these two are capable when given the chance. We need to finish this and fast.”

“Understood,” replied Kleandridas but without anything useful to contribute.

Clearchus looked to the rest of the warriors near him and called to them.

“We need options, I’m open to suggestions?” he asked, now unsure as to what they could do.

A pair of warriors tried to get closer, but the massed firepower forced them to the ground. One found his shield literally torn from his arm, leaving him completely exposed. Only the quick actions of his dekarchos saved him from a bloody death at the hands of the drones. The two skidded across the floor and took shelter behind three more warriors who pushed their shields out to protect them.

“Wait, did you hear about the overloading technique used by one of the Night Blades back on Cilicia? I bet we could do something similar here,” said Komes Artemis.

Clearchus shook his head.

“No, I don’t need to, though. If you think it might work, just get it done. You can explain the details to me later over a drink.”

The Komes nodded in agreement, doing his best to hide a smile and moved off to the rest of the men. A single autocannon round glanced off his shielded side and slammed into the metal bulkheads around them. Once he reached his men, it took seconds before they formed up into a dismal force of seven, each hunkered down behind their shields and moving towards the entrenched machines.

Clearchus could see they were trying to close the distance but was still unsure as to what the younger officer was planning. Either way, he needed to give the Komes the best possible chance.

“Covering fire, keep them busy!” he cried.

The rest of the spatharii leaned around their shields and fired short bursts at the drones that had already turned their attention on the approaching Terran soldiers. It was a close run thing, but in less than thirty seconds the men had made it to within twenty metres. One man stood to throw an object but was cut down by a dozen pulse rounds. A second grabbed the shape that appeared to be a detached shield generator unit and held it high above his head in both hands. With a single mighty push, the object pushed forward and struck the ground, rolling the short distance to the combat drones.

Surely they won’t just stand there while that rolls around them?
Clearchus thought.

Nothing happened, as the combat drones had adopted their static defensive posture. From where he stood, it was like looking at a titanium barricade bristling with thickened armour and weapons.

“Get down!” shouted Komes Artemis.

A low hum changed in pitch until it was almost too high to hear, and the shield generator exploded with the force of a demolition charge. A good number of the Terrans were blown back by the shockwave, but not before Clearchus had the satisfaction of seeing two of the drones smashed apart and a gap created in their line. He lifted his weapon in the air and shouted out to the rest of the unit.

“Epilektoi, smash them!”

In the darkness, he could only make out the coloured shapes of the other Terrans through his helmet’s thermal imagining equipment. The greatest hit came from the remains of the destroyed drones and their weapons systems that were almost white hot from the sustained fire they had put down.

“Komes, look out, there’s...!” cried one of the elite warriors before taking the impact of a guided missile fired by one of the remaining drones. The Komes shook his head angrily and surged forward along with the other Terrans as they pushed towards the breach. Pulse fire continued to rain down on them, but with the gap they were able to flank the machines, and in less than a minute the route was clear. Only two more casualties were sustained in the attack, and Clearchus could only hope they would recover in due course. But for now, they had to conclude the operation.

“Keep moving, we need to secure the Medes traitors,” he ordered and stepped forward slowly. No more signals were showing on his thermal imaging, so he switched the gear off and swapped to the powerful shoulder-mounted lamp. Komes Artemis stepped near him, his own Asgeirr-Carbine ready for whatever he might face.

“My brothers, switch to lamps and watch for friendlies. I don’t want any accidents down here,” he said quietly, doing his best to let the communication node do the work, rather than his voice.

The area of multicoloured shapes transformed into a mixture of bright spots and moving shadows. It took a few seconds for the warriors to adjust their eyes to the change as they examined the area for signs of the enemy. It appeared clear, and the hallway expanded as they became nearer to their objective. The Terrans were now jogging, and keen to make it before any other surprises appeared. Clearchus ran with them and moved his head from left to right, looking for danger behind every container and bulkhead rib. His node hummed in his skull.

“Kleandridas here, we’re still pinned down, what is your status?”

Clearchus stopped, and the other Terrans slowed to a halt, dropping to their knees and moving their shields to protect themselves.

Kleandridas, I have almost forgotten,
he thought.

“We’ve broken through and heading to the executive area. Stay where you are, and keep the drones busy. Do not assault them, I repeat, do not assault them.”

“Affirmative.”

Clearchus indicated with his hand for the spatharii to keep moving. Any other nation might be wary of giving such a simple, almost passive order to their soldiers. But Clearchus knew Kleandridas would obey and not do something stupid just for his own personal glory. For him and his Laconian people it was always about the collective, and not the individual. They moved a short distance further before taking a burst of pulse fire from an unseen assailant. The Terrans beat aside the gunfire and pushed on. It was much lighter fire than that they had sustained at the hands of the drones. Komes Artemis signalled towards entrance.

“Strategos, they have erected a defensive screen at the entrance to the main executive lounge.”

His announcement was met by a stream of pulse rounds clattering about the Terrans. Clearchus barely flinched at the sound and examined the entrance with great concentration. He counted the muzzle flashes and rate of fire before even speaking.

“It’s a triple-barrel sentry mounting. Just hit it with heavy fire, it won’t last long.”

The Komes nodded and passed on the order to the rest of his men. Though they stayed behind the shelter of the energy fields, they did fire from the sides or above with their carbines. The combined firepower of dozens of carbines quickly silenced the sentry. The Komes was up on his feet and through the door with seven other warriors before Clearchus could reach it. As he entered the room, he was surprised to find Menon sprawled on the floor with Ariaeus stood over him, holding a standard Medes combat pistol.

“Strategos, I am glad to see you here, finally.”

Clearchus said nothing. He had expected resistance, but not this. One of the dekarchos stepped closer and bent down to examine the form of Menon lying on the ground. It didn’t take long, and he looked back with a grim expression on his face.

“He’s dead, multiple pulse wounds to the back of the body.”

“You shot him in the back? A nobleman, of your own race?” asked Clearchus.

Ariaeus stood motionless and did nothing when one of the Terrans pulled the pistol from his hand. Clearchus glanced around, but there was nothing else, not even a single combat drone to protect the room.

“Why?” he asked, but in his heart he was convinced the treacherous Medes had killed the man just because their own scheme had failed. He connected to Cyrus who was still safe and secure in the main landing area.

“Lord Cyrus, the executive lounge is secure, and I am sending a security detail to escort you here. I have Ariaeus. Unfortunately, Menon is dead. It looks like we arrived a few minutes too late.”

There was a slight crackle and then the faint voice of the Medes commander came back. Clearchus was forced to strain his hearing to make out the words. He missed the first part, but the second was clear and simple.

“...gain access to the command and control systems as fast as possible. We must...”

The audio crackled again and cut completely. Clearchus tapped his head near to where the node was fitted. It wasn’t surprising, much of the station’s defensive arsenal was still working, and the shielding around the access hatches remained active. The most obvious side effect was that transmission distance was cut to a fraction due to the massed interference.

Clearchus stepped up to Ariaeus and thrust his right arm forward. His armour and uniform covered up the bulk of his body, but even that couldn’t disguise the great man’s strength and power. He grabbed the Medes around the throat, and in one swift movement began to squeeze. Caught by surprise Ariaeus gasped and struggled, but Clearchus was vastly stronger than him and no matter how hard he tried, he could not break the man’s hold.

A junior spatharios called over from near to where Menon had been stood. He held up a metal computer system. It looked very much like the reconnaissance drone control units used in the military.

“Strategos, this might be the drone control pad.”

Clearchus looked up, but at that very moment he was much more interested in squeezing the life out of his hated enemy than worrying about the drones. It was only when he thought of his friend Kleandridas and his men that he remembered his duty. He relaxed his hold just a little and turned to the man.

“Good work, see what you can do.”

The soldier nodded and moved to Komes Artemis who was very interested in what he had found. As they examined the unit, the other spatharii spread out and searched the lounge area for anything else of importance. Clearchus returned to Ariaeus who now looked suitable chastened.

“Now, you Median slime. Tell me what were you doing here, and why did you murder Menon?”

Ariaeus coughed and spluttered as the Terran leader loosened his grip. Rather than speak, he used the chance to try and escape his grasp. He was fast and easily slipped from the loose grip and made immediately for the doorway. Dekarchos Anton spotted him and swung his left arm with his shield still on into his stomach. The impact was heavy, and Ariaeus crashed to the ground and crumpled into a heap. Clearchus smiled and stepped closer.

“I won’t ask again, answer my questions or I will be forced to...”

“Do what exactly, Strategos?” said a familiar voice.

Clearchus turned to see the shape of Lord Cyrus and his Median bodyguard entering. The nobleman examined the room and quickly spotted the body of Menon on the ground. He stepped forward and spoke quietly.

“This is unfortunate, very unfortunate.”