2/20/2068 (military calendar)

Raymond Space Force Base, Colorado, USA

*****

Standing on the spaceport tarmac, Captain Mathew Ryder of Comanche looked up into the bright blue sky. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, enjoying the natural fresh air. Feeling the sun's rays warming his skin, he felt rejuvenated. It felt natural, both the fresh air and the sunlight giving him a new appreciation of these little delights that Mankind has taken for granted.

"This is the best moment in my life," Sergeant Eger Wallace said.

"No kidding," Sergeant Marcos Gonzales replied. "The sun never felt so good."

The team had spent nearly one month on that mission extracting and escorting that package, and the captain couldn't have agreed more. They were being attacked and forced to abandon ship in the middle of nowhere with little hope of being rescued. Being stuck inside a small capsule for the better part of a day with double its capacity was not an experience he wanted to have again. Dealing with foreign relations would make anyone appreciate the little things on Earth. Just being able to breathe fresh air made all those troubles worth it.

Noticing a heavily armed convoy approaching, Ryder knew what they were coming for. "Vacation over. Gentlemen, back to work. Can I get the package, Higgins?"

Sergeant Charlie Higgins approached the team leader while carrying the container. "Here you go, sir."

As Ryder pulled the container from the Sergeant's hand, he was surprised by how light it was, making him wonder what the hell was inside it.

Once the vehicles stopped, a dozen guardians exited their cars were a dozen guardians, all armed with P52s. Within the group, one man emerged who was unarmed and approached their position. As he drew closer, Ryder noticed that the man had no name on his uniform, only a full bird pin that represented the rank of Colonel. "I assume you are Captain Ryder, CFT-1?"

"The one and only, sir," Ryder replied with an exciting but renewed spirit.

The Colonel returned the joke with an unfazed stare, standing silently.

"Sorry…, sir. I have the package as ordered." He then lifted the container and then handed it over. To his humor, he watched the Colonel lift the container with a puzzled look, already knowing what he would say.

"It is lighter than I expected," the Colonel said. He then turned and headed toward the convoy.

"I wonder what was in the container," King asked.

"No idea," Ryder said as the convoy drove off.

"Heads up," Barrett said.

Ryder turned to see his superior and most trusted mentor exiting his vehicle: Colonel William Hackett, the leader and founder of the 2nd Special Forces Operational Detachment-Minutemen. He created a specialized unit that could quickly be deployed for any taste in their every hostile world. Slight, lean, and able to mobilize at a moment's notice with many teams with their own identity.

"Attention!" Barrett said.

The group saluted in the presence of their leader. Hackett approached and ordered them to be at ease. "Good job everyone. I know this was not the mission you were prepared for, and it was a tough one, but you accomplished it. You all did your country and the Minutemen proud. Your actions are exactly why I fought for this program. Be ready, adapt, and mobilize at a minute's notice. Congratulations. You all will have the next forty-eight hours for R&R before reporting for duty."

Ryder could feel the sense of celebration from his unit behind him. He knew his team earned it; however, he was surprised that they only had two days after an operation like this. This only made him conclude that something else was coming up.

"Dismiss." Hackett looked toward Comanche and then at Ryder, nodding at him to follow.

Once the two were far enough from the rest of the unit, Hackett said, "I want to personally congratulate you, Matthew, for a job well done in such a horrible situation."

"Thank you, sir," Ryder replied. "First, what will the Pentagon do with me for losing the spaceship and including the French in this mess."

William Hackett stared at the young Captain and then chucked. "You need to learn to stop second-guessing yourself, Matt. I would be lying if I said the brass and the White House were happy about how the operation turned out, but no one blames you. We know how to deal with the French. They act tough to gain concessions and influence."

"Now, let me tell you this. You were in an impossible position and had to make a choice. Your team survived the mission, and your team had no casualties. You prevented the enemy from capturing the object, and a CIA ship easily balanced out in dealing with the French, so don't stress."

Feeling relieved, Mathew Ryder took a small breath and closed his eyes to let the stress move aside. While his superior and mentor found it humorous, he habitually overanalyzed the situation from his NCO days. After opening his eyes, he said, "Still, the enemy went all out to get whatever we were carrying. I hope it was worth it."

Ryder then heard Hackett mumble, 'I hope so,' making him wonder that his mentor knew more than he was letting on.

Knowing better than to press an issue past his pay grade, he said, "Anyway, sir, was there something else?"

"Yes," Hackett said. "Your team is not heading back to Fort Moore. Your team and the rest of the Minutemen are being redeployed to Fort Carson permanently."

Ryder found that strange. Fort Moore is the heart of the military, especially for SOCOM. While Carson was a significant military base, the two shouldn't be compared.

However, Carson and the sister USSF Base Raymond had grown important over the decade to meet the interests of the United States Astralis superpower. The Minutemen were a core element to build upon that power. That was why they were attempting training on the moon, and their recent covert operations regarding Mars showed the importance of this domain. He wondered what else could be on the horizon.

For the time being, Ryder was too exhausted to ponder the future, and he knew that Hackett would properly inform him when the time came. "Roger that, sir. I will inform them."

"That is all, dismiss," Hackett said. "And later, let's catch a beer. I know you need it." He then patted Ryder on the arm before heading back to his vehicle.

Watching his mentor leave, Ryder turned and returned to his team. He saw them in high spirits as he approached, celebrating and bragging about their plans.

"Hey, boss," Higgins said. "What did the godfather want with you?"

"Just wanted to let me know that we are permanently stationed in Colorado as of now," Ryder said. "Barrett, please inform all the bars in a hundred-mile radius to ban Eger and Bruno from their facilities. The last thing we need is another fifty HR complaints."

“Or child support,” Gonzales said, which resulted in everyone laughing.

"I am just keeping the desk jockeys employed," Wallace laughed.

"What the hell did I do?" Barrios asked.

"Easy," Gonzales replied. "You hang you with him."

"That just means he hangs out with the champ," Eger Wallace stated before flexing his muscles.

The group laughed as the Twins fist-bumped.

"I will say, this job is going to suck now," Wallace said.

"What do you mean?" Higgins asked. “We just came back after space piracy. How could that be boring?”

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"That is what I mean," Wallace replied. "What can top that? Every mission now seems to be streamlined.”

"I hate to say, I think he is correct," Forest said. “Back to fighting government back insurgents and militias in the Middle East and Central Asia.”

Ryder hung back and watched his team head toward two HUMVEEs that were waiting for them. He couldn't help but watch as his team walked away. That was before he heard his name from his second-in-command, Warrant Officer 1 Rommel King. "What was that?"

"You coming?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking about what Eger just said."

"Sir, listening to those two is never a good idea. No medication can fix that."

Ryder chuckled and looked away. "I think he is wrong."

"About what?" King asked. "You think something could top that mission? It is possible, but I cannot think of what that could be.”

"I don't know," Ryder said. "My gut says something is about to happen. I cannot explain it, but recent events don’t add up.”

"Well," King said as he slapped the captain’s shoulder. "It is best not to think about things like that as it's past our pay grade and control. Best to sleep on it. That has always helped me. After a beer, of course."

Watching Rommel King walk away, Ryder stared at the moon. It was a half-moon during daylight. He knew something was coming, but he had no idea what he was looking for.

3/02/2068 (military calendar)

Indolass, the former Confederacy of Daru'uie,

Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore

*****

Feeling the walls shake and hearing the rumbling sound of thunder outside the mountain chamber, Fraeya Holiadon grabbed her father's arm and asked, "What is happening?"

"We ran out of time," Raegel replied.

"What do we do, Father," Fraeya asked.

Raegel Holiadon stood there, crunching his fist with a frustrated reaction. "Go see if you can find Natilite. If you find her, bring her here."

Acknowledging his request, the elf girl rushed down the long, smooth hallway until she reached the exit. As she approached, she could hear the carnage of battle outside.

Stepping outside, Fraeya's body froze from the terror of what her eyes saw—watching warriors engaging the enemy forces and seeing wounded legionaries on the ground as many crying out. Others lay dead, piled on top of each other. The zipping sound of passing projectiles is followed by small, colorful explosions from magic users. All her senses were being overwhelmed.

A legionary rushed toward and grabbed her by the arm. He easily puked her to cover. "What are you doing? You are in the-." As he spoke, a blue shroud impacted the back of his armor.

Fraeya cast a stone barrier from muscle memory, protecting the two from three additional projectiles. Seeing the wounded legionary below her, watching as he groaned in pain, snapped out of her trance.

"I am so sorry." Fraeya placed her free hand on his shoulder plate. The man struggled to reply to her.

Four friendly legionaries rushed toward them and provided protection. The scutum positioned between them, deflecting a few blue and orange bolts as it slightly glowed from the impacts and its hardening amulet activated. The other two took cover by some of the temple rubble and the shield man, providing suppressive fire with their circiletum.

Noticing that the fourth man was dressed in mage battle armor, she lowered her stone barrier.

"Get out of here." The man's voice emphasized the amount of pain he was in.

"Where is Henness?" Freya asked.

The wounded man pointed toward the right, some pillars still forming a structure.

Knowing where she needed to go, she looked for the safest path. Skirmishes covered the entire temple as the enemy swarmed the palatini defenders. While not a military expert, she could tell that their situation was degrading fast.

As one of the Legionaries pulled the wounded man to cover, Fraeya Holiadon saw her opportunity and ran through the plaza. In front of her were soldiers fighting as flashes of light passed her, impacting the stone walls and ground. Her ears were listening to the yelling and screams that surrounded the area.

She reached a stone wall and was breathing heavily. Slowly catching her breath, she turned the corner and saw two wounded men and one dead. A female legionary was trying to treat one of the wounded, manically trying to stop the bleeding as it pooled beneath the soldier, growing with pain.

The sight horrified Fraeya as she stood there. Fighting the goblins that infested this temple was one thing; witnessing the true horrors of war was another.

The healer who yelled at her brought her back to reality—demanding to either help or leave that her presence was distracting the woman's work.

Remembering that she had a mission to accomplish, she apologized and rushed away. With the chaos of the fighting, she had to dodge the many soldiers and seek cover whenever possible.

When Fraeya Holiadon reached the command post, she saw everything was chaotic. Soldiers bunkered down as they engaged the enemy, desperately trying to hold Kallem forces. Officers were giving orders to their crumbling units. Centurion Fionntan Henness was within the tent, commanding his men in the defense.

She moved past the broken structure that made up the wall and reached the command post. Passing some of the remaining defenders, it seemed they had only repelled an attack as bodies littered the ground. Once there, she took cover behind a flipped-over table. "Henness!"

The centurion turned to face her. "What are you doing here? It is not safe."

"My father wanted to know where Natilite was," Fraeya said.

Freya saw a frustrated look from the centurion. Almost like he was annoyed by the question. The centurion pointed toward the east. When she looked, she saw clouds of black smoke coming from the direction of Salva. The elf knew the city had fallen after a lengthy siege but did not know that Natalie had fallen there.

"Kid," Henness said. "I need a direct answer. Have you and your father figured out how to open the Bridge?"

Upon hearing the life-altering question, Fraeya took a deep breath and shook her head. She saw anger fill the man. Henness then pointed to a swordsman and a battlemage.

"What are you doing?"

"I am going to destroy it."

"What?" Fraeya panicked and quickly followed the three men as they rushed toward the mountain entrance. "You cannot destroy it! It is our only hope."

"Look around, half-elf," Henness said as he marched. "My men are being slaughtered trying to keep the Verliance away. Once they capture it, they will deliver it over to their Unity masters. If they get that power, it is over, not just for us but possibly for Altaerrie. If I had any other choice…."

As the three men entered the mountain temple, Fraeya Holiadon stopped and turned to get one last look at the battle. What remained of the Palatini of Orias was bravely fighting. With every blink of her eyes, another legionary fell by a projectile or the blade. Right down the middle of their defenses, a group of a dozen warriors, J'avais and Vampires, broke through the legionary's defensive line, and melee combat began.

A group of palatini swordsmen charged the Verliance forces in a desperate attempt to counterattack. Three J'avais cut through the two legionaries in their assault. A vampire grabbed a man and bit into another. As the legionary screamed with fear and pain, blood flowed down his armor as his body was drained.

Rippled with fear, Fraeya turned around and rushed down the hallways. There, she saw her father and Henness arguing. Based on her father's anger, he probably was protesting the destruction of the Bridge.

"We have no choice," Henness said. "We are out of time. Coming here was a noble effort, but the Siblings of Tekali were not on our side."

"We cannot destroy the greatest discovery of our lives," Raegel said. "The Altaerrie is right there. If we don't summon them, then everything is lost."

"Everything is already lost," Henness replied. "I have no men left. Kallem will march down here any moment and kill us. Then he will then hand this device to the Unity. Would you rather have them, have it?"

"There has to be another way," Raegel said. "We just cannot-."

Henness pulled out his sword and pointed it forward to her father. "Enough. Destroy the Bridge. Now."

Fraeya approached her father and grabbed his arm for comfort. She watched as the battlemage began chanting.

As the battlemage prepared to strike the orlilla device, Fraeya looked toward her father and saw the look of failure. "It is okay, Father. We tried."

The legionary battlemage moved his arms forward as he chanted. A slight glow of energy behind. The energy ball missed its target and impacted the back wall behind the Bridge.

While the other legionary rushed up to assist his comrade, the group looked down the hallway. To their horror, it was Kallem and his warriors. As the Verliance circled and prepared to fire, the Vampire lord ordered everyone to stop as he brushed past them, staring at the orlilla device.

"What do we have here?" Kallem asked. His eyes then widened as he took a step back. "So, the legend was true? The Lats really did come from another world."

Fraeya's eyes were focused on the enemy, her body frozen as she had no idea what to do. There were too many to fight, and their chances of activating or destroying the Bridge were now past.

She witnessed a J'avais approaching Kallem's side, staring at the device with sheer hatred. One of them commented on how this proved that the Lats were unnatural. She could not understand what they were saying as she couldn't understand the language. All she could see was that the man was unhappy by this discovery.

"Whatever happens, stay behind me," Raegel said as he positioned himself for battle.

Kallam pushed the J'avais to the side and moved his attention to what remained of the Palatini of Orias. He reached to his behind and pulled out a helmet, tossing it to the ground so everyone could see it. It was the Templar Natilite helmet.

"Your forces in Salva are defeated," Kallam stated. "You five are what remains of your palatini. Surrender."

"No one is surrendering here," Centurion Fionntan Henness said. "We all know what happens to soldiers who surrender to your masters."

"Fine. Kill the Legionaries. I want the two elves alive, though," Kallem ordered. A dozen swordsmen of Vampires and J'avias started charging toward them like a wave of water during a flood.

"To the death, Legionaries," Henness said as he held his sword out in defiance.

As the enemy forces approached, a sudden blinding yellow, blue, and white light blinded the hallway. The strange marble-like walls only amplified the new light.

As Fraeya's vision slowly returned, she only saw the enemy forces standing around, blinded by the strange. Looking around, she saw Henness, and his Legionaries were also slowly recovering.

Seeing a reflection on the wall, she turned and saw a yellowish-white light coming from the heart of the Bridge. "Father. It is alive."

"By the gods," Raegel said. "Thank you, Tekali."

"It worked," Henness said as his eyesight recovered. He turned to face the enemy forces. "Both of you, find the Altaerrie. Make this worth it."

Freya could see the renewed spirit within the centurion's eyes. A man who was ready to die, that all his life accomplishments were complete. All the sacrifices and suffering that led to this one moment became worthwhile.

Before Fraeya could react, she felt her father grabbing her arm and pulling firmly with all his might. As she ran with him, she turned around and saw the three Legionaries charging toward Kallem forces, knowing their fate had been sealed.

As she watched, she knew they would fall and only take minutes to escape across the Bridge.

Freya looked forward as they entered the Bridge. For a moment, there was darkness and, then, a light.