U.S. Army Rangers are elite, highly trained light infantry soldiers within the 75th Ranger Regiment, specializing in direct-action raids, forcible entry, and special reconnaissance missions. As premier special operations forces, they are rapidly deployable, conducting high-risk tasks like airfield seizure, hostage rescue, and fighting in complex urban environments. In the near-future of the 2100’s, they largely remain the same, just expanding their efforts to the known galaxy instead of just Earth, much like the USCM.
Prologue/CH.1 - A Rude Awakening.
DISTRESS REPORT – ACTIVE BOARDING EVENT
To: UAAC (diverted to 8th Ranger Company, Second Batt – ‘Star Reapers’)
From: Helix Dynamics Executive Operations, Prospero Station.
UAAC Command,
This is Director Alana Myles of Helix Dynamics, transmitting under active emergency conditions.
At 18:42 LPT(Local Prospero Time), multiple unauthorized launch craft ascended from the planetary surface below Franklin’s Reach IV. These vessels did not match any registered colonial traffic. They ignored hails and began coordinated approach vectors toward Prospero Station. Lacking weapons, they seemed to just speed for the landing bays and docking rings.
Our perimeter defenses were disabled before engagement, precision strikes, likely premeditated. Docking Ring Two has been forcibly breached. We are currently repelling boarders in Cargo Spine B and the refinery access corridors.
Station security reports the attackers are lightly armed but highly organized. Communications intercepts from open channels indicate ideological messaging, though signal clarity is poor. We are treating them as insurgents originating from the surface settlements.
Complicating matters, we have confirmed internal sabotage:
Atmospheric regulators in Section E manually overridden.
Two reactor coolant pumps disabled from inside Engineering.
Comms array interference traced to an internal access node.
Three security personnel unaccounted for prior to breach.
It is unclear whether we are facing infiltrators embedded before the assault or compromised staff acting in coordination with surface aggressors.
We are maintaining control of the central command deck and upper habitation ring. Casualties are mounting. Civilian workforce currently at 312 personnel. Evacuation shuttles and EEV’s are grounded due to debris and hostile fire in the immediate orbital lane.
Request immediate deployment of your forces for:
Internal counter-boarding operations.
Saboteur identification and neutralization.
Restoration of engineering integrity.
Secure extraction of executive and research personnel.
Prospero is a critical materials processing hub for the American Arm corridor. If the station falls, regional supply chains will be severely disrupted..
Boarders have reached Power Junctions Three-Six! Power failing!
[WEAPONS FIRE – DISTANT SHOUTING - SCREAMING THAT GOES SILENT AS A WELDER FLICKS ON]
Security teams are falling back toward the Habitat Ring Delta. We are sealing bulkheads in sequence.
We cannot guarantee containment for more than—
[TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTED – SIGNAL DISTORTION]
…they’re in the ventilation shafts…
—Myles out—
END OF TRANSMISSION
Automated Beacon: Distress signal remains active. This message will repeat every fifteen minutes.
The 8th Rangers received the diverted message from the UAAC an hour after it was sent. They were less than two parsecs out, already burning toward Prospero Station’s general direction aboard the USASF Bougainville-class attack transport, the USS Midway, cruising in FTL.
The alert was a rude awakening, but they were used to those. For months they had been patrolling the American Arm of Space along the UPP border. New Chicago, Lucien, Henri Gaston Colony, etc, hoping for a straight fight with communist invaders. Instead, they found distress calls, pirate raids, and colonies torn apart by alien predators, one of which had killed Specialist Johnson just last week. God rest his soul.
2nd Lieutenant Robert J. Griggs woke with a frown, as if he’d gone into cryo wearing it. His dark skin was webbed with old scars, his jaw lined with disciplined stubble and a carefully trimmed mustache he claimed was “within regs” and “for morale purposes.”
The sudden revival left no time for proper thaw protocols. No gradual warm-up. No Hydr8tion waiting on the rack. Just klaxons.. Red lights strobed across the bay.
Griggs forced his pod open, leaned over, and emptied his stomach into a waste bin. His prosthetic leg always lagged behind the rest of him in the thaw. He rolled his shoulder, then his leg, stretching the carbon-synth joint until the servos responded, then stepped out onto unsteady boots.
Around him, the Rangers dragged themselves upright. Some stretched. A few sparked contraband smokes. Others cracked open stashed Hydr8tion packets like men and women who planned ahead. PFC Billy and PFC ‘Batts’, twins, inseparable, dapped each other up and muttered, “Another beautiful day in the Army.” loud enough for the whole bay to hear, they got some chuckles in return.
Griggs cleared his throat. The noise died down. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried deep and steady.
“Form up! Now.”
The men moved into a line.
A USASF comms specialist jogged up and handed Griggs a data-slate. He scanned it once and gave a curt nod.
“Listen up. We’re fast-burning toward Prospero Station. It’s under attack by unknown hostiles planetside. A corporate outfit called Helix Dynamics requested assistance. Apparently they’re ‘‘important’.
He made air quotes without looking up, then continued.
“Priority one is the Director and their team, one Alana Myles, after that, the Station itself. Alpha and myself will move to the Command module while Bravo heads for the Reactor. Stay frosty when we move, we’ve been warned of possible infiltrators so friendlies may not be so friendly after all.”
A large figure raised a hand.
One of Griggs’ men, Alpha Squad, a Smartgunner named Eddie “Bull” Duval. Built like a dropship engine and just as subtle.
“Sir, respectfully — didn’t we rate for R&R once we hit the Core? My girl on Arcturus was counting on it.”
The bay snickered.
Griggs didn’t miss a beat.
“Bull, your girl’s already gone. Jody got her. I don’t know an alien version of Jody yet, so we’re sticking with the classic. Form up.”
Laughter broke the tension like a pressure valve.
Griggs stepped forward, patting Bull on the shoulder jokingly with a grin.
“Alpha Squad’s with me. Bravo’s under Lieutenant Jackson. We recon the station first. No heavy weapons. I don’t want someone punching a quarter-sized hole in the hull and venting us into the vacuum.”
He pointed at Bull.
“That includes you.”
More laughter, a demo specialist named Patricia ‘Pat’ Monroe punched ‘Bull’ in the arm as she laughed at him. The twins shuffled past, one of them slapped ‘Bull’ on the neck with a chuckle.
“Chow now. You got two hours. Full gear by 2300. Drop-bay at 2330. Launch at 2400. Let’s move.”
The Rangers dispersed toward the mess hall, joking with each other as they prepared for their meal.
A Food Specialist came over the intercom announcing todays choosing’s.
“Tonight’s menu, Soldiers! Pasta, burgers, and pizza. American classics!” They said, clearly excited.
The kind of meal that reminded the soldiers of home back in the Core Systems, of Earth. Some men thought of their friends and family, others their girlfriends, like Bull. Griggs thought of his late wife, killed during an action in Australia. He regrets that they didn’t have time to have kids, but he knows that is also likely a pipedream as well, given they were both career military.
After that, the armory and the quartermaster. All that was left after that, whatever hell was waiting on Prospero Station.
CH.2 - A Shocking Discovery.
Griggs didn’t eat much. He spent the downtime before the mission thinking of his wife, Mary. A picture from their honeymoon, back on Earth, in Hawaii, was tucked inside his helmet. He sat with it for a good thirty minutes, alone in the armory, just staring.
Things were good then, he thought. But now she’s gone.
He placed the picture back inside his helmet with a small kiss as the troops began to filter in. It was nearing mission time.
His tone shifted, naturally. No point dragging the squad down with him, per se.
“Right, troops, we’re going light for this op, if you were even listening before.”
Alpha and Bravo’s medics, CPL. Rico “Ric” Coole and SPC. Elisa “El” Moore, had just come back with their gear, kits, Naproleve, and whatever else they needed to keep people breathing. They piped up as Griggs spoke.
“What was that, LT?” A chuckle followed.
Griggs smirked. “Keep it down.”
He continued.
“We’re running M39s with suppressors. I want our positions concealed as long as possible, and I don’t want you punching holes through the station unless you have to. That doesn’t mean spray and pray. Pick your targets. Make it count. You’ve all done this before.”
The troops nodded. “If you’ve got questions, ask the medics, they’ve run M39s plenty.”
“Furthermore, one person per squad gets an M51 breaching shotgun and a CM4 Plastisteel shield. Loaners from the Marshals. Sixteen-gauge, armor-piercing. Designed to crack an airlock in two shots flat.”
He glanced at the Smartgunners. “Since you’re missing your Smartguns, you’re on shield duty.”
‘Bull’ and Hale, his Bravo counterpart shrugged, they knew the limitations of combat in or around the vacuum, they fist bumped each other.
“Lock and load. We launch in thirty mikes.”
===
Griggs set his helmet on and worked into his armor with a grunt. The Rangers’ digital urban camo from their previous mission would do fine for this deployment, which sped things along.
Like their USCMC cousins, the Rangers personalized their armor.
Griggs had a cracked heart painted over his real heart, with Mary written inside. Across the back, in red: “Eat me.”
The squads moved out to the landing bay and spotted their ride for the day: Grave Delivery.
Painted across the nose of the V-10A1113 MANTIS was a UPP soldier getting blasted into an open grave, missiles streaking down behind him.
Using a MANTIS instead of a standard UD dropship meant tighter capacity, six per squad, but the tradeoff was worth it. The ship was practically a flying outpost: small med-bay, an older W-Y AI core, and more endurance than anything else in the hangar.
At the controls sat 2nd Lt. Beatrice “Betty” and her DCC, CPL. Eli Roberts. They’d flown the Rangers through worse than this, and earned their trust doing it, especially in Grave Delivery.
The Rangers funneled aboard, six to a side. Squads split as usual.
The twins clasped hands and pulled into a quick hug before strapping in.
“Ric” and “El”, the medics exchanged a quick goodbye before heading to their respective squads. Everyone knows they’re screwing.
The MANTIS was cramped compared to a dropship, but you got used to it. Especially with everything it brought to the table.
Betty’s voice came over the intercom. “Strap in. Ten minutes low-speed FTL.”
Thirty seconds later, the ship lifted from the Midway, hovering out of the side hangar before the displacement drive kicked in. Then it was off to the races.
===
Griggs checked the squad layouts one more time.
Alpha Squad-
2nd Lt. Robert J. Griggs (Squad Lead)
CPL. Rico Coole (Combat Medic)
CPL. Patricia Monroe (Demo Spec / Comtech)
SPC. Eddie Duval (Shield / Smartgunner)
PFC Billy Washington (Rifleman, M51 User)
PFC Rodriguez Sanchez (Rifleman)
Bravo Squad-
2nd Lt. Jackson Cherry (Squad Lead)
CPL. Tyler Boone (Comtech)
CPL. Marcus Hale (Shield / Smartgunner)
SPC. Elisa Moore (Combat Medic)
SPC. Javier Morales (Rifleman)
PFC Bartholomew Washington (Rifleman, M51 User)
===
The medics moved through the cabin, handing out pills to counter the effects of fast-burn FTL. Short-term fix with nasty side effects, standard issue for runs like this.
Griggs felt the headache hit fast, sharp behind the eyes. He dry-swallowed the pill. Gone in seconds.
He looked up. Betty added from the cockpit, “Check your gear. ETA, ten mikes.”
“Alpha with me, we take the bridge. Bravo, you’re on reactor control.”
“Watch your ROE. Watch your fire. We’ve got possible infiltrators onboard, so watch your ass. I mean it.”
Bull piped up, adding. “I got your back Pat!”
Patricia didn’t miss a beat. “If you wanna look at my ass, Bull, take me on a date first.”
A short burst of laughter rolled through the cabin. Then it settled.
The joking didn’t stop, but it got quieter. Everyone checked each other’s gear, making sure nothing was missed for the mission ahead.
===
Prospero Station came into view not long after.
Initial scans were bad, random sections dark, life support compromised, most systems silent.
Betty guided the MANTIS into an open landing bay.
As soon as the clamps hit, Griggs was up and yelling.
“MOVE IT! MOVE, MOVE!”
The squads poured out both sides. Shields first, rifles behind.
The station was dark. Too dark. And far too quiet.
IR lenses flicked on one by one, painting the interior in a ghostly red contrast. Scorch marks. Debris. Signs of a fight.
No bodies. Not yet.
Alpha and Bravo split without a word, using hand signs, moving toward their objectives.
And deeper into the silence of Prospero Station.
===
Motion scanners stayed quiet as Alpha pushed forward.
Bull took point. Pat and Griggs followed, the rest stacked behind.
They found bodies soon enough, mulched, torn apart by a mix of ranged and melee weapons. Security mostly. Some civilians. Some corporate.
They took defensive positions, a circle defense.
Pat spoke low, raising a fist, then pointing with a knife hand down the corridor to the right. “Got something. Twenty-five meters ahead, LT.”
Griggs signaled forward.
They moved in slow, careful. Then they saw it.
Half a body, the lower half of a woman, jammed in an emergency elevator door. Tripping the motion sensor.
Rico took a knee, peering down the shaft. The rest of the body lay four levels below.
“Be advised, Bravo,” he said into comms. “Definite Civvie KIA down there.”
Only static came back.. He listened.
Something echoed up the shaft, distant, indistinct. Fire? Gunfire? Something worse?
“Something’s going on down there. Can’t raise Bravo. Probably the Station interference.”
Griggs nodded.
They moved on.
They swept and cleared, following Pat’s tracker like a mine dog.
Then, movement. Blip… blip… blip…
Everywhere. A clang from above.
Something hit the deck near Griggs’ metal leg.
He saw it just in time.
Electroshock grenade.
He kicked it away. It detonated in a blinding surge of electricity.
Someone screamed in the dark. Not one of theirs.
The Rangers opened fire, eliminated the attackers and continued towards the bridge. The element of surprise was already gone.
===
They tried to avoid vents and crawlspaces, but the station’s layout made that somewhat impossible. The best they could do was spread out a bit more.
Another spike in motion. BLIPBLIPBLIPBLIPBLIP!
Warcries. Screams.
Bull braced himself. As did the squad.
From the shadows, a burst of gunfire hammered his transparent shield. The two shooters barely had time to look surprised before Pat dropped them, two 10x20 rounds each. Pfft-pfft!
Bull nodded thankfully to Pat.
Someone returned fire. An industrial laser streaked past. Tzzzz-CHHK!
PFC. Billy went down hard, seeking cover, clutching his arm and shoulder, grazed in the crossfire. A laser bounced off his BiMex goggles, causing him to press himself into a corner that had about a foot of airlock blocking him for cover.
“Medic!” He yelled!
Rico turned, rushing to the PFC.
Another electroshock grenade rolled out of a vent, dead center of the squad.
Griggs was mid-engagement.
A man rushed him, a bloodied fire axe raised, bloodshot eyes blown wide. A woman behind him fired an industrial laser pistol. Tzzzz-CHHK! Tzzzz-CHHK!
Griggs snapped the M39 up.
Pfft-pfft-pfft!
The man folded, flipping backward.
The second burst, clipped the woman’s head. She dropped to her knees, dead seconds later.
Griggs looked down. Gasping as he saw it. He tried to kick it away like the last, still managing to save the rest of the squad. Too late for him, probably. “ELECTROSHOCK GRENADE!” Griggs yelled to the others around.
The last thing he saw was PFC. Sanchez holding the rear, two attackers rushed him, although they knocked his M39 out of his hand, he managed to shoot one in the stomach with his sidearm before engaging the remaining man with a combat knife, looking like he was winning.
The rest of the squad dove to their knees or stomachs, avoiding the electric mayhem soon to be above.
===
The grenade bounced into the air before exploding into a flash of blue electricity.
1.2 billion volts surged through the corridor.
The station absorbed most of it.
Not enough, though. Everything went black for Griggs.
===
He opened his eyes. Or thought he did.
A field of nothing. Endless. Weightless, just dark emptiness.
Mary sat beside him, dressed like she was in Hawaii, bright, warm, alive.
He broke immediately, pulling her into a hug through tears.
“What is this place?” he asked, voice cracking. He swore he could hear tropical music.
Mary said nothing. He was very confused.
Time stretched. What felt like, minutes. Hours. Days.
He couldn’t tell what it was. An afterlife? Or his brain trying to make sense of his own death? Both?
===
Then. He was ripped back, barely conscious. Mary was gone.
“STAY WITH US!” he heard. He couldn’t make out who said it.
Pat was over him, hammering chest compressions as rounds snapped past. Griggs saw another laser fly past, he felt the heat. SKZZT!
Pat took a moment to fire back before continuing compressions.
Bull stood above them, shield up, star-like impacts now show all along the shield’s surface, M39 firing one-handed. Blood ran down his forehead, shrapnel still sticking out, staining his camo’d up headband.
A body of one of the attackers lay next to him, bloodied and twisted, fallen from the vent above. He was wearing a Helix Dynamics Security outfit, as were most of the attackers. “GET SOME!” he yelled.
Griggs’ head rolled to the side.
He saw Rico jamming a cocktail of drugs into his system, Naproleve, maybe some X-Stims, if he had to guess. Behind him was PFC. Sanchez, Ex-Brazilian BOPE, sat with his arm bandaged, the man he was dueling beforehand, now laid still on the floor.
Then he was back for good. “Mary!” he exclaimed, gasping to life like an old record player, which caused some confusion with the troops, but at least the LT was alive again..