Black Legion: 02 - Assault on Khorram (35 page)

Roxana Devereux

Officer in the Alliance Navy, friend of Xenophon. Met on Attica before enlistment. A confidant and tall women with thick auburn hair and grey eyes . She was almost the same height and build as Xenophon himself and spent time both in the Alliance military and working as a mercenary prior to the expedition.

Sharon Hughes

Pentatchos on the Vendetta. Leader of one of the many spatharii units that served on the Arcadian titan Olympia. Famous for being the only survivor of her unit following the calamity of the Olympia incident.

Tissaphernes

Median Satrap and high lord of the rich regions around the Cilician Gates. Close friend of the Emperor and major rival of Cyrus. His power and influence was second only to his scheming and politics.

Xenias (Dukas)

An Arcadian soldier and commander of the Olympia. He took a vast contingent of 2,000 mercenaries with him to join the Ten Thousand. His junior commanders included Komes Pasion, leader of the Night Blades.

Xenophon

A citizen of Attica and rumoured to be a pupil of Kratez . Saw limited service during the Terran Civil War. Prefect of the Inner Wards on Attica, eventually forced into exile with Glaucon. Blamed for death of Gryllus who fought for the rights of the citizens with the Thirty. Joined the Ten Thousand mercenaries that fought for the rebel prince Cyrus against the Empire. Though an ardent Attica loyalist, he showed sympathy towards the Laconians and argued against continuing hostilities with them all his life. Famously single for most of his life, avoids getting too involved with any one person. He was tall and slender, with cropped blonde hair and dark blue eyes and known for being both introverted, highly conservative and intellectual.

Anusiya

The elite royal military of the Median Empire. Known as Anusiya in their own language, it means something akin to immortals due to their large numbers that never dwindle.

Arcadia

A Terran world famous for its stoic warriors and weak stability. Many Alliance politicians would joke about the elections not being needed on Arcadia, this was apparently due to the number of coups.

Asgeirr-Carbine

Laconian close-quarter weapon. Fits in the fist and lower arm of a warrior and combines a razor sharp blade and a cut down pulse carbine. The entire unit is compact and very light. Short ranged but very powerful, its blade can punch through most armour.

Attica

The heavily populated homeworld of the Atticans and the capital world of the old Terran Alliance. It was one of the earliest colonies established by the Terrans in their earliest years of expansion. Home of Xenophon, Glaucon and Roxana.

Doru Mk II Rifle

Arcadian, standard weapon used by the light infantry for scouting and special operations. The Doru MK II is a uses a high velocity pulse round and is capable of long distance interdiction and can penetrate most modern armours.

Dromon

Generic name for small transports, assault ships and rescue ships. One of the most popular types of craft used throughout the Terran planets. Most were capable of atmospheric flight.

Elamite

A Scythian Class heavy battleship of the Median Empire. Almost half a kilometre long, frequently used as a command ship for median fleets. One of the largest ships ever seen outside of the Median Empire’s own territory.

Epilektoi

The elite bodyguard unit of the Laconians used to defend senior commander at home and on campaign. A full company of these warriors were stationed on the Titan Valediction under the command of Komes Artemis. The unit contained ten elite Dekarchos, each promoted from the ranks of Laconian bodyguard units.

Fort Plymouth

The most distant and powerful of the Alliance Olympus class outposts. It was situated within striking distance of the border worlds of the Empire. It was the home of the Armada during the last war with the Laconians. With thousands of personnel and hundreds of ships, it was impregnable to all but a full invasion. Stationed over 200 parsecs from Attica and nearly 230 parsecs from Laconia.
 
14 jumps were required for the trip, a journey that would take 2 weeks from Attica if stops were made at Alliance refuelling stations. With tankers, the trip could be conducted in half the time.

Hydra class destroyer

A common Alliance destroyer. At a length of one hundred and fifty metres, and with a crew of one hundred and ninety five, the vessels were the smallest self-sufficient ships in the Alliance Armada. The destroyers had the look of large predatory fish from Ancient Earth, with large frontal sections and long tails that carried a multitude of antenna and sensors.

Ionia Territories

A disputed area that had once been under Terran control. It had now been carved up into a dozen separate territories, each controlled by a powerful Ionian warlord. The high gravity world had helped breed a swarthy but short people who specialised in shipbuilding and high-energy weapons.

Laconia

Ruled by seven men that included a dual kingship, knows as the two Basileus, five Ephors and a vocal ‘popular assembly’. In reality the planet was controlled by the Ephors who were elected for life as tyrants. The Basileus were little more than generals with little political power. The manpower for the state was provided by a complex series of indentured workers who were little more than slaves and commonly revolted.

Laconian Infantry

Laconian spatharios were the traditional heavy infantry of Laconia. They wore their traditional crimson Laconian uniforms, topped with their iconic helmets. Unlike most other Terrans they also wore the common infantryman’s breastplate,
 
an archaic looking device made of an advanced polymer compound that was proof against many common weapons. Only the senior commanders and the elite bodyguard unit were entitled to wear the red tunics and armour. Other Laconian units were allowed to wear the crimson cloak but only for ceremonial purposes.

Laconian League

The pre-eminent Terran empire lead by military colony of Laconia. An equal to any colony on its own and the master of the League that it ruled through a series of complex oaths and agreements. Made extensive use of ancient Byzantine iconography and titles.

Median Empire

A massive Imperial state
 
of over a thousand worlds spread through the galaxy. Its capital, Babylon Prime, is based in the heart of its territory and protected by an elite navy of a thousand ships. Its worlds include hundreds of races from primitive farming worlds to the death worlds and the advanced robotic domains. The dominant race are the Medes who inhabit the core worlds of the Empire.

Mulacs

A generic name for several species of mutants, pirates and mercenaries. These creatures were often used by the Medes as scouts and raiders for their own forces. In more recent years they have been found carving out their own territories in the border regions.

Night Blades

The elite special forces reconnaissance unit on-board the Olympia. Commanded by Komes Pasion. Their specialisms were raiding, recon and assault.

Olympia

The renegade Titan from Arcadia, commanded by Dukas Xenias. The first ship that Xenophon and his comrades served on in the expedition under Lord Cyrus.

Ranks

The Ten Thousand under Clearchus used the traditional system of military ranks used in the Laconian military. This system dated in part back to the system used thousands of years earlier on Earth. They were a bizarre mixture of naval and army titles that had become mixed over the millennia. These ranks include:

Senior Ranks

Strategos
, General of a campaign

Topoteretes
, sub commanders of the
strategos
, usually two per
tagma

Anticensor
, leader of engineers

Akolouthos
, leader of the general’s bodyguard, known as the Epilektoi. Allowed to wear red uniforms

Dukas
, commander of a multiple
tagma
(group of professional
bandon
or ship squadrons, usually 1,000+ warriors)

Komes
, leader of a small fleet (5-10 ships) or 300 infantry (a
bandon
)

Kentarchos
, ship’s captain or commander of infantry company of 100 warriors (
kentarchiai
)

Kybernetes
, ship’s executive officer

Junior Ranks

Dekarchos
, commander of 10 warriors, or junior command position on a ship

Pentarchos
, commander of 5 warriors, or junior command position on a ship

Auletes
, communications officer

Satraps

Regional governors in the Median Empire. These men were the most powerful nobles and controlled their regions of space with an iron fist. They answered directly to the Emperor himself and were responsible for raising and commanding the Imperial fleets.

Spatharios

The spatharios (plural: spatharii) was a Terran heavy infantryman, used frequently by the Arcadians and Laconians.

Stratiotes

A common Terran solder, frequently used to denote the light infantry in Terran armies or the heavy infantry of non Terrans.

Su’bartu Maelstrom

A vast cluster of star systems populated by dead planets. Situated between the fertile border worlds and the rich inner systems close to Median territory. An extremely dangerous area to pass through due to lack of fuel and supplies for dozens of jumps. Even a Titan would take two to three weeks to make the journey. The maelstrom is so dangerous only one in three ships ever makes it through. At the Median side of the maelstrom is the massive Babylon Starfort, home of the Imperial Fleet; the fleet in the known Galaxy.

Terran Alliance

Formed following the historic victories of the Terrans against the Empire. Money and ships were provided as a tithe and in turn the Alliance provided security and trade. They were the arch rivals of the Laconian League, headed by Laconia. Much richer and more diverse than the Laconians. They were famous for their use of Romanesque titles in civilian and military life.

Titan

The largest capital ship used by the Terrans. Capable of carrying tens of thousands of crew and warriors. Five Titans accompanied the Ten Thousand. Each Titan was commanded by the senior Dukas, selected based on the man with the largest contingent. Titan in the fleet included Valediction (under Clearchus), Olympia (under Xenias)

Topoteretes

Senior commanders that would normally commanded half of the military forces at any one time.
 
Also the personal sworn bodyguards of the Strategos.

Taochi

A race of terrifying warriors that had swept through large parts of the Median Empire before being crushed by a vast Imperial Armada. The refugees from these worlds numbered in the millions. As with all conquered tribes the Taochi now served as part of the Imperial Army. The race was bipedal and of similar shapes and build like an upright bull but with a strongly muscled upper torsos and arms. They famously eschewed firearms in combat.

Virtual Observation System (VOB)

The inner surface of a deck is controlled at a molecular level to give it the characteristics of a flawless three dimensional video display. Standing on the deck was like flying through space, with the full ability to see outside of the ship, past the armour and into space itself.

Almost 10,400 Terran mercenaries, sixty ships including Titans plus 20,000 automatons in the Median fleet. Led by Strategos Clearchus with 2 topoteretes and 10 Dukas. 400 more joined the army following Cunaxa. The ships included frigates, cruisers and destroyers as well as untold scores of transports and supply ships.

Titan Valediction

700 spatharii under Chirisophus the Laconian

1000 spatharii, 1000 stratiotes under Clearchus of Sparta,

1,000 spatharii under Sophaenetus the Stymphalian

Titan Olympia

4,000 spatharii under Xenias the Arcadian

300 spatharii and 300 stratiotes
 
(Night Blades) under Pasion the Megaran

Titan Herakles

1,500 spatharii and 500 stratiotes under Proxenus of Boeotia

500 spatharii under Kratez the Achaean

1,000 spatharii under Sophaenetus the Arcadian