Free Black Legion: 05 - Sea of Fire by Michael G. Thomas Page A

Taochi had no idea what he was saying, but the shouting from the Terran commander angered at least one of them. He shouted back in reply, and then as quickly as the situation appeared to have calmed down, it flared up again. Xenophon turned to his commander.
    “Strategos, this situation must be quickly contained and controlled.”
    “I agree,” said Chirisophus in a cold, merciless tone.
    He lifted his arm and blasted the nearest Taochi warrior. The gunfire ripped into its armor, but even at this range, the creature would not die. It howled something in its own language and then surged forward.
    “No!” Xenophon cried out.
    It was too late, though. As the first shots were fired, the situation completely transformed. Just like every other part of the outpost where Chirisophus had sent troops, there was now bloodshed and death.
    “Laconians!” Chirisophus hollered.
    The line of shielded spatharii coalesced around him, and the Arcadians protected his flank. The Taochi lifted their weapons, howled in outrage, and then stormed across the open ground toward the Terrans.
    “Fire!” Chirisophus shouted.
    The Taochi plowed into them with an ear-splitting crash even as the volleys of carbine fire ripped into their armor. Two of the Laconians were knocked down by the impact. One was trampled and the second impaled on the end of a Taochi blade. The formation broke up, and it turned into a ferocious melee, with Taochi warriors being attacked on all sides. Xenophon was knocked aside, and Glaucon stepped past him with his pulse cannon lowered to fire. Its muzzle flashed, and a short burst of heavy fire ripped into the nearest monster. It staggered and struggled to regain its balance.
    “Protect the Strategos!” yelled a familiar voice.
    Komes Artemis, the commander of the elite Laconian bodyguard was now in the thick of the fray. He leapt into the battle with his energy shield flashing, and his Asgeirr-Carbine stabbing into the flesh and armor of his foes. Another Laconian was crushed beneath the weight of the final Taochi before Komes Artemis brought it down with a close range burst of fire.
    Now it was just the Carduchians, and although they put up a brave fight, it took less than a minute to put them to flight. Chirisophus beheaded the only one of their number to stand, and then the fight was over. Lighter armored stratiotes spread out through the outpost and blocked off every remaining exit point, landing bay, and escape chute. At the same time, Xenophon marched up to Chirisophus and blocked his path.
    “What in the name of our homeworlds are you doing, Chirisophus?”
    The Laconian was taken aback at the verbal assault from Xenophon, and for a second actually began lifting his arm to strike him down.
    “Really?” Lady Artemas added, moving to Xenophon’s flank.
    Like all of the others, she was breathing heavily from the fight. Her beautiful purple cloak had multiple holes in it, and her chest armor was scratched from the attack of one of the massive Taochi warriors.
    Glaucon and Roxana were busy tending to the wounded, but Tamara had ignored them, and instead walked to the side of Lady Artemas. As Xenophon finished his rebuke, a single Laconian, a big man of almost two meters in height, swung his left arm to swipe Artemas in the face. Her reaction was incredible, perhaps better than any Terran in the fleet. Her shoulder lowered and her head twisted to miss the strike by the tiniest of a fraction. The man staggered past and directly into the path of Tamara.
    “Big mistake,” she snarled.
    Ducking under his arms, she kicked into the back of his leading leg and sent him crashing to the floor. Another of the Laconians came in with his blade ready and his carbine activated, but Komes Artemis arrived and blocked his path to her. He looked back to Chirisophus.
    “Our troops are securing the outlaying sections of the outpost. The fight is over, Strategos.”
    He then glanced at Xenophon and shook his head ever so