C.E. Martin's Blog, page 8
April 30, 2016
BOOK OF STONE: Yggdrasil
As April draws to a close, we wrap up the 2016 A to Z Blog Challenge with a glimpse into the future of the Stone Soldiers universe...
YGGDRASIL
First Appearance: Shadow Raiders
Description: Wyrmhole Generator/Nexus
Summary: Norse mythology references Yggdrasil as the Tree of Life, a Mighty Ash growing in the heart of Asgard, with its roots reaching into other realms and its branches supporting many of the nine realms.
In 2016, an ancient doorway was unearthed in Greenland, sealing a Wyrmhole that led to the alternate reality of Asgard. This portal was the none other than the true Yggdrasil.
Carved from an obsidian plain, Yggdrasil is a series of canyons, cut in the shape of a tree, fed by the river Hvergelmir. The "tree" itself is a massive Wyrmhole nexus, with each of its eight paths leading to different planes of reality, including Earth, or Midgard, as the inhabitants of Asgard call it.
Presumably created by the Fallen Angel Aurg-el, Yggdrasil connected the world of Asgard to other alternate Earths, awaiting the day that Aurg-el's horde of Fell warriors could unleash the apocalypse across all of reality.
Following the Battle of Asgard, the gates to Earth were secured by US Armed forces and a team of thaumatologists continues to examine Yggdrasil--although opening any of the other sealed passages is strictly prohibited.
Author's Notes: Shadow Raiders has been in the works for two years now--fleshed out from notes I started back in 2014. The concept for a spinoff line of books from Stone Soldiers, taking the battle to the monsters where they live, has evolved over that time, but the core principle of Yggdrasil as a portal between worlds has remained.
As a plot device, Yggdrasil is invaluable--a magic gateway, much like the wardrobe in Narnia, allowing exploration of other realms. Unfortunately, seeing as how Midgard and Asgard have no been established, there are only seven other worlds I can explore in the series--assuming it does well enough to go that far. Only time will tell...
YGGDRASIL
First Appearance: Shadow Raiders
Description: Wyrmhole Generator/Nexus
Summary: Norse mythology references Yggdrasil as the Tree of Life, a Mighty Ash growing in the heart of Asgard, with its roots reaching into other realms and its branches supporting many of the nine realms.
In 2016, an ancient doorway was unearthed in Greenland, sealing a Wyrmhole that led to the alternate reality of Asgard. This portal was the none other than the true Yggdrasil.
Carved from an obsidian plain, Yggdrasil is a series of canyons, cut in the shape of a tree, fed by the river Hvergelmir. The "tree" itself is a massive Wyrmhole nexus, with each of its eight paths leading to different planes of reality, including Earth, or Midgard, as the inhabitants of Asgard call it.
Presumably created by the Fallen Angel Aurg-el, Yggdrasil connected the world of Asgard to other alternate Earths, awaiting the day that Aurg-el's horde of Fell warriors could unleash the apocalypse across all of reality.
Following the Battle of Asgard, the gates to Earth were secured by US Armed forces and a team of thaumatologists continues to examine Yggdrasil--although opening any of the other sealed passages is strictly prohibited.
Author's Notes: Shadow Raiders has been in the works for two years now--fleshed out from notes I started back in 2014. The concept for a spinoff line of books from Stone Soldiers, taking the battle to the monsters where they live, has evolved over that time, but the core principle of Yggdrasil as a portal between worlds has remained.
As a plot device, Yggdrasil is invaluable--a magic gateway, much like the wardrobe in Narnia, allowing exploration of other realms. Unfortunately, seeing as how Midgard and Asgard have no been established, there are only seven other worlds I can explore in the series--assuming it does well enough to go that far. Only time will tell...
April 28, 2016
BOOK OF STONE: XM82G
As April draws to a close, we wrap up the 2016 A to Z Blog Challenge with a glimpse into the future of the Stone Soldiers universe.
XM-82G Assault Rifle
XM-82G assault rifle and multishot grenade launcher
Description: Experimental .50 caliber Assault Rifle
First Appearance: Shadow Raiders (Summer, 2016)
Current Status: Currently being Field Tested by Detachment 1039
Summary: Developed for Detachment 1039's Stone Soldiers, the XM82G is a modified Barrett M82A1, with a shortened barrel. The rifle can be outfitted with custom drum magazines or triple-stacked straight magazines carried in leg holsters or on a special backpack, extending the normal 10 round capacity to 120 (drum) or 60 (magazine). The rifle further comes with an improved "China Lake" grenade launcher or a twin-barrel mortar launch tube, enabling the user to engage targets at tremendous distances and behind conventional cover. Further, the polymer pistol grip has been replaced with a cast-iron grip for increased durability.
The XM82G is a semi automatic weapon, not capable of automatic fire in its current configuration. However, the weapon will fire as rapidly as the user can squeeze the trigger--testing has produced six shots in one second. The rifle has a maximum effective range of 1800m and weighs slightly more than 43 pounds empty.
The underbarrel grenade launcher (UBGL) or mortar tubes (UBMT) are electronically fired--by means of dual-mounted switches; one on the forward grip of the rifle and another on the left side of the weapon, ahead of the trigger.
The UBGL uses a standard shotgun tube action, similar to that found in the M870 shotgun, storing three 40mm grenades in the ammunition tube and another in the firing chamber. A variety of grenade types can be chosen and reloading the weapon is done through the bottom of the weapon.
The double-barreled mortar tubes fire standard US 60mm mortars, enabling the user to engage distant targets behind cover, or to direct fire the rounds into obstacles for demolition.
Equipped with picatinny rrails, the rifle will accept most standard rifle accessories, including a variety of optical and thermal imaging sights, laser designators, and illuminators.
With each Stone Soldier able to carry up to four spare straight magazines (one each leg and two in a harness on the back), it is hoped the XM-82G will offer a distinct advantage on the Preternatural battlefield well into the mid-21st Century.
Author's Notes: When you fight monsters, you sometimes need a big gun. When it comes to big, the Barrett M82A1 Anti-material rifle definitely fits the bill. Firing the same .50 caliber rounds as the venerable M2 machine gun, the M82A1 is capable of taking out vehicles--the Browning .50 round was designed to be an anti-armor round, as Burt Gummer so eloquently told us in Tremors 2: Aftershocks. But But was firing a L.A.R. Grizzly, single shot, bolt-action rifle. The Stone Soldiers need something a little more combat ready...
In my ongoing quest to find off-the-shelf weapons suitable for superhumanly strong soldiers, I've come up with many a find: the USAS-12, the OA-93, the Desert Eagle in .50... but a true assault rifle has always been at the top of my wish list. Not that the M60E2 used thus far is bad. A heavy squad-level light machine gun, the M60E2 with its belt-fed, 7.62mm ammo is more than a match for many monsters--Burt wished for something "belt fed" in the Tremors franchise for dealing with Shriekers and 'Blasters. But a 7.62mm, or rather a volley of them, while capable of stopping unarmored vehicles and most natural wildlife, seems a bit light when hunting dragon, giants, or Fellish superhumanoids. I wanted something with more punch... and a grenade launcher.
XM-82G Assault Rifle
XM-82G assault rifle and multishot grenade launcher
Description: Experimental .50 caliber Assault Rifle
First Appearance: Shadow Raiders (Summer, 2016)
Current Status: Currently being Field Tested by Detachment 1039
Summary: Developed for Detachment 1039's Stone Soldiers, the XM82G is a modified Barrett M82A1, with a shortened barrel. The rifle can be outfitted with custom drum magazines or triple-stacked straight magazines carried in leg holsters or on a special backpack, extending the normal 10 round capacity to 120 (drum) or 60 (magazine). The rifle further comes with an improved "China Lake" grenade launcher or a twin-barrel mortar launch tube, enabling the user to engage targets at tremendous distances and behind conventional cover. Further, the polymer pistol grip has been replaced with a cast-iron grip for increased durability.
The XM82G is a semi automatic weapon, not capable of automatic fire in its current configuration. However, the weapon will fire as rapidly as the user can squeeze the trigger--testing has produced six shots in one second. The rifle has a maximum effective range of 1800m and weighs slightly more than 43 pounds empty.
The underbarrel grenade launcher (UBGL) or mortar tubes (UBMT) are electronically fired--by means of dual-mounted switches; one on the forward grip of the rifle and another on the left side of the weapon, ahead of the trigger.
The UBGL uses a standard shotgun tube action, similar to that found in the M870 shotgun, storing three 40mm grenades in the ammunition tube and another in the firing chamber. A variety of grenade types can be chosen and reloading the weapon is done through the bottom of the weapon.
The double-barreled mortar tubes fire standard US 60mm mortars, enabling the user to engage distant targets behind cover, or to direct fire the rounds into obstacles for demolition.
Equipped with picatinny rrails, the rifle will accept most standard rifle accessories, including a variety of optical and thermal imaging sights, laser designators, and illuminators.
With each Stone Soldier able to carry up to four spare straight magazines (one each leg and two in a harness on the back), it is hoped the XM-82G will offer a distinct advantage on the Preternatural battlefield well into the mid-21st Century.
Author's Notes: When you fight monsters, you sometimes need a big gun. When it comes to big, the Barrett M82A1 Anti-material rifle definitely fits the bill. Firing the same .50 caliber rounds as the venerable M2 machine gun, the M82A1 is capable of taking out vehicles--the Browning .50 round was designed to be an anti-armor round, as Burt Gummer so eloquently told us in Tremors 2: Aftershocks. But But was firing a L.A.R. Grizzly, single shot, bolt-action rifle. The Stone Soldiers need something a little more combat ready...
In my ongoing quest to find off-the-shelf weapons suitable for superhumanly strong soldiers, I've come up with many a find: the USAS-12, the OA-93, the Desert Eagle in .50... but a true assault rifle has always been at the top of my wish list. Not that the M60E2 used thus far is bad. A heavy squad-level light machine gun, the M60E2 with its belt-fed, 7.62mm ammo is more than a match for many monsters--Burt wished for something "belt fed" in the Tremors franchise for dealing with Shriekers and 'Blasters. But a 7.62mm, or rather a volley of them, while capable of stopping unarmored vehicles and most natural wildlife, seems a bit light when hunting dragon, giants, or Fellish superhumanoids. I wanted something with more punch... and a grenade launcher.
April 27, 2016
BOOK OF STONE: Wyrmhole
For April, Stone Soldiers.info is celebrating the A to Z Blog Challenge with daily letter-themed entries detailing the people, places and things of the Stone Soldiers universe.
WYRMHOLE
First Appearance: Black Knight Down (Stone Soldiers #5)
Description: Connection between two non-contemporaneous points
Summary: Unlike the hypothetical Einstein-Rosen bridge connecting two points in space, compressing the distance between them, Wyrmholes (so-named by Dr. William King) connect two points with no space between--an impossible connection made possible by magic.
In 2013, Detachment 1039 discovered a wyrmhole generator within Mount Olympus, Greece. The antediluvian Ring Portal enabled the prehistoric Titans to leave Earth and journey to Mars. In the aftermath of this event, the United States seized the remains of the broken Mars Ring Portal and began a project to unlock the secrets of Wyrmhole travel. Several months later, another Ring Portal was found in Antarctica--this one successfully manipulated by the Ahnenerbe decades before. With this final piece of the puzzle, Project Flare was launched with the goal of producing modern-era Ring Portal to create wyrmholes for tactical military use.
Author's Notes: It's true, I'm a Stargate fan. The Ring Portals started out as my homage to one of my favorite shows, but the portals just kept working their way into more and more stories. Now I'm launching a new series, focusing on Wyrmhole travel. So of course I had to name it...
One of my few gripes was the fact that they teleported through the wormhole the gates made. What happened to stepping through an opening to somewhere else, like Star Trek's Guardian of Forever? Wyrmholes--named to sound more magical--do just that. They don't "compress" space to shorten the trip (wouldn't anyone passing between them be compressed too?). Instead, there is NO space between the two points. Magic.
WYRMHOLE
First Appearance: Black Knight Down (Stone Soldiers #5)
Description: Connection between two non-contemporaneous points
Summary: Unlike the hypothetical Einstein-Rosen bridge connecting two points in space, compressing the distance between them, Wyrmholes (so-named by Dr. William King) connect two points with no space between--an impossible connection made possible by magic.
In 2013, Detachment 1039 discovered a wyrmhole generator within Mount Olympus, Greece. The antediluvian Ring Portal enabled the prehistoric Titans to leave Earth and journey to Mars. In the aftermath of this event, the United States seized the remains of the broken Mars Ring Portal and began a project to unlock the secrets of Wyrmhole travel. Several months later, another Ring Portal was found in Antarctica--this one successfully manipulated by the Ahnenerbe decades before. With this final piece of the puzzle, Project Flare was launched with the goal of producing modern-era Ring Portal to create wyrmholes for tactical military use.
Author's Notes: It's true, I'm a Stargate fan. The Ring Portals started out as my homage to one of my favorite shows, but the portals just kept working their way into more and more stories. Now I'm launching a new series, focusing on Wyrmhole travel. So of course I had to name it...
One of my few gripes was the fact that they teleported through the wormhole the gates made. What happened to stepping through an opening to somewhere else, like Star Trek's Guardian of Forever? Wyrmholes--named to sound more magical--do just that. They don't "compress" space to shorten the trip (wouldn't anyone passing between them be compressed too?). Instead, there is NO space between the two points. Magic.
April 26, 2016
BOOK OF STONE: Valhalla Station
For April, Stone Soldiers.info is celebrating the A to Z Blog Challenge with daily letter-themed entries detailing the people, places and things of the Stone Soldiers universe.
Valhalla Station
First Appearance: Seven Deadly Sons (Stone Soldiers #7)
Description: Prehistoric Fallen Ruins/Research Station
Summary: At tome time in the ancient past, the Fallen--hybrid human-Malakh-- used their advanced knowledge to build what modern man would describe as technological wonders. Among these were sites used for traveling off Earth, via Wyrmhole Generators.
In the early days of World War II, the Wehrmacht and SS, under the guidance of Himmler's Ahnenerbe, explored the mysterious continent of Antarctica, eventually locating a Fallen site buried beneath the ice. Digging into a nearby mountain ridge, the Nazi war machine expanded the site into a full-fledged base at the bottom of the world, unlocking the secrets of the Wyrmhole generator there.
At the close of he war, many Nazi officials fled to Argentina and Antarctica, and the Weiss Gewolbe became host to a number of projects with one goal in mind: Restore the Reich.
By the 21st Century, the remnants of the Reich had all but abandoned Antarctica and many of their secret bases in South America, the mid-20th Century leadership dead from old age or Israeli agents. The prehistoric base beneath the polar icecap was all but forgotten, its inhabitants abandoned.
Free from teh control of their masters, a band of experimental Wolfsoldaten began to seek revenge for the Reich, striking around the world using the Wyrmhole Generator in their home. This alerted Detachment 1039 to their existence, and the base and its terrible secrets were at last found and conquered by the forces of freedom.
Today, Valhalla Station serves as a research facility for Thaumatological studies and as a transport hub for Detachment 1039.
Author's Notes: What kind of series would Stone Soldiers have been, featuring prehistoric beings, but not featuring prehistoric buildings? The glowing white stone base beneath the ice took up a great deal of research time and would have featured even more prominently in Seven Deadly Sons, had I not exercised some considerable self-control. As it is, the mysterious structure has many more secrets to reveal in upcoming installments of the series.
Originally, Valhalla Station (named by Dr. King) was going to become a secondary base for the Detachment. But the storyline of One Dark Step opened up Groom Lake as a far better base of operations. For now, the antarctic base remains in the background, appearing periodically, as needed...
Valhalla Station
First Appearance: Seven Deadly Sons (Stone Soldiers #7)
Description: Prehistoric Fallen Ruins/Research Station
Summary: At tome time in the ancient past, the Fallen--hybrid human-Malakh-- used their advanced knowledge to build what modern man would describe as technological wonders. Among these were sites used for traveling off Earth, via Wyrmhole Generators.
In the early days of World War II, the Wehrmacht and SS, under the guidance of Himmler's Ahnenerbe, explored the mysterious continent of Antarctica, eventually locating a Fallen site buried beneath the ice. Digging into a nearby mountain ridge, the Nazi war machine expanded the site into a full-fledged base at the bottom of the world, unlocking the secrets of the Wyrmhole generator there.
At the close of he war, many Nazi officials fled to Argentina and Antarctica, and the Weiss Gewolbe became host to a number of projects with one goal in mind: Restore the Reich.
By the 21st Century, the remnants of the Reich had all but abandoned Antarctica and many of their secret bases in South America, the mid-20th Century leadership dead from old age or Israeli agents. The prehistoric base beneath the polar icecap was all but forgotten, its inhabitants abandoned.
Free from teh control of their masters, a band of experimental Wolfsoldaten began to seek revenge for the Reich, striking around the world using the Wyrmhole Generator in their home. This alerted Detachment 1039 to their existence, and the base and its terrible secrets were at last found and conquered by the forces of freedom.
Today, Valhalla Station serves as a research facility for Thaumatological studies and as a transport hub for Detachment 1039.
Author's Notes: What kind of series would Stone Soldiers have been, featuring prehistoric beings, but not featuring prehistoric buildings? The glowing white stone base beneath the ice took up a great deal of research time and would have featured even more prominently in Seven Deadly Sons, had I not exercised some considerable self-control. As it is, the mysterious structure has many more secrets to reveal in upcoming installments of the series.
Originally, Valhalla Station (named by Dr. King) was going to become a secondary base for the Detachment. But the storyline of One Dark Step opened up Groom Lake as a far better base of operations. For now, the antarctic base remains in the background, appearing periodically, as needed...
April 25, 2016
BOOK OF STONE: USAS-12
For April, Stone Soldiers.info is celebrating the A to Z Blog Challenge with daily letter-themed entries detailing the people, places and things of the Stone Soldiers universe.
USAS-12
First Appearance: Brothers in Stone (Stone Soldiers #2)
Description: Automatic Military Shotgun
Summary: A gas-operated, selective fire combat shotgun, the USAS-12 a South Korean-made weapon, based on the Atchisson Assault Shotgun, first developed in 1972. The rifle fires .12 gauge rounds, held in either 10 round magazines or 20 round drum magazines. The USAS-12 has an effective range of 40m, and weighs a little over 6kg, thanks to a number of polymer parts.
Capable of firing variable types of .12 guage ammunition, the USAS-12 is Mark Kenslir's preferred long arm for combating supernatural threats. Customized with an underbarrel M203 40mm grenade launcher, the rifle has served him well in a number of encounters.
Author's Notes: Equipping a supersoldier with the appropriate firearm is a challenging task. Over the four years the Stone Soldiers series had progressed, a number of weapons have come up in my research. the USAS-12 seems to be the most versatile, given its use of .12 gauge ammunition. Kenslir has fired flechettes, White-Phosphorous and even silver buckshot.
USAS-12First Appearance: Brothers in Stone (Stone Soldiers #2)
Description: Automatic Military Shotgun
Summary: A gas-operated, selective fire combat shotgun, the USAS-12 a South Korean-made weapon, based on the Atchisson Assault Shotgun, first developed in 1972. The rifle fires .12 gauge rounds, held in either 10 round magazines or 20 round drum magazines. The USAS-12 has an effective range of 40m, and weighs a little over 6kg, thanks to a number of polymer parts.
Capable of firing variable types of .12 guage ammunition, the USAS-12 is Mark Kenslir's preferred long arm for combating supernatural threats. Customized with an underbarrel M203 40mm grenade launcher, the rifle has served him well in a number of encounters.
Author's Notes: Equipping a supersoldier with the appropriate firearm is a challenging task. Over the four years the Stone Soldiers series had progressed, a number of weapons have come up in my research. the USAS-12 seems to be the most versatile, given its use of .12 gauge ammunition. Kenslir has fired flechettes, White-Phosphorous and even silver buckshot.
April 23, 2016
BOOK OF STONE: Tyche's Temple
For April, Stone Soldiers.info is celebrating the A to Z Blog Challenge with daily letter-themed entries detailing the people, places and things of the Stone Soldiers universe.
TYCHE'S TEMPLE
First Appearance: A Lucky Day to Die (Stone Soldiers #10)
Description: Las Vegas Casino
Summary: Located at the North end of the Strip, a gleaming tower of black glass and steel looms 68 stories into the sky, luring gamblers from far and wide with promises of wealth and fortune...
Tyche was a deity governing fortune and prosperity in ancient cities. The daughter of Aphrodite and Zeus (or Hermes), Tyche was believed to be the source for floods, droughts or frosts by the Greek historian Polybius.
In 2014, an abandoned hotel construction project on the Strip was bought by an unknown group that quickly renovated the ground floors, turning the massive building into a casino. Construction on the upper levels continued after Tyche's Temple opened, purportedly to expand the building's hotel capabilities from the ground up. But the Temple hid a much darker secret unveiled by Colonel Mark Kenslir of Detachment 1039...
Run by a mysterious lone witch calling herself the Lady Antousa, Tyche's Temple actually hid a factory of sorts--harvesting and torturing the souls of the greedy to boost Antousa's powers. Utilizing a reversed Dante's Inferno theme in the upper levels, the building tormented hapless gamblers before murdering them and imprisoning their souls.
After Antousa's defeat, the hotel was quietly transferred to new owners while the torture chambers were dismantled under careful supervision of the FBI's P-Division.
Author's Notes: Die Hard was an epic action movie who's contained mayhem formula has been used over and over again. For the Stone Soldiers universe, I wanted to join this copycat flattery train and come up with my own contained-action setting. At the time, my wife was watching the Ocean's Eleven series of movies, again, and inspiration struck... A magical tower, in the heart of Vegas, filled with monsters...
A Lucky Day to Die brought a lot to the series, showing a new way for a witch coven to work, and introducing one of the Deatchment's best weapons to date: the etheric-absorbing Bowie knives. A radical departure from the regular books in the series, where the team is sent on missions from higher ups, this adventure revealed more of Marc Kenslir's past, and put him and members of the team on their own time, without any Detachment support or assistance. And it resolved something I'd been teasing for several books: the birth of Kenslir's son.
TYCHE'S TEMPLE
First Appearance: A Lucky Day to Die (Stone Soldiers #10)
Description: Las Vegas Casino
Summary: Located at the North end of the Strip, a gleaming tower of black glass and steel looms 68 stories into the sky, luring gamblers from far and wide with promises of wealth and fortune...
Tyche was a deity governing fortune and prosperity in ancient cities. The daughter of Aphrodite and Zeus (or Hermes), Tyche was believed to be the source for floods, droughts or frosts by the Greek historian Polybius.
In 2014, an abandoned hotel construction project on the Strip was bought by an unknown group that quickly renovated the ground floors, turning the massive building into a casino. Construction on the upper levels continued after Tyche's Temple opened, purportedly to expand the building's hotel capabilities from the ground up. But the Temple hid a much darker secret unveiled by Colonel Mark Kenslir of Detachment 1039...
Run by a mysterious lone witch calling herself the Lady Antousa, Tyche's Temple actually hid a factory of sorts--harvesting and torturing the souls of the greedy to boost Antousa's powers. Utilizing a reversed Dante's Inferno theme in the upper levels, the building tormented hapless gamblers before murdering them and imprisoning their souls.
After Antousa's defeat, the hotel was quietly transferred to new owners while the torture chambers were dismantled under careful supervision of the FBI's P-Division.
Author's Notes: Die Hard was an epic action movie who's contained mayhem formula has been used over and over again. For the Stone Soldiers universe, I wanted to join this copycat flattery train and come up with my own contained-action setting. At the time, my wife was watching the Ocean's Eleven series of movies, again, and inspiration struck... A magical tower, in the heart of Vegas, filled with monsters...
A Lucky Day to Die brought a lot to the series, showing a new way for a witch coven to work, and introducing one of the Deatchment's best weapons to date: the etheric-absorbing Bowie knives. A radical departure from the regular books in the series, where the team is sent on missions from higher ups, this adventure revealed more of Marc Kenslir's past, and put him and members of the team on their own time, without any Detachment support or assistance. And it resolved something I'd been teasing for several books: the birth of Kenslir's son.
April 22, 2016
BOOK OF STONE: The Sprocket
For April, Stone Soldiers.info is celebrating the A to Z Blog Challenge with daily letter-themed entries detailing the people, places and things of the Stone Soldiers universe.
THE SPROCKET
First Appearance: One Dark Step (Stone Soldiers #11)
Description: Trans Dimensional Wyrmhole Generator
Current Location: Groom Lake AFB, Nevada
Summary: Relics from a bygone era, Ring Portals are ancient artifacts capable of connecting two distant points, allowing instantaneous travel between them.
In 2013, Detachment 1039 discovered a Ring Portal in Greece, deep within Mount Olympus. A golden metal ring, nearly nine feet in diameter, the device was activated by the Titans that had been in a state of suspended animation in the Black Knight satellite. According to Father Lee Schuler (Hercules) the portal allowed travel to and from the home of the Olympian "gods"--on Mars.
This ancient interplanetary ring was destroyed by Colonel Mark Kenslir, presumably severing the connection between Earth and Mars and preventing any Titan or Olympian from ever returning.
Some short time later, the Detachment again located an ancient Ring Portal, this time at the South Pole. Hidden deep beneath the ice in the remains of some kind of antediluvian city discovered by the Nazis in the mid-Twentieth Century, this Ring Portal had been altered by German scientists, and was capable of opening a point anywhere on Earth by connecting with the blood of a target in some kind of ancient dark magic. This portal, and the base it was located within, was seized by U.S. operatives and continues to be investigated (Seven Deadly Sons, Stone Soldiers #7).
In 2014, a rogue Chinese General used another pair of Ring Portals (called "chang de mien", or Long Door) to launch a surprise invasion of the United States in Colorado. Using the portals, General Zuo rapidly moved a strike force of soldiers from China, catching the military completely off-guard. Fortunately, Detachment 1039 was able to stop Zuo's force and pursue the General back through his Ring Portal to Shamballah (Terrorcota, Stone Soldiers # 8).
In the aftermath of the Chinese invasion, plans were immediately set in motion to begin developing American-made Ring Portals capable of moving not just individual soldiers, but entire aircraft. Project; Flare was launched.
The Sprocket, named for its gear-like appearance, is a steam engine-rotated Ring Portal measuring over fifty feet in diameter. The Sprocket is large enough to accommodate a Harrier AV-8B or even an F-35, as well as most US Army land vehicles, including the M-1 Abrams Main Battle Tank.
Like the former Wehrmacht Ring Portal recovered in Antarctica, the Sprocket does not need a mated pair to complete the wyrmhole (so called for its magical origins and connection to the astral plane). Rather, the Sprocket locks on to a remote object through a complicated thaumatological machine utilizing the empathetic etheric resonance principal.
In late 2015, the Sprocket was used to establish a connection to an orbital point over the Farside of the Moon (One Dark Step, Stone Soldiers #11). This allowed a strike team to insert from orbit onto the Moon's surface without having to cross the vast distance between Earth and Moon.
Further study of the Sprocket and its interdimensional abilities suggests the device could be used not just to reach distant points in space, but points in parallel universes--if they exist.
Author's Notes: The original Ring Portal to Mars came about as just an appropriately magical way to move from one point to another. Magical doorways are rampant in fantasy and Science Fiction (The Blue Adept, Stargate, The Chronicles of Narnia). Once the Ring Portal was part of the Stone Soldiers universe, I began to think back to one of my favorites, Stargate SG-1. The Ring Portal made its triumphant return. In a much larger, vehicle-capable size. I mean, can you imagine Colonel O'Neill and Tealc rampaging in Vancouver in a Tank?! That would have been epic...
Is the Sprocket too powerful? There is that possibility. Good fiction has obstacles for the heroes to overcome. Distance isn't a particularly exciting one, so I think the ability to go from any point on Earth to any other doesn't hurt a story at all. In fact, it literally opens up whole new worlds. Worlds you'll see in the future as Stone Soldiers wraps up and spawns a new series Shadow Raiders.
THE SPROCKET
First Appearance: One Dark Step (Stone Soldiers #11)
Description: Trans Dimensional Wyrmhole Generator
Current Location: Groom Lake AFB, Nevada
Summary: Relics from a bygone era, Ring Portals are ancient artifacts capable of connecting two distant points, allowing instantaneous travel between them.
In 2013, Detachment 1039 discovered a Ring Portal in Greece, deep within Mount Olympus. A golden metal ring, nearly nine feet in diameter, the device was activated by the Titans that had been in a state of suspended animation in the Black Knight satellite. According to Father Lee Schuler (Hercules) the portal allowed travel to and from the home of the Olympian "gods"--on Mars.
This ancient interplanetary ring was destroyed by Colonel Mark Kenslir, presumably severing the connection between Earth and Mars and preventing any Titan or Olympian from ever returning.
Some short time later, the Detachment again located an ancient Ring Portal, this time at the South Pole. Hidden deep beneath the ice in the remains of some kind of antediluvian city discovered by the Nazis in the mid-Twentieth Century, this Ring Portal had been altered by German scientists, and was capable of opening a point anywhere on Earth by connecting with the blood of a target in some kind of ancient dark magic. This portal, and the base it was located within, was seized by U.S. operatives and continues to be investigated (Seven Deadly Sons, Stone Soldiers #7).
In 2014, a rogue Chinese General used another pair of Ring Portals (called "chang de mien", or Long Door) to launch a surprise invasion of the United States in Colorado. Using the portals, General Zuo rapidly moved a strike force of soldiers from China, catching the military completely off-guard. Fortunately, Detachment 1039 was able to stop Zuo's force and pursue the General back through his Ring Portal to Shamballah (Terrorcota, Stone Soldiers # 8).
In the aftermath of the Chinese invasion, plans were immediately set in motion to begin developing American-made Ring Portals capable of moving not just individual soldiers, but entire aircraft. Project; Flare was launched.
The Sprocket, named for its gear-like appearance, is a steam engine-rotated Ring Portal measuring over fifty feet in diameter. The Sprocket is large enough to accommodate a Harrier AV-8B or even an F-35, as well as most US Army land vehicles, including the M-1 Abrams Main Battle Tank.
Like the former Wehrmacht Ring Portal recovered in Antarctica, the Sprocket does not need a mated pair to complete the wyrmhole (so called for its magical origins and connection to the astral plane). Rather, the Sprocket locks on to a remote object through a complicated thaumatological machine utilizing the empathetic etheric resonance principal.
In late 2015, the Sprocket was used to establish a connection to an orbital point over the Farside of the Moon (One Dark Step, Stone Soldiers #11). This allowed a strike team to insert from orbit onto the Moon's surface without having to cross the vast distance between Earth and Moon.
Further study of the Sprocket and its interdimensional abilities suggests the device could be used not just to reach distant points in space, but points in parallel universes--if they exist.
Author's Notes: The original Ring Portal to Mars came about as just an appropriately magical way to move from one point to another. Magical doorways are rampant in fantasy and Science Fiction (The Blue Adept, Stargate, The Chronicles of Narnia). Once the Ring Portal was part of the Stone Soldiers universe, I began to think back to one of my favorites, Stargate SG-1. The Ring Portal made its triumphant return. In a much larger, vehicle-capable size. I mean, can you imagine Colonel O'Neill and Tealc rampaging in Vancouver in a Tank?! That would have been epic...
Is the Sprocket too powerful? There is that possibility. Good fiction has obstacles for the heroes to overcome. Distance isn't a particularly exciting one, so I think the ability to go from any point on Earth to any other doesn't hurt a story at all. In fact, it literally opens up whole new worlds. Worlds you'll see in the future as Stone Soldiers wraps up and spawns a new series Shadow Raiders.
April 21, 2016
BOOK OF STONE: Ring of He Xingu
For April, Stone Soldiers.info is celebrating the A to Z Blog Challenge with daily letter-themed entries detailing the people, places and things of the Stone Soldiers universe.
HE XINGU'S RING
First Appearance: Terrorcota (Stone Soldiers #8)
Description: Magical Talisman of the Eight Immortals
Current Location: In the custody of Detachment 1039
Appearance and Abilities: He Xingu, the Alchemist Immortal, fashioned her ring as a wide band of golden metal, inscribed with the symbol of the lotus. Like He, the ring possesses incredible, unearthly healing abilities. Wearers of the band are able to heal any wound almost instantly. Disease nor magical curses are able to affect the wearer, even if they had contracted them prior to donning the ring. For Stone Soldiers, possessing the ring (touching it when no one else is) nullifies their petrification, reverting them to mortal form and bestowing them with the same healing abilities as a normal wearer. Removing the ring, any such Stone Soldier will revert to their petrified form.
History: In Chinese mythology, the Eight Immortals (transcendents) possessed power tools into which their divine power could be channeled. These magical artifacts are revered by Taoists and are popular in Chinese Culture.
In Stone Soldiers, the Eight Immortals were very much real, although possibly mischaracterized over time and many re-tellings. At some point in history, their magical talismans were gathered in the Forbidden City and held in a vault deep underground, deemed too dangerous for any mortal man to own or control.
In 2014, General Zuo Zheng Duan broke into this vault and stole all the Immortals' talismans for his own use. Leading a magical invasion of the United States, Zuo hoped to trigger World War III, believing he could use his artifacts to be the first Emperor of the post-apocalyptic world. Instead, Zuo was killed and his artifacts recovered by Detachment 1039.
In 2015, the Ring accompanied the Detachment to the Farside of the Moon. At one point, the ring was used to resurrect Josie Winters. Unfortunately, the ring also unlocked all her latent abilities and gave her Malakh-like abilities. The ring was confiscated and is back in custody on Earth.
Author's Notes: Yes, the Inferno would be a good place for the ring, but given it's ability to turn stone men to flesh, Colonel Kenslir just can't do that. Additionally, I'd like to come up with a way to make multiples of this ring, allowing all the stone soldiers to appear human at will. But, I'll have to find a way to make that fit into a story. Until then, He Xingu's ring will continue to make appearances here and there.
HE XINGU'S RING
First Appearance: Terrorcota (Stone Soldiers #8)
Description: Magical Talisman of the Eight Immortals
Current Location: In the custody of Detachment 1039
Appearance and Abilities: He Xingu, the Alchemist Immortal, fashioned her ring as a wide band of golden metal, inscribed with the symbol of the lotus. Like He, the ring possesses incredible, unearthly healing abilities. Wearers of the band are able to heal any wound almost instantly. Disease nor magical curses are able to affect the wearer, even if they had contracted them prior to donning the ring. For Stone Soldiers, possessing the ring (touching it when no one else is) nullifies their petrification, reverting them to mortal form and bestowing them with the same healing abilities as a normal wearer. Removing the ring, any such Stone Soldier will revert to their petrified form.
History: In Chinese mythology, the Eight Immortals (transcendents) possessed power tools into which their divine power could be channeled. These magical artifacts are revered by Taoists and are popular in Chinese Culture.
In Stone Soldiers, the Eight Immortals were very much real, although possibly mischaracterized over time and many re-tellings. At some point in history, their magical talismans were gathered in the Forbidden City and held in a vault deep underground, deemed too dangerous for any mortal man to own or control.
In 2014, General Zuo Zheng Duan broke into this vault and stole all the Immortals' talismans for his own use. Leading a magical invasion of the United States, Zuo hoped to trigger World War III, believing he could use his artifacts to be the first Emperor of the post-apocalyptic world. Instead, Zuo was killed and his artifacts recovered by Detachment 1039.
In 2015, the Ring accompanied the Detachment to the Farside of the Moon. At one point, the ring was used to resurrect Josie Winters. Unfortunately, the ring also unlocked all her latent abilities and gave her Malakh-like abilities. The ring was confiscated and is back in custody on Earth.
Author's Notes: Yes, the Inferno would be a good place for the ring, but given it's ability to turn stone men to flesh, Colonel Kenslir just can't do that. Additionally, I'd like to come up with a way to make multiples of this ring, allowing all the stone soldiers to appear human at will. But, I'll have to find a way to make that fit into a story. Until then, He Xingu's ring will continue to make appearances here and there.
April 20, 2016
BOOK OF STONE: QBU-88
For April, Stone Soldiers.info is celebrating the A to Z Blog Challenge with daily letter-themed entries detailing the people, places and things of the Stone Soldiers universe.
QBU-88
First Appearance: Terrorcota (Stone Soldiers #8)
Description: Designated Marksman Rifle of the People's Liberation Army (China)
History: Sometimes referred to as the Type 88, the QBU-88 was one of the first of a new generation of modern small arms adopted by the Chinese Army in 1997. Often mistaken for a sniper rifle, the QBU-88 is intended for aimed semi-automatic fire (in proprietary 5.8x42mm ammunition) at targets beyond standard infantry rifle ranges.
Capabilities: Designed for the steel-core DBP87 cartridge, the QBU-88 can also fire standard rifle ammunition, such as used in the QBZ-95. The gas-operated, rotating bolt rifle has an effective range of 400-800 meters (as compared to the US Army M4's 500m range) and features a 10-round detachable box magazine. 88s come with iron sights but can accept optical sights. The rifler has an optional, detachable bipod for increased stability during firing. The QBu-88 weighs 4.1 kg (or 9 pounds).
Author's Notes: Being a fan of gunfu, it is incredibly difficult for me to resist the urge to go into excruciating detail about the many military weapons seen throughout the Stone Soldiers series. Usually, I forge on, maintaining the breakneck speed of action rather than mire the reader in technical specs. However, I do read an awful lot about weaponry before I utilize it in a story. For the QBU-88, I envisioned this as being the standard longarm of General Zou's elite force that invaded Colorado. Other rifles from the PLA's inventory obviously would have made it along as well but I like to think this was the most common...
QBU-88
First Appearance: Terrorcota (Stone Soldiers #8)
Description: Designated Marksman Rifle of the People's Liberation Army (China)
History: Sometimes referred to as the Type 88, the QBU-88 was one of the first of a new generation of modern small arms adopted by the Chinese Army in 1997. Often mistaken for a sniper rifle, the QBU-88 is intended for aimed semi-automatic fire (in proprietary 5.8x42mm ammunition) at targets beyond standard infantry rifle ranges.
Capabilities: Designed for the steel-core DBP87 cartridge, the QBU-88 can also fire standard rifle ammunition, such as used in the QBZ-95. The gas-operated, rotating bolt rifle has an effective range of 400-800 meters (as compared to the US Army M4's 500m range) and features a 10-round detachable box magazine. 88s come with iron sights but can accept optical sights. The rifler has an optional, detachable bipod for increased stability during firing. The QBu-88 weighs 4.1 kg (or 9 pounds).
Author's Notes: Being a fan of gunfu, it is incredibly difficult for me to resist the urge to go into excruciating detail about the many military weapons seen throughout the Stone Soldiers series. Usually, I forge on, maintaining the breakneck speed of action rather than mire the reader in technical specs. However, I do read an awful lot about weaponry before I utilize it in a story. For the QBU-88, I envisioned this as being the standard longarm of General Zou's elite force that invaded Colorado. Other rifles from the PLA's inventory obviously would have made it along as well but I like to think this was the most common...
April 19, 2016
BOOK OF STONE: P Division
For April, Stone Soldiers.info is celebrating the A to Z Blog Challenge with daily letter-themed entries detailing the people, places and things of the Stone Soldiers universe.
P-DIVISION
First Appearance: Mythical (Stone Soldiers #1)
Description: FBI Special Task Force
History: With the revelation of parahumans to the public in 1971, law enforcement began to consider Preternatural threats seriously. Initially, various teams and investigative units dealt with the matter, but too many false reports disrupted operations and limited the Bureau's ability to effectively deal with Preternatural crimes. In the early 1990s, the P-Division was formed, consolidating the investigation of strange events to one investigative team to make a singular determination as to whether or not something Preternatural was involved. By 2000, the Division had grown to include Critical Incident Response Groups dedicated to the apprehension of individuals posing a Preternatural threat to the general population. These early P-CIRGs were augmented by parahuman consultants skilled in countering Preternatural threats. Today, the P-Division continues to investigate the strange and unusual and apprehend the Preternaturally dangerous when appropriate.
Author's Notes: The idea of a government task force of law enforcers fighting the supernatural or unusual isn't new; X-Files, Alphas, Fringe, Heroes, The BPRD. In a series where the military is countering supernatural threats to national security, it only seems appropriate there be a more toned-down, legalistic response force. One that allowed me to parody elements of the best of the previous entries in fictional law enforcement. Initially, the P-Division remained an unnamed element of the FBI, making appearances in early Stone Soldiers novels. But in X-Ponent readers go to go back to the end of the 20th Century and see a slightly more familiar version of the group, headed up by two intrepid investigators of the paranormal. Agents David "Lone Wolf" Mueller (who believed everything was connected to aliens, when it wasn't) and his skeptical partner S. Kelly Anderson dove head first into the investigation of strange goings on involving the military in this expansion of flashbacks from Shades of War (Stone Soldiers #4). A bit more campy than most of the Stone Soldiers/Shadow Detachment installments, this one was particularly fun to write.
P-DIVISION
First Appearance: Mythical (Stone Soldiers #1)
Description: FBI Special Task Force
History: With the revelation of parahumans to the public in 1971, law enforcement began to consider Preternatural threats seriously. Initially, various teams and investigative units dealt with the matter, but too many false reports disrupted operations and limited the Bureau's ability to effectively deal with Preternatural crimes. In the early 1990s, the P-Division was formed, consolidating the investigation of strange events to one investigative team to make a singular determination as to whether or not something Preternatural was involved. By 2000, the Division had grown to include Critical Incident Response Groups dedicated to the apprehension of individuals posing a Preternatural threat to the general population. These early P-CIRGs were augmented by parahuman consultants skilled in countering Preternatural threats. Today, the P-Division continues to investigate the strange and unusual and apprehend the Preternaturally dangerous when appropriate.
Author's Notes: The idea of a government task force of law enforcers fighting the supernatural or unusual isn't new; X-Files, Alphas, Fringe, Heroes, The BPRD. In a series where the military is countering supernatural threats to national security, it only seems appropriate there be a more toned-down, legalistic response force. One that allowed me to parody elements of the best of the previous entries in fictional law enforcement. Initially, the P-Division remained an unnamed element of the FBI, making appearances in early Stone Soldiers novels. But in X-Ponent readers go to go back to the end of the 20th Century and see a slightly more familiar version of the group, headed up by two intrepid investigators of the paranormal. Agents David "Lone Wolf" Mueller (who believed everything was connected to aliens, when it wasn't) and his skeptical partner S. Kelly Anderson dove head first into the investigation of strange goings on involving the military in this expansion of flashbacks from Shades of War (Stone Soldiers #4). A bit more campy than most of the Stone Soldiers/Shadow Detachment installments, this one was particularly fun to write.
