After realizing he was there for his tattoo, Lance glanced over to his commander, seeking permission to prepare. When he saw that she too was taking off her top, he followed suit and sat down in the chair. While Captain Grimgerde was letting the Spacer shave a small patch of fur off her upper back, where her regimental crest was branded on her, the second Spacer tattooed Lance’s star. The Spacer had just finished, when Lance noticed the smell of burning flesh coming from his commander indicating that she was done as well. That was quick, let’s hope the meeting that follows goes as smoothly.
The Spacer who tattooed Lance then took out a can and began spraying some sort of healing agent on his new tattoos, telling him to wait a minute before redressing. Glancing over, he saw that Captain Grimgerde had received the same treatment.
The captain waited for the Spacers to walk away, allowing for private conversation, before she began talking to him. She was quiet and intense as she told him about what she suspected was going to happen in the meeting with General Korenje. She went on to tell him that the executions of the two who ran had already happened.
Even knowing that Hank and Alicia would likely be executed hadn’t prepared Lance for this shocking news. He was conflicted. He loved them – they were as close to family as he had – but they had left him to die because they were too afraid to stand with him. Their actions had likely doomed their entire company, maybe even their battalion if the officers were angry enough, but he still felt their loss.
Taking a moment, and a few deep breaths, Lance nodded to Captain Grimgerde, wordlessly telling her that he was ready for her to continue. Without wasting a second, she quickly told him she had honored his actions by ensuring that his captured sword would remain off the official records and was his to do with as he pleased. “That sword is your war trophy. Don’t worry about me, I took some mementoes as well. Part of the creature’s armor will be stowed with my kit when they ice us. They have to ice us, really, if they don’t kill us on the spot, so I prepped both of our cryopods with our war trophies. Now, we have to hurry… mustn’t keep a general waiting.”
— Chapter 34 —
Metamorphosis Officer Country, General Korenje’s Office
Lance was nervous, being called in front of your Jotun officers was never a good thing, but it was a whole new level of drent to be called in to see a general officer. He took some comfort out of the fact that his commanding officer stood next to him awaiting the arrival of General Korenje.
Ten minutes had passed. Lance was still at a rigid attention, but he began to sweat from the tension in the emptied room. He briefly wondered if he should use the skill that he learned as a Cadet to handle prolonged guard duty, to escape into his own head, but was interrupted by the sound of feet approaching from behind. Lance gently tightened his fists and bit his cheek, trying desperately to hide the apprehension from his general.
“At ease, Marines, we have much to discuss and very little time.” General Korenje said those words as he marched into view, striding confidently towards them. “I cannot tolerate cowardice; it is abhorrent to the very core of my being. As your commanding general, I have taken on the sacred task of having these shirkers executed. Further, lest their stench befoul my system, I have ordered the execution of Dog Company, including its officer corps, and placed the rest of the 941st TAC into the Cull for this coming year. This may seem harsh, but your honor is a precious thing, a being which is highly susceptible to the disease that is cowardice and the stain that is dishonor.
“You might wonder why you were spared, why you are here and not dead with Dog Company. It is simple – bravery and courage must always be met with recognition, lest we end up with Marines intentionally striving for mediocracy. Therefore, I am here to present to you your reward.
“You, Lance Corporal Scipio, were given command of Beta Fire Team, 1st Section after your corporal died. You performed admirably, and as such I hereby affirm the decision by your captain to make the promotion to lance corporal. In recognition of your bravery and quick thinking, I am further promoting you to sergeant. You gave us the key to finding these creatures, should they try this tactic again. Because of that, you will receive your last reward, and then we will speak no more of this. You will be spared the culling of your regiment and the dishonor with which it stinks. Instead, you will report to the cryobay and sleep until such a time as you can be revived free of the stench of this day.”
General Korenje turned to face Captain Grimgerde. “You too served well, for the actions of Sergeant Scipio illustrates the leadership that Marines require. I foresee a day when this trait will be sorely needed. For this, you too will be frozen, only to be revived when the dishonor of this day is but a distant memory.
“Both of you, Captain and Sergeant, do NOT make me regret this. Dismissed!”
— Chapter 35 —
Grendel Cryogenic Storage Lab
After Captain Grimgerde was safely frozen and her AI securely placed in the appropriate storage compartment of her cryopod, Aura began to contemplate the human icer in the next pod. Lance had come into her life like a whirlwind, swept past her normal defenses and had her off her feet and on her back in record time.
Aura wasn’t a prude, certainly not a virgin, but something about him was different. Aura still wasn’t sure why she had that feeling that her time with Lance would be important, but she had a gut feeling and she’d learned to trust those.
Like many Spacers of her generation, Aura had been gifted with the presence of nanites and the ability to control them. She could perform a sophisticated medical diagnosis on herself, enact minor healing, and control her emotions. Because she was so used to performing these self-exams, she almost began to do them without paying any attention to what they found. In fact, she almost missed the presence of something new within her womb. When Aura began to get the pain in the back of her eyes and the repetitive idea running as if on a loop in her brain, she began to pay attention. She was pregnant, and on the first try. Was this what her premonition was about? Because if it was, she felt cheated.
Feeling like she owed it to the father of the embryo in her, Aura decided to retrieve the 13 other AIs that Lance had brought her and added them to the storage compartment of his cryopod. She decided to add his old AI, Dante, to the pile as well for good measure. Something told her this gesture would reap huge dividends one day. She hoped it was enough, but it was all she could do for him.
AFTER
ACTION
REVIEW
Human Legion
— INFOPEDIA —
Military Concepts
— Human Marine Forces Military Manuals
In the Human Marine Corps there is a proper way to do everything, from the appropriate position in which to sleep, to the required items needed to take a proper Marine Corps shower. If you’re not familiar with how the military teaches a Marine what is required of him or her, all you need to do is spend some time in the Human Marine Forces Digital Library Database. If you have the credentials, and sometimes, the necessary security clearances, you can look it up. The Human Marine Corps standard operating procedures cover everything, you just have to understand how to use them. The Human Marine Forces Digital Manual (HMF: DM), which are a series of books that holds the standard doctrine for the Human Marine Corps, tell you everything you must know from the crèche to the grave. Heck, one manual even covers your afterlife too! No joke, the military offers Marines manuals on standardly observed religions and religious doctrine throughout the White Knight Empire.
These books are listed as HMF: DM with the number series which tells the purpose of the manual: tactics, vehicles, uniform policy, etc. After the number of the series, there is a dot with another number which further breaks down into a sub category. For instance, the DM 5. series would be infantry standard procedures for the Marine Corps, and the DM 5.10 would be a manual which covers the infantry tactics for the Human Marine Corps. Further, after the sub category there would be another dot with another number which
lists explicitly what the manual covers, so for instance, the DM 5.10.5 would cover the infantry section tactics. The DM 5.10.7 covers the infantry platoon and the DM 5.10.8 would teach infantry company level tactics.
Now, armed with the proper manner with which you should look you can begin your quest for any little tidbit of information your heart desires. Given that this is an open source publishing venue I can only list those manuals that are not classified, but there are literally hundreds of numbered category manuals with subsequent follow on sub-categories and even more sub sub-categories after that.
1. Naval Manuals, Aquatic
2. Naval Manuals, Void
3. Air Wing Manuals, Terrestrial
4. Air Wing Manuals, Void
5. Infantry Manuals, Marine Corps
5.1. Battle Suit
5.2. Weapons, Individual
5.3. Weapons, Heavy
5.4. Unit Organization
5.5. Fire Support
5.6. Air Support
5.7. Radio Communications
5.8. NCO Corps
5.9. Officer Corps
5.10. Tactics
5.10.1. Equipment Inventory and Basic Issue Items
5.10.2. Basic Rifleman Skills
5.10.3. History and Traditions
5.10.4. Fire Team Tactics
5.10.5. Section Tactics
5.10.6. Squad Tactics
5.10.7. Platoon Tactics
5.10.8. Company Tactics
5.10.9. Tactical Regiment (TAC) Tactics
6. Infantry Manuals, Terrestrial
7. Artillery Manuals, Void
8. Artillery Manuals, Terrestrial
9. Common Terminology
9.1. Infantry
9.1.1. Marine Corps
9.1.2. Terrestrial Forces
9.2. Naval
9.3. Air Wing
9.4. Artillery
9.5. Medical Corps
9.6. Diplomat Corps
10. Diplomatic Corps
11. Medical Corps
11.1. First Aid, Field
11.2. Emergency Triage
12. Training and Doctrine
13. Law and Jurisprudence
13.1. Legal Training
13.2. Legal Precedents
13.3. Unified System of Human Forces Legal Charter
14. Artificial Intelligence Units
14.1. Construction
14.2. Maintenance
14.2.1. Switching Users
14.2.2. Death of Primary User
14.3. Upgrades
15. Construction
15.1. Fortified City
15.1.1. Building
15.1.2. Maintenance
15.1.3. Upgrades
15.2. Fortifying Asteroids
16. Drill and Ceremonies
16.1. Marine Corps
16.2. Naval Forces
Updated Revision 12.6
– Human Legion Forces Digital Manuals
At the successful inception of the Human Legion under General Arun McEwan during the treacherous and tumultuous time of the Free Corps Mutiny, all military manuals were re-designated as Human Legion Forces Digital Manuals (HLF: DM), but the numerical nomenclature remained unchanged. In addition to changing the name, the administrative specialists of the Human Legion also went back and swapped out every reference to the ‘Human Marine Corps’ with ‘Human Legion Forces’.
Human Legion
— INFOPEDIA —
Military Concepts
– Quarantine Enforcement Platform (QEP)
There are times when you would absolutely need to prevent all entrance and egress from a planet, and doing so requires specialized siege gear. This is provided by the QEP System, an orbital platform that can be manned or unmanned, and which orbits quarantined planets to prevent any unauthorized movement from said planet. The White Knight Empire uses the term quarantine and siege interchangeably, with a preference towards the use of quarantine for its surgical nature, thus allowing for the illusion of civility. These instruments of destruction can house up to a full Marine company, though since the start of the civil war they’ve been almost exclusively autonomously manned by AIs.
They are generally employed in a pattern focused on encircling the equator and poles of the planet being besieged so that their interlocking fields of fire and monitoring cover every square inch of a planet. Even the most ancient version of the QEP came weaponized, though the degree with which it was so armed varied by its model and intended use. These mammoths are made using two pyramid structures, with the top one being inverted and the tops touching each other. They have a connecting ring around the conjoined parts to facilitate docking procedures. The two pyramids are mirror images of each other, creating an extra layer of redundancy which serves as a defensive mechanism as well, since an attacker never knows which pyramid is the main facility and which is serving as the secondary.
The circular ring has four docking tubes extending outwards like spokes on a wheel, that allow all White Knight standard vessels the size of a sleeve ship or smaller to dock. The docking ring’s inner rim has inward-facing tubes, offset to the outer ones, that link the ring to the conjoined pyramids. These offset tubes are designed to create choke points to make assaulting the station difficult and costly.
The docking ring and the external docking tubes, and the tubes connecting the ring with the pyramids, have a standard 15-meter diameter, allowing for resupply and repair operations of all kinds. This width was deemed the perfect way to foil all hostile boarding actions of a White Knight controlled station, as are the autonomous defensive turrets emplaced throughout the station to winnow away the size of any attacking military force.
To allow ease of movement in the zero-gravity environment of the QEP, many deck, overhead and bulkhead surfaces are charged to provide walkways that grip the standard-issue footwear supplied to Marines and Spacers. The docking tubes, for example, have four charged walkways at 90 degree angles to each other, that are sometimes arbitrarily referred to as up, down, left, and right, or by reference to the cardinal points.
The two pyramid structures are numbered by their orientation towards the planet, and the deck number. The pyramid base facing the planet is indicated with a ‘P’, thus all of its floors would be 1P, 2P etc. The pyramid facing spaceward has its decks labeled with an ‘S,’ and its floors would read as 1S, 2S. When calling over the integrated radio they would indicate their deck location as One Pappa or One Sam, followed by the frame number and then an indicator of the compartment’s use.
These numbers and letters are separated with dashes to indicate a break and because of the relatively small size of the QEP and its unique shape, the tradition of including the distance from the center of the ship isn’t a part of the numbering pattern. The QEP has 21 Frames, 12 decks, and a central elevator shaft running up the middle of the structure. Given the previously mentioned numbering system, a room might read “8P-12-H” indicating a habdisk located on the planet-side pyramid’s eighth deck near the 12th frame. The elevator which runs up the center has four banks, each facing toward the outer hull of the QEP, with a central emergency open tube for zero-g travel between decks.
The first three decks are generally open areas with multitudes of conduits and other miscellaneous wires and catwalks to allow for workers to monitor the machinery. The fourth and fifth decks house the ammunition storage and loading bays for the planetary weapon, whose name and general specifics are top secret. The sixth deck houses the AI Core and the CIC (Command and Control) Center, while the seventh deck houses one of the two power cores on the device. The eighth floor houses the barracks and living space for the two Marine squads, and the associated living space needed for daily use. The other half of the company would live in the opposite pyramid, making the QEP hold an entire Marine Company.
The ninth floor of the QEP house the weapons control center and is off limits to all but the most senior security classifications. On the tenth floor are the Cryo-Labs and the recreational area, providing some
minimal comfort for the Marines living onboard the station. On the eleventh floor are the Cryo-Storage facilitates with an entire relief company stored in each pyramid. This means that while fully manned a QEP would have an entire Marine company with two in reserve for troop rotations and to account for attrition. The largest and most important of all of the floors, the twelfth, houses the planetary weapon, and the floor is even more classified than the ninth where the control center is located. This weapon is capable of directing kinetic warheads at planets in such a way as to mimic cataclysmic meteor strikes.
Human Legion
— INFOPEDIA —
– Human Marine Forces Digital Manual 5.10.4 (Fire Team Tactics)
– HMF: DM 5.10.4 Chapter 11 Tubular Passageways
The Human Marine Corps created digital manuals to formalize the standard operating procedures used by every Marine unit in every Marine-controlled territory. The tactical versions of these manuals serve to facilitate and coordinate movement within small units, thus eliminating some of the confusion often found on intergalactic battlefields. The tactical manuals cover every conceivable medium and variable with which a Marine might find themselves engaged in and give tactical formations and options in how best to address the situation.
One common challenge for Marines engaged in space battles is how best to deal with the standard tubular passageways that exist on most orbital stations and in many interstellar vessels. These passageways often have a 10-meter radius and are littered with turrets, retractable and otherwise. Below we will take an excerpt from DM 5.10.4 Chapter 11 and list a few possible fire team formations. These are not the only options, since it is impossible to account for every eventuality, but they represent a range of options available to the NCO in command. Further, it is imperative that the commander be capable of reading the field of battle to make the best decision with the intelligence available to them in the instant. No matter how advanced the sensor technology becomes, inevitably the enemy figures out the opposing technological capabilities needed to counter them, rendering the modern battlefields as chaotic as the historical ones that preceded them.
The Demons of Kor-Lir_The Sleeping Legion Page 8
