Fortress Beta City (The Sleeping Legion Book 2) Read online

  Fortress Beta City

  —Book2 of The Sleeping Legion—

  Copyright © J. R. Handley 2016

  Cover images copyright © DM7 (Marine), Algol (background)/ Licensed from shutterstock.com

  Edited by Corey Truax of

  quintessentialeditor.com

  Published by Human Legion Publications

  Also available in paperback. ISBN 978-1541131620

  All Rights Reserved

  HumanLegion.com

  Table of Contents

  — 2600AD — — Prologue —

  — 2601AD — Table of Organization and Equipment (TO&E)

  — Chapter 01 —

  — Chapter 02 —

  — Chapter 03 —

  — Chapter 04 —

  — Chapter 05 —

  — Chapter 06 —

  — Chapter 07 —

  — Chapter 08 —

  — Chapter 09 —

  — Chapter 10 —

  — Chapter 11 —

  — Chapter 12 —

  — Chapter 13 —

  — Chapter 14 —

  — Chapter 15 —

  — Chapter 16 —

  — Chapter 17 —

  — Chapter 18 —

  — Chapter 19 —

  — Chapter 20 —

  — Chapter 21 —

  — Chapter 22 —

  — Chapter 23 —

  — Chapter 24 —

  — Chapter 25 —

  — Chapter 26 —

  — Chapter 27 —

  — Chapter 28 —

  — Chapter 29 —

  — Chapter 30 —

  — Chapter 31 —

  — Chapter 32 —

  — Chapter 33 —

  — Chapter 34 —

  — Chapter 35 —

  — Chapter 36 —

  — Chapter 37 —

  — Chapter 38 —

  — Chapter 39 —

  — Chapter 40 —

  — Chapter 41 —

  — Chapter 42 —

  — Chapter 43 —

  — Chapter 44 —

  — Chapter 45 —

  — Chapter 46 —

  — Chapter 47 —

  — Chapter 48 —

  — Chapter 49 —

  — Chapter 50 —

  — Chapter 51 —

  — Chapter 52 —

  — Chapter 53 —

  — Chapter 54 —

  — Chapter 55 —

  — Chapter 56 —

  — Chapter 57 —

  — Chapter 58 —

  — Chapter 59 —

  — Chapter 60 —

  — Chapter 61 —

  — Chapter 62 —

  — Chapter 63 —

  — Chapter 64 —

  — Chapter 65 —

  — Chapter 66 —

  — Chapter 67 —

  — Chapter 68 —

  — Chapter 69 —

  — Chapter 70 —

  — Chapter 71 —

  — Chapter 72 —

  — Chapter 73 —

  — Chapter 74 —

  — Chapter 75 —

  — Chapter 76 —

  — Chapter 77 —

  — Chapter 78 —

  — Chapter 79 —

  — Chapter 80 —

  — Chapter 81 —

  — Chapter 82 —

  — Chapter 83 —

  — Chapter 84 —

  — Chapter 85 —

  — Chapter 86 —

  — Chapter 87 —

  — Chapter 88 —

  — Chapter 89 —

  — Chapter 90 —

  — Chapter 91 —

  — Chapter 92 —

  — Chapter 93 —

  — Chapter 94 —

  — Chapter 95 —

  — Chapter 96 —

  — Epilogue —

  AFTERACTIONREVIEW — About the Author —

  — Special Thanks to —

  OPERATION BREAKOUT

  * * *

  This novel is lovingly dedicated to the memory of my late grandfather Charles Pinkney Wells, Sr. My grandpa, or B-Dad as I called him, was many things; family man, farmer, WWII Army Air Corps Veteran, and all around Grade-A American. What I remember most about him, however, was his unyielding and unending love for his family and life itself. He had great love for his family - took joy in everything his entire life. He taught me that life is too short not to take joy in it and that family is precious (even if we do not always like all of them). These lessons have served me well and I hope to someday impart both of them to my own sons the same way B-Dad did to me, by example.

  Erin (Wife), Team Handley

  * * *

  — 2600AD —

  — Prologue —

  Early Afternoon, Beta City, Scrofa Island, Serendine

  6th BN, 2nd RGT, Nhlappo Expeditionary Forces, Human Legion

  Rain pounded the ground as the Stork shuttle touched down on the barren remnants of Scrofa Island. Years earlier, the Human Legion had launched a gamma bomb that killed off all the trees and vegetation. Stepping from the winged troop transport, Colonel Tirunesh Nhlappo was the first Marine to place an armored boot on the volcanic island. This afforded her the dubious distinction of being the first Marine to do so since Tranquility-4 had been abandoned after the failures of the First Tranquility Campaign in 2568AD.

  As the Marines of 6th Battalion, 2nd Regiment clambered out of the shuttle after her, Nhlappo used the enhanced sensors and zoom capabilities of her combat helmet to scan the area. When she squatted down, the rest of the battalion took a knee in the mud and formed a temporary defensive perimeter. According to her sensors, they were still ten miles from their intended destination.

  Despite the distance to the sally ports, if there were any Hardits above ground, they’d surely have heard the noise from the shuttles. With the perimeter set, Nhlappo ordered a drone operator to send out a reconnaissance bird to ensure they weren’t walking into a trap. The drone reports came in a few moments later indicating only a few Hardits were seen on-site.

  The 6th Battalion Marines moved out in an efficient manner, causing the training sergeant that lurked in Nhlappo’s heart to swell with pride. They reached the Beta City sally ports with no resistance. Confident that any Hardits would run at their arrival in force, they prepared to waltz into the polycrete sally port.

  Unexpectedly, the Hardits inside the sally port opened fire. The Marines fell into a combat roll that made them harder targets for the aliens to hit. The evading Marines transitioned into firing stances, efficiently smashing sabots into exposed Hardits.

  Not wanting to lose their momentum, Nhlappo activated her assault cutters. The end of her SA-71 rifle extended as neon blue needles sprouted out around the barrel. The monofilament needles began to rotate like a drill until they were a blur of noise and death. Holding her rifle like a spear, ready to drive it through the nearest enemy, she charged toward the sally port ahead of her Marines.

  Good thing the Hardit vecks are too dumb to fortify the entrance properly, she thought as ran down the sloping entrance of the sally port.

  Sprinting ahead of her Marines, Nhlappo screamed for them to follow. She didn’t look back to check because Nhlappo knew her Marines would follow her into the jaws of death. She instead focused on preparing to impale whatever threat may be ahead.

  Nhlappo continued down the polycrete ramp of the sally port and turned the blind corner of the entrance to find a Hardit waiting in ambush. The hairy canine snapped its jaws as it closed the distance running on all fours. This would be her first victim. Gripping he
r SA-71, Nhlappo activated her combat thrusters and launched toward the enemy. Screaming, she plunged the assault cutters through the Hardit’s hair-covered head. The enemy’s clawed hands fell limp as its head exploded in a mist of red.

  Nhlappo and her Marines cleared the area in a few minutes by applying the same precise brutality she had demonstrated on the first Hardit. Delving into the upper levels, they began the tedious process of slaughtering Hardits as they found them. Normally, they would try to ensure every single Hardit died, but Nhlappo was in a hurry. She couldn’t leave her second-in-command, Major Spartika, unsupervised for longer than necessary.

  Damn bitch will stab me in the back and gut me if given half the chance, Nhlappo fumed as she took a moment to stop clearing rooms and wipe the gore from her helmet visor.

  Spurred on by thoughts of Spartika, her mind wandered back to the failed First Tranquility Campaign where Spartika had fought beside the Human Legion Marines. Spartika led the Human Resistance to the New Order and kept the survivors alive.

  While trying to include them into his plans to expand the Legion, Arun McEwan had let the Resistance join in the defense of Detroit City, while he’d led an expedition to raid Beta City for critically needed war materials. The Hardits had attacked while they were away, killing almost everyone. Among the fallen was Serge, Nhlappo’s son. Spartika and her two lapdogs lived, because they’d abandoned Serge, along with the others. Nhlappo would never forgive Spartika. She knew a personal war was brewing with Spartika, but for now, Nhlappo was professional enough to know they needed each other.

  While Nhlappo stood there lost in thought, her AI sent a burst of cool air into her face. Colonel, your Marines are waiting for you. You can dream of the past and plot your revenge later.

  She knew her AI was right, and that time wasn’t on her side. She refocused her frustration on the Hardits. The one by her feet had a large hole in its chest thanks to her assault cutter. Once the Hardits had been cleared from the upper levels, Nhlappo dispatched her Marines in squads to explore each level for any useful supplies. Priority was placed on food and weapons, with the intention of taking it with them when they left the system.

  Searching the city took a day. The Marines made camp for the night in the upper level, and the deceased bodies of the previous Hardit tenants were tossed into piles. The Marines had managed to find enough supplies to sustain a small battalion for a few months, though most of it would have to be sanitized. Most of the supplies had spent too long submerged in the tainted waters of the city and were tinged with remnants of the Dual Plagues set off by the Free Corps mutineers.

  Nhlappo watched a Marine attempt to wipe greenish black sludge from a crate as she pulled off her helmet. Sitting down, she realized how tired her legs and arms were.

  Glad we brought enough supplies for the 150,000 Marines we brought with us, she thought as she sent a brief prayer to the powers that be. Laying back and rolling over on the makeshift cot that served as her bed, she closed her eyes.

  The next morning, Nhlappo ordered the same teams back into the city to look for the cache of icers that she and General Arun McEwan had speculated were under Beta City. After two days of searching, the Marines found nothing. They were unable to effectively scan the underwater areas due to the post-gamma radiation. Nhlappo also suspected the Renegade Legion played a part in making any potential icers undetectable. There just wasn’t enough time to keep searching.

  Strangely, even with the interference, they found three unidentified signals. When her best commo specialist couldn’t drill down the signal, Nhlappo decided they’d done everything they could. She ordered her Marines to fall back to the waiting Stork, and prayed Spartika hadn’t caused too many issues while she was gone.

  — 2601AD —

  Table of Organization and Equipment (TO&E)

  HUMAN LEGION MARINE CORPS

  1st Squad, Whiskey Company, 8th Battalion, 6907th Tac Regiment

  Current strength: 1 Marine, 37 cadets, 1 Tech

  COMMAND SECTION: (SrSGT Scipio)

  Senior Sergeant Lance Scipio

  Cadet SGT Hayley Mason

  Cadet LCPL Winnifred Pinza

  Cadet Cornell Woodbury

  Cadet Seamus O’Reilly

  Cadet Devin Couch

  Marine Tech-Corporal Basil Terloar

  — Chapter 01 —

  Mid-Morning, Post-Revival Day 1

  Habdisk 612, Beta City, Serendine

  1st SQD, Whiskey Co., 8th BN, 6907th TAC RGT

  Lance began to awaken in his quarters with a foggy head. A cool, white mist clouded his vision as his eyes fluttered open. After taking a moment to collect himself, he sat up in his rack. The damp and partially frozen bedding underneath him crunched as he lifted his arms by his sides and stretched. Warmth crept through his fingers and arms. In a jolt, his memories came rushing back. He was in the main habdisk of the network he’d constructed, and his unit was being revived from an emergency cryofreeze ahead of the rest.

  Swinging his frozen legs out of his rack, Lance slowly stood to stretch his armored limbs. Having wisely taken the precaution of going into his private quarters and instructing the habdisk AI to revive him first, he began the metamorphosis from a human icicle back into the sergeant he was trained to be.

  Glad Xena left a copy of herself in the system, Lance thought as he tried to do some squats. It would’ve been a huge loss if she didn’t survive whatever happened while we were iced.

  Once he could move his fingers again, Lance attempted to open the white and red medical box on the wall. A coating of ice halted his progress. Frustrated, Lance bashed the box with an armored fist. Ice fell to the floor as the medical box burst open. He removed an auto injector of emergency nanites and jabbed it into his neck. The autoinjector hissed and nanites flooded his bloodstream. Smiling at the spreading warmth, Lance squatted down in front of his rack to remove Xena from the protection of the Faraday Cage. It was surprising an AI of her sophistication could be contained within a tiny, black microchip.

  Lance began removing his ice encrusted ACE Combat Suit. The battle-worn armor was still freezing to the touch as he detached each piece and placed it onto a charging rack. The chance of enemy contact was low, and Lance wanted to use this time to hook his armor up for a full diagnostic check and battery recharge.

  While he looked for his uniform, he noticed that his sword was still there, along with his side arm and rifle. Lance figured the chance of enemy contact was low, given the habdisk had been frozen solid. Despite this, it never hurt to be careful. Fumbling with the straps, Lance hooked his Flenser pistol to his waist and casually slung his sword over his back next to his SA-71 carbine. Satisfied with his uniform and equipment, he took a few more minutes to stretch and get his blood pumping.

  Lance’s head began to clear as the emergency nanites pumped through his body. Regaining full control of his limbs, Lance verbally queried Xena for an update on the situation. The speakers in his room crackled to life and began recounting the time while he was iced. His blue eyes widened as he realized they had been frozen for 35 years. Their base had survived a mutiny and been raided by both sides in a war between human and Hardit adversaries. The only reason he was revived was due to emergency protocols being triggered during the war.

  Lance couldn’t help but wonder why their automated distress signal had been ignored. A simple reply to that emergency aid request would’ve woken them much earlier.

  At least the report means humans are still fighting for the planet, Lance thought. I wonder what the status quo is and who we will report to?

  Sighing, he knew those details would have to wait. He needed to check on the cadets. The instant Lance walked into the main habdisk chamber, he noticed some of his cadets weren’t moving. He walked over to Cadet Lance Corporal Winnifred Pinza’s rack and checked for a pulse. There wasn’t one. Her blue face had patches of frost on it. After a biometric scan, he realized that she had no brain function.

  Damn, resuscitation attrition
. We lost our medic — frakk.

  Tapping the Aimee on his wrist, Lance queried Xena about the rate of cryogenic resuscitation attrition among Whiskey Company. Xena replied in her usual blunt manner.

  Lance, she’s one of what will likely be many more casualties to resuscitation attrition. I will run a count and find out how many have succumbed. I’ve taken the liberty of cancelling the revival orders for the crèches, the novice barracks, and the habdisks in the cryogenic storage levels. We don’t know who might’ve been unintentionally iced in there, so let’s save the surprises until we can get an armed Marine task force down there.

  Lance grabbed a blanket from Pinza’s rack and put it over her. Looking at her for a moment longer, he continued walking through the barracks. He needed to check on the rest of 1st Squad. Xena continued briefing him as he walked.

  As for the kids in the novice and crèche barracks, there is no reason to revive them until we have secured Beta City or higher command reasserts its authority. I’m attempting to find out what is going on outside our habdisk before we attempt contact. As the system administrative AI, I’ve also blocked all outgoing signals. I will be required to follow all lawful orders once we establish the new chain of command.

  Despite the grief he was feeling at the loss of cadets, Lance smiled at Xena’s efficiency. While a pain in the arse, she was an invaluable ally and timesaver.

  Once the chain is established, I will set up and designate one of our extra AIs as the new system administrator, said Xena. Given the unknown, let’s continue with the AI Retrieval Protocol. We can verify them individually and immediately get them ready to redeploy. I recommend you tend to your cadets so I can do your work for you, you useless veck. Drent, but I miss Kassandra at times like these!

  Xena broke contact so abruptly Lance paused his walk for a second to see if she would say more. She didn’t. Moving deeper into the command section, Lance found Cadet Woodbury was also dead. A biometric scan by Xena indicated Woodbury had briefly awoken only to die from shock.