The Legion Awakes (The Sleeping Legion Book 1)
Page 20
Once the holes have been dug and the area filled with the city modules, the space between the four component parts of the standard city is dug with assets brought in on the various city modules to create a common area. This area would, in effect, mark the center between each of the four holes that comprise a standard city configuration. This common area section is three levels deep and houses anything from athletic events to unit formations. It isn’t uncommon for one or two floors to be set up as a mock city for large scale MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) training. The amount of effort used to create these common areas is normally determined by the intended use of the planet in question. If you have plans to strip and dump a planet, you wouldn’t waste resources building a base capable of withstanding prolonged warfare. Another key factor in determining the scale of any common area utilization is the amount of personnel assigned to the base.
At the completion of the installation of the city, the necessary tunnel systems are added, including ones to allow vehicular traffic into and out of the city. When the top tier of the base is built, the workers will then use the assets stored in the various portions of the city, and tamp down the excess earth from the dig. Then they finalize the complete burial of the city. This process helps to hide, at least visually, the exact location of the city from prying eyes. At this point, the city can be expanded by providing additional FCB-316s or by utilizing local mining assets to expand the tunnel system.
— About the Author —
J. R. Handley is a pseudonym for a husband and wife writing team. He is a veteran infantry sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division and later the 28th Infantry Division. She is the kind of crazy that interprets his insanity into cogent English. He writes the sci-fi while she proofreads it. The sergeant is a two-time combat veteran of the late unpleasantness in Mesopotamia where he was wounded, likely doing something stupid. He started writing military science fiction as part of a therapy program suggested by his doctor, and hopes to entertain you while he attempts to excise his demons through these creative endeavors. In addition to being just another dysfunctional veteran, he is a stay at home wife, avid reader and all around nerd. Luckily for him, his Queen joins him in his fandom nerdalitry.
Follow the author’s blog at: jrhandley.com
— Special Thanks to —
First, I need to thank Tim C. Taylor, the creator of the Human Legion Saga, for giving me this chance to spread my literary wings. Hopefully, I don’t let you down, destroy anything too important, or tank your series which I still love reading.
Then, like any sensible man, I realize that I wouldn’t be here without the loving support of my wife and two sons. They tolerated the time I spent writing, editing, re-writing, and occasionally yelling at my monitor. I would like to especially thank my wife, because without even trying, she was my rock, my motivation, and my muse. I would also like to thank my sons who bragged to everyone they knew that “Daddy was a writer” before I’d even penned two lines, making it impossible to even consider giving up.
I would like to thank my parents, both biological and otherwise, for their love and support along the way. Your support of my family throughout this process has made everything possible. And especially to my mother and partner in crime, you were an outstanding sounding board and muse! If this ship takes off, I owe you a steak or ten!
I would also like to thank my friend and fellow veteran Jeffrey Reed, a retired Army Sergeant First Class, who served as my military advisor and sounding board as I recreated military tactics for this world from scratch. Heck, if the good infantry sergeant wasn’t such a diehard 82nd Airborne Division fanatic, he might even be pretty likeable. Hey, not everyone has the good sense to join the 101st instead!
Additionally, I need to thank my best friend Thomas Estus, who never let me forget that he believed in me and this project. He was always encouraging, appropriately prodding, and genuinely a pain in the arse when I slacked off. Without him, there might be no Sleeping Legion.
Equally as important, I would like to send my most heartfelt thanks to the two ladies who helped me live through and with the war. Participating in the late unpleasantness in Mesopotamia was grisly, stressful, and negatively life altering. While I was in Iraq, a special ‘Soldiers Angel’ Susan Leighton, sent me share packages and love from the world we left. The letters and calls to her and her family were a lifeline when I desperately needed one. Were it not for her, I might not be here today. When I came home, I met another special lady, Dr. Miller at the Veterans Administration Hospital, who taught me to live with what happened and to take it one day at a time. Without her, I might have been just another statistic on the evening news: Local War Vet Commits Suicide. Her work to untold thousands of veterans has saved lives, you’ll never meet a finer doctor or ally when life is hard.
Also, lest they be forgotten, I would like to thank my Game of War friends. I enjoyed time in two great alliances, the New Carthage Nomads (NCR) of Peisinoe and the Nuthouse of Odin (NhO) of Odin. I want to especially thank the fine folks of NhO who took me in when I had to start again with everything I’d learned messing it up in the first kingdom. You know who you are and what you mean to me, being my friend when I was lonely, a shoulder when I cried, and a maniacal laugh when my jokes were finally funny again. We had some good times together during a time when I needed to escape, and for that I will always remember you fondly. To the friends I made and continue to correspond with, this one’s for you! God bless texts and carrier pigeons!
Finally, I need to thank the fine baristas at my local Starbucks (Store #6907), for the great coffee and advice. They've tolerated my extended stays and encouraged my writing along the way.
Addendum: The editor and author would also like to thank our friend and Legion supporter, Hans Ruopp, for all his help, advice, and support. We pray you will recover soon to fully enjoy this book.
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FORTRESS BETA CITY
The second book in the story of the Sleeping Legion. Launching Dec 21 2016...
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