In 1999, 18-year-old Taylor Knox from Empire Central, Northrac  turned himself into police after an altercation with his underage sister’s older lover, Touch.  The turn of events escalate into Taylor and his sister, Nell, being victims of a vehicular accident leaving Nell in a coma.  Taylor is first charged with assault and battery against Touch. Simultaneously in Fleet Sands, 18-year-old Layan is the leader of the gang, Husam al-Nu’ man (Sword of Blood). There is an open shootout between Husam al-Nu' man and the Black Lord gang, during which Layan's boyfriend, Hamzah, attempts to kill her. Yara, Layan's lover, and the only other female member of Husam al-Nu' man, kills Hamzah and saves Layan. They join Yara’s aunt Esma’s program for young women called The Aspire Alliance.  

In 2005, thanks to a loyal uncle, Norman Wells, incarcerated Taylor gets a new attorney, Mr. DeMille, to represent him in an appeal after serving five years in the penitentiary.  Mr. DeMille reiterates Taylor’s charges of assault and battery against Touch and the new charge of vehicular manslaughter due to Nell eventually dying after five years in a coma.  Because of the recent charges of pediophilia against his sister's boyfriend, Touch, Mr. DeMille is granted an appeal for Taylor that allows him to serve his remaining sentence in the military and he agrees.  One of the ramifications of the Garrison Nexus  Event was the loss of people’s identity (The Cloaked) and Taylor was a casualty. With DeMille is a high powered Gildman Citizen, he is able to utilize Taylor’s Cloak status to his benefit.

A brief flashback to Fleet Sands 2004 introduces Taylor's 28-year -old brother, Justice Knox (JT), in the heat of a rescue mission. J. Knox, the Neptune of the Aqua Raiders’ Atticus Squad, loses the prisoner he secures during the mission's subsequent ambush.

In 2005, Layan graduates from Paragon Techporium in Staffdaile, Northrac as Valedictorian under the  alias Amira. She returns to Fleet Sands to aide Esma, alias Rafi’ah, where she is addressed by her alias Rida (Blue Dragon member) and is to marry an agent Rizq (Komodo member) for cover. Rafi’ah hands them a starter package for their first mission together. 

A flashback to 2001, Representing the Aspire Alliance at an Fleet Sandsian conference.  Esma hands 36-year-old Tahira a package for Tahira’s young girls group and they speak of Esma meeting with the girls later in the week.  Tahira leaves Esma and then drives alone to a secluded woodland area. She arrives by nightfall, is willfully taken by two young men, Zafar/Rizq and Uday in a manner just shy of abduction, and is brought to Hajj Kaan location. They review building schematics, and Tahira advises him. The Garrison Nexus Event attacks take place soon after. After the Garrison Nexus Event attack, Tahira goes to the woods to be retaken to Kaan's but is never picked up. She is furious and meets with Esma to begin operation Intisar under Nur al Huda (Tahira’s organization), Esma is now assigned the name Rafi’ah from this point on.

In 2011, Taylor Knox, aka Knox, is apart of a Devil Dog Squad called the Pit Vipers. The PV arrive in Moon Sands on their way to their new base Stronghold Maddox.  Alpha Master Kurtz pairs the six man squad up using the military deuce system and speaks about their mission of their goal of finding phantom troops (Rac Liberty missing troops) On their journey, the transportation vehicle rides over roadkill stuffed with a homemade bomb cocktail and an explosion occurs.  This is PV’s first taste of the malice that is to come.  Two months later, PV team member, Wolfhart is abducted during an underground bar escapade he encounters with his deuce Ninks. Ninks seeks help for Knox.  They fabricate a story and scene that they stick to during the interrogation with Alpha Master Kurtz about the abduction. Both Knox and Ninks claim male rebels abducted Wolfhart. Kurtz doesn't believe them.  In reality, Wolfhart was abducted by two female members from Nur al Huda.