“The United States Census Bureau completed its report of domestic population growth last year. As stated in our previous article, the world is going through a demographic crisis as most developed and developing countries have fewer younger workers replacing older ones.

The United States has reached a 380 million domestic population. However, the census stated that the country was still struggling to build a healthy and stable. It is generally agreed upon that a nation needs to have a 2.1 birth per woman to maintain a minimum growth rate. The census saw an increase in younger individuals getting married.

While the population has increased, the country did not meet the goals needed to break the stagnation crisis; however, Director Anthoney Smith stated that they had made progress. He later proposed additional incentives to assist struggling families.” - Indie Show

 

 

3/01/2048 (military calendar)

Captain Mathew Ryder Home

Fort Carson, Colorado, United States

 

*****

 

Mathew Ryder saw the grass meadow split apart with ancient stone walls built long before the United States existed. The wholesome type of houses scattered the countryside. A part of it reminded him of pictures from the old homesteads from two hundred years ago when the young country was expanding.

Feeling the cold breeze, Mathew Ryder heard a feminine voice from behind. When he turned, he only saw the darkness before the four green digital numbers appeared.

"What the hell?"

Setting up from his bed, Ryder looked back at the clock. It was 11:53 am. Confused, why did he wake up so early, barely getting ninety minutes of sleep. While on the field, he taught himself to keep one eye open in case someone approached. But in the comfort of his bed, Yellowstone wouldn't be able to wake him, or so he enjoyed boasting.

That was when he heard a series of knocks coming from the front door. Realizing that someone was at the front door, he wondered why someone would be at his place at this hour.

Getting out of bed, he grabbed his sidearm from his safe and made sure it was loaded. He then moved through his home, heading to the front door. When he reached the living room, he kicked a box that was still filled with his personal items from Fort Moore.

“Shit!” Ryder said as he hopped on one foot, feeling his foot. Once the pain was aside and heard another loud knock on the front door, he headed toward it. Once there, he checked a digital screen built into the wall and linked to an outside camera and saw two MPs standing outside.

Ryder opened the door as the MP was about to ring the bell again. "Can I help you, gentlemen?"

"Sorry to disturb you, sir," The MP said. "But you need to come with us ASAP."

"Shit," Ryder mumbled as he placed his hand on his forehead. "What did the Twins do?"

The two Military Police turned toward each other with confusion before returning to the captain. "We know nothing of that, but you must still come with us."

Understanding the routine, Ryder informed them to give him a moment to change. This was not the first time he had gotten a midnight knock on the door for a deployment. That was the point of the Minutemen program. One was being deployed during the Nile War. The other was bailing out Eger Wallace when it was discovered he dated a Colonel's daughter.

Once Matthew Ryder changed and gathered the needed equipment, he headed to the front door. For some reason, he had this strange feeling. His gut warned him about something that wasn't settling well with him.

The captain took one last look at the desk and saw a beautiful woman on it. Taking a deep breath, he looked toward the front door and joined the MPs that were outside. He got inside their HUMVEE and was taken to the Special Forces section of the base.

As they drove through the inner town of Fort Carson, Ryder looked outside the window, staring up into the stars. He saw the Orion Belt, three stars in a line creating a belt.

"Specialist," Ryder said. "Do you know what is happening?"

"No idea, sir," the MP said. "All I know is that 2nd Battalion, 1st LBCT is mobilizing and heading to Fort Raymond."

What the MP said completely baffled the captain. He did not expect an honest answer; he just needed to ask to break the silence, but he did not expect that as a response. The fact that an entire mechanized battalion was deploying to the Space Force base nearby was a major red flag.

As they drove, Ryder could only ponder what was happening. Clearly, it was a security threat; otherwise, they wouldn't need to deploy combat forces. Having the base special forces mobilize could mean a minor but dangerous threat. However, an additional battalion only increased the scale of the security threat. It was unlikely it was CCP ultra-nationalist agents trying to sabotage critical astro infrastructure, and the RIA prefers to stay closer to home. The only credible conclusion the captain could come up with was a domestic terrorist threat. If so, most likely, they were in an environment that opposes astro-colonization or, more likely, one of the many utopian factions, being primarily Marxist or Fascist in nature.

The remainder of the drive was short and uneventful, only seeing the snow blanketing the streets and rooftops. Once they arrived at the HQ, Ryder saw the rest of his team exiting similar vehicles. Among them were the other Minutemen members from CFT-2 "Ghost" and CFT-3 "Viking." All looking just as confused as he was. The only thing he noticed from everyone normal was how cold everyone was on a winter night, all huddling together or by heaters for warmth.

Eger Wallace approached and said, "Evening, boss."

"Don't you mean morning?" Bruno said. "It's officially 12:02."

"Shut up, you two," Barrett said. "All members of Comanche present, sir."

Rommel King approached from the other teams and said, "Good morning, sir. I just walked with the other NCOs; they are just as clueless as we are on what is happening."

Acknowledging the two, Ryder addressed the rest of his team. "I hope you all got a good night's sleep because all of you need to get your game faces on."

"Yeah, what is going on," Wallace said. "I don't like leaving my date home alone."

"I hope this isn't another ritual," Ford asked.

"We wouldn't mobilize everyone just for you," Higgins said.

"Knock it off," Ryder ordered. "For right now, assume we are under attack. On the way here, I heard that the 2nd Battalion was heading to Raymond. That is all I know right now."

"They are mobilizing a mechanized battalion?" Bruno asked. "What are we fighting, ET?"

"That is Area 51," Ford said.

The group chuckled at the joke and started making comparable statements. While thrilled by the high energy level in the unit, Ryder glanced over to his XO and saw the same concerned reaction. There have been too many odd events in the past month for this to be separated somehow.

"Greg, get everyone suited up and ready for deployment," Ryder ordered.

The Sergeant First Class took his team to the armory while Ryder and King headed toward the HQ. When they entered the building, they saw heavily armed MPs and other security personnel guarding key sections.

"This is not a good sign," King whispered.

Ryder couldn't agree more. In front of the captain, he saw Ghost CO, Captain James Miller.

"Hey, Ryder," Miller said with a yawn. "Do you have any idea what the hell is going on?"

"Not at all," Ryder replied. "Hackett has to know."

The four men entered the CIC and saw the Hackett and CFT-3 in the room. It seemed like they had only just arrived.

"Don't bother taking a seat," Hackett said. "Time isn't on our side, and I want you guys spearheading this ASAP."

Ryder found a spot to stand, getting a good view of the digital whiteboard. Based on the design, the facility had two different types of inner-connected structures. On one side was a large concrete complex, an old Cold War facility built against the Soviets. At the same time, the other was a newer state-of-the-art facility built less than a decade ago.

"As you can see on the whiteboard," Hackett said. "It is a research facility jointly operated by the USSF and NASA. This is where the two develop next-generation technologies for space exploration and our future space control ships. We lost contact with the facility twenty-seven minutes ago and failed to regain contact. The facility is now on lockdown and considered in the hands of an unknown enemy."

“What unknown enemy?” Millar asked.

“If he knew, he wouldn’t have called them unknown,” Murphy said.

"Do you have any idea what we might face?" Ryder asked.

Hackett stared everyone directly in the eyes. "I have no idea. It could be domestic terrorists, foreign attacks, or the Akuma that you engaged in yesterday's training. Expect anything."

The word Akuma sent a chill down everyone's spine as they glanced at each other. At that moment, Ryder was convinced there was far more going on than he had been led to believe. While the details were already pointing in that direction, this confirmed that an Akuma was real in some manner. His questions were who made it, why they are attacking now, and so on. However, he could tell they needed more time to go through an entire educational class on what was going on.

"What is the situation we are walking into?" King asked.

A sky view of the NASA facility appeared on the digital whiteboard. Hackett grabbed a blue marker and drew a circle around the building. "2nd Battalion, 1st LBCT will create a containment zone around the facility. Nothing gets out. Elements of the 10th SF Group will push hard through the front and begin sweeping missions."

The screen focused on the roof. Hackett then marked three different locations. "Comanche and Ghost will conduct an airborne assault on the roof before the 10th begin their assault. Viking will be making an assault here from about a kilometer away. There is a hidden cargo corridor that was used to secretly move sensitive research into the facility.”

"What are our exact orders?" Ryder asked. "Or are we sweeping the facility?"

"Rescue missions, I assume," King said. "Standard Op in situations like this. You want us to secure the priorities before the 10th brings in the hammer."

"Partly, Rommel," Hacket said. "We do not know what we are going up against. From what I understand, there were Generals, senior politicians, and key scientific personnel there. But your mission will also be flexible because of the unknown nature. If you see anything of value we don't know about, secure it."

"That is not very specific, sir," Ryder said. "Looking for something important within a high-value research facility. Do you have something more solid that we are looking for?"

"Sadly, no," Hackett said. "Space Command said to secure and protect key assets; however, I don't have the authority to inform you what they are."

"Go figure". Captain Matthew Ryder never enjoyed dealing with the bureaucracy, military, civilian, or corporate. An all-knowing third party that interfaces with getting the job done. He always wanted to bypass the red tape, from building that play-fort in the backyard with his father to completing the mission. He always got in the way, so he enjoyed the Special Forces. When did the job need to be done? It usually came before whatever a bureaucrat wanted, except for life-altering situations.

When the meeting ended, the three teams said goodbye before heading to their respective units. It was close, the team armory being a few doors down the hall.

Once there, Ryder saw his team were nearly finished preparing themselves. Sergeant First Class Gregory Barret was doing final checks on the team, ensuring everyone was properly suited up. Staff Sergeant Kurt Forest also confirmed everything was in order, including weapons and equipment checked.

Reaching for his locker, he undressed and put on his underclothing. He then grabbed the armor plates, slowly strapping them around his body.

One by one, he attached each piece of platting over his body. Each piece was connected to another, building an overall exoskeleton battle suit of armor around the Comanche leader's body, creating what is known as the Integrated Tactical Lightweight Infantryman Network, commonly known as Itlian. Being module in nature, the soldier can remove damaged pieces when needed.

The idea behind Itlian battle suit was twofold. To give infantry and special forces the needed protection. The more critical factor was providing superior mobility to prevent physical fatigue. The exoskeleton of the battle suit is meant to allow soldiers to use their equipment without the weight straining a soldier's body. Be able to march on long, rough terrain and be combat-ready.

Or, as Eger Wallace's journey correctly pointed out, an excuse to add additional equipment on an infantryman's back.

Captain Mathew Ryder stood up and made sure he remembered everything. Once happy he had everything, he grabbed his helmet and strapped it on.

Barrett walked over and confirmed that everything was correct. Once pleased, the Staff Sergeant patted his captain on the shoulder and rejoined the group.

Ryder saw that his team was ready and was waiting for orders. All were armed with the M31 besides Wallace and Ford. The former issued the M250, while the latter had an attached M320 under-barrel grenade launcher under his rifle.

Ryder then explained their mission. An unknown force has occupied the NASA research facility from within, and their mission was to secure sensitive research. While they have no idea who they are going up against, one of the possible hostiles could be an Akuma-type humanoid robot, so they need to be ready for anything.

"Holy shit, are we actually fighting ET?" Ford asked.

"Assume we are," King replied. "Hackett couldn't confirm, but we are fighting something to that caliber. So, keep your heads in the game and watch each other backs."

The room went quiet momentarily as the gravity of the situation began. Everyone knows what happened during training, how one Akuma gave them and all the Minutemen teams trouble.

The silence finally broke as Eger Wallace let out a tension-breaking loud laughter. "Good. I was hoping for round two."

"If I recall," Gonzales said. "You were the first to die from the thing."

"Not this time." Wallace grabbed the tomahawk that was strapped to his side, a standard melee weapon that everyone in Comanche. "Next time I meet one of those robotic bastards, I will show them some good old American muscle with American-made steel."

"I will hold you to it," Ryder said, thrilled that the sergeant boosting comment. While the man could be a handful at times, he always could be counted on to shine a positive attitude. "I want you also to assume we will engage an Akuma or whatever could be there. For all we know, it could just be terrorists."

"We all know what to do," King said. "We done operations like this plenty of times."

"At least we are soil ground this time," Higgins said.

"That means a lot coming from a flyboy," Barrios commented.

"Man, I wish I was there," Ford said. "a space mission. I can only imagine what that was like."

"Be happy you weren't there," Barret said. "It was not fun at all. But that is what we do. We go out there regardless of the mission and own it."

Sergeant Eder Wallace stood up from the bench and held his fist out directly in the middle of the group. The rest of Comanche followed the same, placing their fists until they created a circle. However, there was one spot still open.

Ryder looked over and saw the new guy, Sergeant Benjamin Ford, standing there, a bit confused. "You're not paid by the hour, Ford."

Ford walked up and placed his fist with the group.

"Say the words, new guy," Forest said.

Ford closed his eyes and took a calming breath. He reopened his eyes with a new determination and spoke, "The first to awake…."

The rest of Comanche began to speak simultaneously, chanting the exact words in near sync, saying, "The first to awake, the first to fight, the first to tell the enemy good night. We are the Minutemen ready to fight."

As the team leader, Captain Mathew Ryder finished the Minutemen motto independently. "Let the moonlight guide us through the darkest of nights; we are Comanche; fear our strike."

Comanche then grabbed their weapons and headed toward the exit. While they had no idea what they would get into, the captain was pleased that his team was in high spirits. Feeling united and ready to face the unknown, he fully understood why Hackett included the warrior-machine in the training simulation. Being mentally prepared was half the battle; now, they must finish the other half.

Ryder pulled down the silver VISROR on his helmet and activated it as he walked toward the helipad. Green letters zipped past his HUD as the operation system turned on. Then the screen turned on, and he saw each of his teams in front of him. Sergeants Marcos Gonzales, Eger Wallace, Bruno Barrios, Benjamin Ford, and Charlie Higgins. Staff Sergeant Kurt Forest and Sergeant First Class Gregory Barrett were next. The last was his second in command, Warrant Officer 1 Rommel King—all members of Comanche.

When Comanche exited the building, they felt the gust of snow impacting them from three Valor tiltrotor aircraft ready to lift off. In front of each one was a man in an orange vest, directing each of the three Combat Fire Teams.

The blades of the Valors swooped the snow, having it spread in all directions, spreading over the Minutemen as they exited the building. Ryder was forced to lower his VISOR to prevent the snow from blinding him.

A man in front of Comanche directed each team member to their side of the helicopter. Once everyone was loaded into the tiltrotor helicopter, Mathew Ryder got inside, being the last to do so. Then Valor took off, with the other two following suit.

The aircraft shook a little from the intense snowfall but gained attitude. The helicopters were not going far, so the aircraft didn't need to go too high, just enough to avoid tall objects. Everyone was quiet as they sat in the darkness, with only the green glow from the inner light.

Ryder sat and took one last glance at his team. Everyone did what they found best to prepare themselves for an active combat zone—praying to God and any self-talk they needed to tell themselves.

For him, he took out a mini cross that he had on armor next to where he kept his magazines. He held onto it, asking God for his protection and everyone on his team to come home. And if anyone needed to be sacrificed for his will, let it be the leader first.

"Hey guys," Ford said. "I see the mechanized column."

Ryder adjusted himself and looked out the window. Seeing only the vehicle lights was hard, but then he saw the armored column. They were the M1431 Lancer Infantry Carrier Vehicles. On his HUD, it pulled up the unit below, stating that it was Charlie Company from the 2nd Battalion, 1st LBCT. This could only mean that they were getting close.

"Captain," the pilot said. "ETA, 90 seconds."

"Alright, Comanche," Ryder said. "Prepare to deploy."

Over the aircraft intercom, Ryder heard the pilot swear with confusion in his voice. "What is the matter?"

"There is a fire outside the LZ," the pilot said.

Ryder ordered Ford to open the Valor door. With the better view, they all saw the other Valors in formation. Below, they saw the 2nd Battalion beginning to surround the NASA facility. However, he saw multiple vehicles on fire in front of the facility. Some were civilians, while others were in the military. Probably, it was Military Police or a response force once they learned their last contact with the building.

Whatever happened, they were struck as there was destruction everywhere. The captain could only wonder what heavy weapons this unknown enemy could bring from within the facility that could cause that much damage.

Then flashes from two forward Lancers .50 calibers with tracer rounds showing that they were engaging with the NASA building. To Ryder's confusion, the tracer colors were far different than he had ever seen before—the blue, red, and purple sparks all impact the Lancers and the infantry below.

"What a bizarre firefight," Ford commented.

"Why are they firing crayons?" Forest asked. "What is up with the rainbow colors of tracers?"

Ryder had to agree. He couldn't understand exactly what he was witnessing. That was when a spark of light was seen from the fourth-floor window and launched, impacting one of the Travis turrets. The surrounding infantry quickly engaged.

The Valor moved into position, preparing for their ariel drop.

"Captain," Ford said. "Hold off on the approach. I think I see movement on the roof."

Ryder adjusted his position and switched his VISOR to thermal mode. He couldn't see much, only detecting the firefight below and the facility ventilation. "I see nothing."

"They are on the roof," Ford said. "It is hard to see but their movement."

"Until you give me a reason not to trust, I will go with your word. Pilot, circle around. I want one good look before we land."

The Valor stopped its approach and began circling their drop zone.

"Nothing is happening," Wallace said. "I think the new kid's nerves are on the fritz."

Ryder moved closer to the door, poking his head outside to get a better view. Even with the snow, his terminal should detect someone without wearing anti-thermal clothing. He focused his eyes and saw movement. It was hard to see, but now he was convinced there were people down there.

As he prepared to speak, Ryder's eyes suddenly brightened from the heat his thermal setting detected. To his confusion, extreme temperatures concentrated at a single point. He pushed his VISOR up his helmet to get a better view and saw the fireball on the roof. The small ball of fire stretched from the rooftop to their aircraft at incredible speed, impacting the helicopter's underside.

The Valor shook as it took evasive maneuvers. When the aircraft shook from the impact and flames overlapped into the side entrance, Ryder felt a thrust and fell forward. He stopped halfway out the door and was pulled back until he was on his back.

After sitting up, he noticed that he was on Rommel King. The XO must have grabbed his suit before he fell out, saving him. "Thank you."

"It's my job to correct officers mistakes."

While Ryder wanted to laugh at the joke, the current situation forced him to maintain his composure.

"Did they just hit us with a flamethrower?" Wallace asked. "From this high?"

"We are taking fire," Ford said as he took cover.

The same colorful tracers impacted the hull of the Valor as a denting sound echoed throughout the aircraft. What was confusing was that tracers were this powerful to dent armor.

"Return fire!" Barrett said.

"No need," Ford said. "Enemy retreating."

Captain Mathew Ryder retook his previous position and carefully looked toward the roof. He saw what the sergeant was referring to. Whatever that long-range flamethrower attack was, it covered their retreat. "Pilot. Get us down there."

The Valor moved to the roof, hovering just enough for Comanche to jump off.

Once in the room, each Comanche soldier secured their area of responsibility so the unknown hostiles couldn't ambush them. Within moments, everyone confirmed that there were no hostiles and that the rooftop was secured. The enemy retreated into the facility.

Ryder watched as their Valor's left, heading back to Fort Carson. Patching into the Local DEFNET, he confirmed that the other Combat Fire Teams successfully landed and only Ghost-engaged hostiles. It also sounded like the firefight below was winding down. The only logical conclusion the captain could draw was that the enemy was moving deeper inside this place, which made no sense to him.

Comanche started heading toward the roof door.

"Don't open it," Forest said. "They might have booby-trapped it."

"Smart," Barrett said. "Place breaches on the hinges. Everyone else, seek cover."

Ford and Forst placed the breach satchels around the door as the rest of the team took cover. The door exploded when those two soldiers regrouped with the rest of the team.

Ryder looked over and noticed no secondary explosions.

"Seems like there was no booby trap," King said.

That made Ryder conclude that the enemy was in full retreat and a hurry. Otherwise, they would have done something to the door to slow them down. "Alright, Comanche. Advance."