Welcome to the Barracks

Polemarch Latzu cursed as he fumbled with a ring of keys, already supremely annoyed with the buzzer system for getting the main doors open. Maybe once the rest of his staff arrived he would appreciate the security more, but at the moment he was regretting his urgency in getting to Nachton before his help. Had he waited a few days…

Well, there was no use dwelling on that now. Entering the small caged-in office, he found the button that would open the double doors leading to The Legion’s wing and pressed it, making a sour face at the loud buzzing noise that followed.

Knowing he had only seconds before the door would relock, he hastily exited the office, which was really more of a booth looking out on what used to be a waiting room but was, for the moment anyway, bare. Latzu imagined the recruiters would want that space.

He pushed open the doors and walked in his usual clipped manner, toes forward, his boots registering loudly on the tile floor. He looked up, nodding silently at the skylights three stories up. The upper two decks were open, making it possible to stand in the middle of the barracks and simply shout very loudly to get everyone out of bed. The Polemarch smiled at that thought.

Though he examined everything with a critical eye, he was in fact quite pleased with the barracks. No nambly-pambly ‘pods’ or ‘quads’ or ‘common rooms’ here, not for Legionnaires. Instead, there were quarters ranging from bays of bunks on the lower deck for trainees and peons to modest private suites for the high ranking Officers. There were no ‘powder rooms’ here – just showers and commodes and sinks. There was no comfy cozy kitchen here; instead, they had a mess hall. The Legion as it stood now would fit in that hall three times over, Latzu reflected with a sigh. They were growing every day, though; soon meals would have to be taken in shifts.

Below, in the basement, were physical training rooms and offices, in various states of moved in. He found outdoor access quickly enough and was pleasantly surprised to find well kept grounds for drilling. Someone had been listening when he explained what he needed after all.

Returning to the main hall after his brief inspection, he turned around full circle, taking it all in with a satisfied expression. These were fit barracks indeed.

Of course, even though what he had seen of the quarters was spotless, Latzu knew a few trainees and peons would be scrubbing this place top to bottom soon enough. The Polemarch nodded firmly at that mental image – it was always good to see those little green turds on their knees. And with that initial thought came others – soon Latzu could hear a squadron marching down the metal stair case, the clatter of trays in the mess hall. The whole scene built up in his mind – officers looking crisp and professional, recruits looking sloppy and insolent, exercises in the yard, conferences in the basement.

Yes, this was certainly the start of something big.