Authors: Matt Roberts
The sudden movement send him flying backwards, giving him another bruise for his troubles, but he’d uncovered the airlock door. It was still sealed shut and didn’t look too damaged. He yanked at the manual release lever. The locks released, but only the slightest of cracks opened up. Not to be deterred, he took another deep breath and pulled again. With a gut-wrenching, harrowing screech the doors began moving apart. The lever was digging into his palm having already sliced through his glove. Blood was dripping from his hand and soaking into the sand but still he didn’t stop until finally, with an almighty clang, the door was open.
Light flooded into the chamber. Propped up in the corner against the back wall was Sully. He was battered and bruised but he was alive and conscious. A smile spread across his face as he saw Owyn in the opening. “What took you so long?” he said weakly.
Owyn rushed over to him. “Can you move?” he asked frantically.
“I don’t think so.” He gestured towards his right leg, not daring to look himself.
Owyn glanced down to see a bone protruding from his ankle, dripping a rapidly spreading pool of blood onto the floor. “Shit,” he cursed. “Give me your arm.”
He pulled Sully’s arm over his shoulder and gradually lifted him up. Sully winced with pain but held back the urge to cry out in agony. Once Owyn was sure his broken leg was clear from the ground they starting moving towards the door.
Owyn had no idea what he was going to do. There was nowhere to go. Maybe they could re-join Ambrose, but that would mean heading back towards whatever number of DPD soldiers were about to descent on their position, and there was no guarantee they’d find him.
They emerged back into the desert. The eerie silence remained. Owyn desperately scanned their surroundings. He needed something. Anything. He looked back at Sully. His eyelids were drooping; he was slipping out of consciousness. The bleeding from his leg needed stopping soon or he was going to bleed out. Owyn contemplated turning around and bunkering down in what was left of the jet, but that would have left them far too exposed. The smoke rising from the wreckage would bring the soldiers straight to them.
His options were running out. He looked around one more time. Atop the ridge ahead appeared a figure at last – Ambrose. Owyn was about to call out, but no sooner had the air reached his lungs the crack of a gunshot cut through the air. Ambrose dropped to his knees, swayed momentarily, then slumped down into the sand. He was dead.
All divisions of the Department of Planetary Defence (DPD) employ a simplified, twelve point ranking structure.
Typically, any member of the United States Armed Forces who previously held a rank below that of a commissioned officer was assigned a rank between
Private
(01) and
Sergeant Major
(04). Anyone who previously served in XION’s American Armed Forces (below the rank of Captain) was assigned a rank between
Specialist
(05) and
First Officer
(07), while former commissioned officers of the US Armed Forces and XION Captains were assigned a rank between
Lieutenant
(08) and
Colonel
(11).
The rank of
Commander
(12) is reserved for the single, highest ranking officer of the DPD.
01 – PRIVATE
02 – CORPORAL
03 – SERGEANT
04 – SERGEANT MAJOR
05 – SPECIALIST
06 – SPECIAL OFFICER
07 – FIRST OFFICER
08 – LIEUTENANT
09 – CAPTAIN
10 – MAJOR
11 – COLONEL
12 – COMMANDER
ISO personnel are generally identified by their service code, which is given by their squad (letter between A and D) followed by the number corresponding to their rank and finally by their surname initial. For an Operative of Alpha Squad with the rank of Lieutenant (08) and the surname Ambrose:
A08A
.
A06C – OWYN CARTER
Born September 25, 2018 in Ontario, Canada, Owyn Carter spent his childhood living in isolation with his father and elder brother. Having worked in the energy industry, Owyn’s parents had anticipated the global crash years before it happened, prompting them to relocate from Michigan to Ontario in order to protect their children. Even then, however, scavengers found and attempted to raid the family’s home shortly after Owyn was born, resulting in his mother’s death. When his father died suddenly in 2035, Owyn travelled to Minnesota to join the US Army at the age of 17.
In 2037, after demonstrating exceptional skill in combat during his eighteen months of military service, Carter was recruited into XION’s Advanced Training Programme and in 2041, following his training, he was deployed in Colorado under the command of Captain Anders Miller. After a further three years fighting in the civil war across the country, he was selected to travel to Altaris as part of the Intelligence and Special Operations department of the DPD. Upon arrival at Altaris in 2047, Carter was assigned the rank of Special Officer and designated as an Operative of Alpha Squad.
A04O – KATHERINE O’BRIEN
Born November 2, 2025 in Texas, Katherine O’Brien spent the early years of her life living in a small, peaceful settlement near Austin, before losing both parents at the age of 9 during a rebel attack. With her home having been burned to the ground, O’Brien was forced to travel into the city and spend five years living on the streets, where she suffered persistent sexual abuse. After being taken into the sex trade at the age of 14, she eventually escaped the state and travelled to Louisiana in 2041, where she joined the US Army aged 16.
Soon recognised as one of the deadliest soldiers in the war ravaged state, O’Brien was selected to travel to Altaris in 2044 as part of the Intelligence and Special Operations department of the DPD. Upon arrival at Altaris in 2047, she was assigned the rank of Sergeant and designated as an Operative of Bravo Squad. Later in the same year she was promoted to Sergeant Major and transferred to Alpha Squad.
A05S – KENDRICK SHAW
Born July 12, 2018 in Pennsylvania, Kendrick Shaw lost both his mother and sister during violent protests in 2024, just a year after the global crash. Holding the military responsible, his father formed what eventually became one of the largest rebel militias in the country while keeping its existence hidden from his son. In 2034, following the start of the civil war, Kendrick’s father told him the truth and attempted to recruit him into the militia. A month later, however, Kendrick stabbed his father to death and fled to join the US Army, aged 16.
After fighting in several states – including against his father’s rebels in Pennsylvania – during his three years of service, Shaw became widely regarded as the best sniper on the east coast and, in 2037, his reputation led him to be recruited into XION’s Advanced Training Programme. In 2041, following his training, he was deployed in Colorado under the command of Captain Anders Miller, and after a further three years fighting in the civil war across the country he was selected to travel to Altaris in 2044 as part of the Intelligence and Special Operations department of the DPD. Upon arrival at Altaris in 2047, Shaw was assigned the rank of Specialist and designated as an Operative of Alpha Squad.
A02S – MICHAEL SULLIVAN
Born March 19, 2025 in Illinois, Mike Sullivan spent his childhood living in an orphanage near Chicago. After teaching himself about computer systems and code, Sullivan left the orphanage at the age of 16 and travelled into the city. With the power in Chicago having already been largely restored by 2041, he was able to use his abilities with computers to become a hacker and gain free access to everything he needed or wanted. A year later, however, after stumbling across a hidden military base, Sullivan was recruited into the US Army, aged 17.
After working as a surveillance expert for the army for a further two years Sullivan was selected to travel to Altaris in 2044 as part of the Intelligence and Special Operations department of the DPD. Upon arrival at Altaris in 2047, he was assigned the rank of Corporal and designated as the Head of Intelligence of Alpha Squad.
A07M – ANDERS MILLER
Born December 28, 2013 in the state of New York, Anders Miller suffered severe abuse from his parents as a child and fled from his home at the age of 11, a year after the crash. After surviving on the streets for a number of years Miller was taken in by the US Army as a teenager, preventing him from being influenced by the growing rebel presence in the state.
Despite needing to be disciplined on several occasions prior to 2034, Miller flourished following the outbreak of war, rapidly rising through the ranks as a result. In 2037 he was recruited into XION’s Advanced Training Programme, where he was recognised for his exceptional leadership abilities. In 2040 he entered additional training in order to attain the rank of Captain, and a year later was deployed in Colorado as the leader of his squad. After achieving great success during the following five years, Miller led a mission to a small settlement in Mississippi in 2046, resulting in the deaths of 236 civilians. Judging that there was no justification behind the attack, XION dismissed him and sentenced him to fifty years of hard labour.
D03A – MYLES ANDERSON
Born May 4, 2015 in Alabama, Myles Anderson was brought up in a family of strong patriotic beliefs with a deep military background. His parents first met while serving in the US Army, with both having previously spent time fighting in Afghanistan, before Myles’ mother became pregnant and left shortly thereafter. A year after the crash, in 2024, Myles and his mother were relocated to one of the largest newly established military bases in the country in Indiana, where Myles’ father was stationed. As soon as he turned 16, Myles himself was enlisted into the army.
Throughout his years of service Anderson was a highly valued and respected soldier who collected multiple awards for his contributions even before the start of the civil war. In 2037 he was offered a place in XION’s Advanced Training Programme but declined, holding true to the belief that the US could keep control of its own country without foreign aid. Four years later however, just months before XION deployed across the US, the Indiana base was hit by a massive rebel attack. Myles survived but his parents, friends, and almost everyone he had met in the previous sixteen years were all killed in a series of explosions.
After rebel activity in the state spiked during the following years, Anderson was selected to travel to Altaris in 2044 as part of the Intelligence and Special Operations department of the DPD. Upon arrival at Altaris in 2047, he was assigned the rank of Sergeant and designated as an Operative of Delta Squad.
D02V – ALISSA VAHREZ
Born January 15, 2024 in Mexico, Alissa Vahrez was smuggled into the US at the age of 1, before being adopted by an American family in Texas. When rebels took control of the state in 2032, the family attempted to flee to Oklahoma where a large military presence meant rebel activity was limited. Shortly before the border, however, their vehicle was driven off the road and Alissa’s adoptive parents chose to hold off the attackers, allowing her to make it to safety alone.
After moving from place to place for several years, Vahrez joined the US Army in Oklahoma in 2039, aged 15, fighting the civil war on the border to Texas until 2044, when she was selected to travel to Altaris as part of the Intelligence and Special Operations department of the DPD. Upon arrival at Altaris in 2047, Vahrez was assigned the rank of Corporal and designated as an Operative of Delta Squad.