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

gently.
    “Good work, Komes,” said Chirisophus.
    He then looked to Xenophon.
    “Now, what was it you were saying?”
    The man’s voice had changed, and some of the rage had already subsided. Even so, there was still a fire in his eyes, and Xenophon knew him well enough to know it would take little for the Strategos to turn on him.
    “We didn’t need to do this.”
    The Strategos smiled.
    “There is little we need to do. I agree with your plan to avoid the Core Worlds. A full confrontation with the entire Imperial Navy is a fight that even we cannot win. But that is as far as your advice goes, Xenophon.”
    He extended his right arm and grasped Xenophon’s shoulder, pinning him in place.
    “We don’t have the luxury of time to negotiate with these...savages.”
    He looked down at the dozens of bodies.
    “We will take what we need and push on. The Carduchians are primitives, and when word gets out what happened here...Well, they will..”
    “Avoid us at every chance they get,” suggested Artemas.
    Chirisophus threw her a withering stare.
    “Then that will leave every outpost from here to the Hayastan Satrapy open to us.”
    Xenophon shook his head.
    “I warned you. The Carduchians will not melt away.”
    Chirisophus nodded as a pair of his soldiers dragged a Carduchian male toward him. The younger of the two soldiers spoke first.
    “This is the provisional Sarvan of the outpost.”
    He threw the terrified Carduchian at the feet of the Strategos. Even as this little drama unfolded, there were scores of stratiotes carrying off crates and supplies to the landing pads. Xenophon watched as they looted the place of anything of worth.
    “This outpost will be a reminder to all of your people. Either you give us what we need peacefully, or we will raze your facilities and take all of your assets.”
    He looked down at the trembling figure and then laughed.
    “Xenophon, you wasted your time here. They are barbarians, and they will fetch us a good price when we reach home.”
    He then gave a quick hand gesture. The young Laconian officer pulled the Carduchian to his feet and dragged him off in the direction of the rest of the loot.   He then smiled at the sight of a dozen or more female prisoners being marched off to the ships in chains.
    “I’d say this might make our trip worthwhile after all.”
    He then looked at Xenophon.
    “I suggest you and your entourage return to the fleet. We will leave as soon as the fleet is resupplied. That should take a day, no more.”
    “And you plan on taking these slaves? They are more mouths to feed, and we need everything we have to make it home.”
    Chirisophus called over to one of his men and passed on a series of orders before bothering to look back at Xenophon.
    “Yes, I plan on taking slaves at every chance we get. This expedition cost us a lot of money, and I mean a lot. I will not return home empty handed, with nothing but damaged ships and dead soldiers. The strongest will work in Laconian mines, the rest...”
    He looked at the tail end of the column of Carduchian females.
    “We can always find a use for the softer ones.”
    “And the rest? The older, infirm, the children?”
    Chirisophus shook his head and walked away from the scene of the battle. He looked back and laughed.
    “They will go to the slavers.”
    Xenophon was left with his friends and the small group of Arcadians. Roxana had finished attending one of the wounded men, and his comrade was carrying him away. She moved closer, with Glaucon right at her side.
    “This was a debacle.”
    Glaucon laughed.
    “As if there was any doubt.”
    A single Carduchian moved off to the side, but the blast from a Doru rifle ended his life, as surely as any other weapon. Xenophon looked at his comrades, but as his eyes scanned the open space, he stopped at the still open doors of the elevator that led up into the structure.
    “Follow me.”
    He made it to the doors before they even realized where he was going. All five