MOBILIZATION NEWS
In my little corner of the world, the normal rhythms of life are temporary making way for the Christmas and New Year celebrations. I’ll be shutting down on the writing front for a few days to spend time with friends and family, and some good books. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even find room for a glass of sherry. I hope you likewise find peace, good cheer, something good to watch on the telly, a time for quiet reflection, or the kind of riotous carousing that leads to a night in the cells – whatever your personal preference.
I’m going to sign off the last Legion Bulletin of the year (probably) with a little piece of flash fiction that will be a regular feature of the Bulletin in 2017. It’s a series of notes smuggled to somebody called Maite by a retired Legion Marine called NJ McCall. Who is Maite? We don’t know yet. It’s a mystery that will be revealed as the parent series, Revenge Squad, expands.
It’s been a busy week in the Human Legion writing shack. We launched two new book series. Revenge Squad is the series that stars NJ McCall, and you can grab the first book, After War, for just $0.99 or local equivalent over Christmas. The Sleeping Legion is the other new series out this week, a military science fiction spin-off from the Human Legion written by U.S. Army veteran JR Handley. We’re starting this one at a cracking pace with two novels released already. As with Revenge Squad, you can get the first book in the series for just $0.99 as a special Christmas offer to kick off the launch.
You’ll hear plenty about Revenge Squad, The Sleeping Legion, and the climax to the Human Legion books over the coming year. But for now, I’ll wish you a happy Christmas and a glorious New Year, and hope you enjoy the first of Ndeki’s Notes.
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Dear Maite,
I hope you’re well, happy, and up to fine mischief without getting caught.
Lesson #1. Never accept what people tell you until you know who they are and what they’re after. Until you know them better, assume everyone you meet has their angle, and it will never be the same as yours. Naturally, that goes for me too.
I expect you’ve already learned that, but you can’t hear it often enough.
Well, actually you can. There are people whom you can trust with your life and your heart. Don’t let them in under your guard without a fight, but the rewards when you trust someone who deserves it are so profound that it’s worth a little risk.
I fought through three centuries of war. I sure didn’t fight for my alien officers who murdered so many of my childhood friends. To begin with, I didn’t fight for ideal or principle either, not until I switched sides and joined the Human Legion. Even then, what kept me going was my friends. That bond of trust works both ways, you see. I had to keep going else I’d let my friends down.
When the Legion dumped me on this frontier dustball they named Klin-Tula, I was lost for a long while until I found someone to trust, someone to fight for.
Well… I’ll be honest. I didn’t find someone. They found me.
I’m not good with words, Maite. Dropships, railguns and fists are more my thing. Whiskey too. So forgive my clumsiness, but I’m asking you to open up to the possibility of trust.
Not now. Not easily. Give up your trust like it’s the most precious thing on the planet, but don’t hoard it. Because if you never give away your trust then it becomes worthless.
I’m hoping I can earn your trust myself.
I won’t give my name. It’s not safe for you if I did. Think of a big, old Marine with a manly beard and scars. One who smells of whiskey, blood, or sabot resin, depending on what he’s been up to that day.
I know what you’re thinking. “What a dumbwad! There are thousands in Port Zahir who meet that description.” Well, you’d be right, but I’m not a random old geezer. You and I have met.
So far, I’ve narrowed my identity down to hundreds of people, but there is one amongst them who you hate the most. That’s me. I’m the one who you feel least deserves your trust in the entire galaxy.
I don’t blame you for hating me. I would do the same in your place. You think I abandoned you. I did not. I was protecting you, as best I could. I still am.
Maite, you deserve the best chance of life. You been dealt a bad hand, but you’re still a crècheling, and you can still grow into whatever you want to be.
If it helps, imagine it is guilt driving me to contact you. Think of me as a sad old soldier seeking redemption for his betrayal.
None of that would be true, but run with whatever truth works for you. Most people do.
I’m going to send you these notes when I can. I’m nearly 300 years old, Maite. You don’t get to my age without learning a thing or two, and I hope to pass some of that onto you.
Learn from me. Use what I tell you to give you an edge, because there’s trouble coming to this world of Klin-Tula and an edge might be the difference between life and death.
And then, when you’ve learnt from me, I want you to surpass me. I know you can.
I expect your anger at me is still burning in your young heart like a plasma bomb.
I respect that.
I deserve that.
Nonetheless, I want to earn your trust, and I know it won’t be easy. So I’ll start with something simple: honesty.
I said that it would be dangerous for you if I gave my name. That’s true, but my name is only a random identifier, a label loosely based on my heritage. Instead, I’ll sign myself using a name based on what I am.
Remember, Maite. Prepare yourself for the possibility of trusting. It is important.
I’ll write again when I can. There’s a lot I need to tell you.
Yours sincerely,
The Betrayer.
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Past editions of Ndeki’s Notes can be found on Humanlegion.com at: https://humanlegion.com/books/revenge-squad/ndekis-notes/
In case you've missed them, I've listed below the free downloads for Legionaries, including, Hurt U Back, the Revenge Squad novel that stars NJ McCall and is available exclusively to Legionaries.
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REVENGE SQUAD: HURT U BACK
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2752AD. The first morning of NJ McCall’s posting to Port Zahir doesn’t start well. Revenge Squad Incorporated’s outpost is deserted, the police give him a serious shakedown, and a religious cult tries to recruit him. But Fate has decided to take things easy on NJ for his first day, because it’s not until the afternoon that people start trying to kill him.
REVENGE: it’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta deliver it!
‘The Dresden Files’ meets ‘Firefly’ in Revenge Squad, the new urban fantasy/ space opera crossover series by bestselling author, Tim C. Taylor. Set in the worlds of the Human Legion, ‘Hurt U Back’ makes a great entry point for new readers.
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THE SLEEPING LEGION: THE DEMONS OF KOR-LIR
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A lethal orbital defense platform.
A squad of green Marines.
A silent alien killer.
WHO DIES NEXT?
2441AD. A quarantine platform in the Rakasa system goes quiet and a squad of freshly minted Marines are sent to investigate. The blood soon flows, but there is one Marine who has the bravery and cunning to take on even the most lethal hidden foe. Set 125 years before the events on Tranquility that sparked the creation of the Human Legion, 'The Demons of Kor-Lir' is a standalone novella that is also an introduction to the Sleeping Legion novels.
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THE HUMAN LEGION: MARINE CADET
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2565AD. Five centuries ago, a million children were sold as slaves to alien masters, the price for the continuation of the human race...
NOW THEIR DESCENDANTS WANT THEIR FREEDOM BACK!
Begin the military science fiction adventure to win freedom in the galaxy with this feature-length novel.
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Have you visited JR Handley's website?
Visit www.jrhandley.com for 'Marine Monday', 'Worldbuilding Wednesday', interviews with top space opera and military SF authors (and me), exclusive content and news in the world of The Sleeping Legion.
Don't get left behind. Visit www.jrhandley.com |
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This is Legion Bulletin #10, available exclusively to enlisted Legionaries.
LEGIONARIES CAN ACCESS PAST ISSUES OF THE LEGION BULLETIN BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: https://humanlegion.com/bulletin/
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