Almas

**Rachid "Almas"** **Minhas** is the current Deputy Director of the ICO, having been assigned to the role in March 2023 following the disappearance of Cross.

He is one of the ICO's most veteran soldiers, being a decade older than Radical. During his time, he has seen his fair share--and then some--of brutal combat, unwinnable conditions, and significant loss. But through those tragedies, he has learned to adapt and overcome regardless of what deadly situation he finds himself in.

This is the reason behind his codename. Almas (الماس) is the Arabic word for "diamond" and this is how Minhas sees himself; a man who was turned by the heat of battle and the pressure of command into an unbreakable diamond, an impenetrable defense.

## Early Life

Rachid Minhas was born March 8, 1965 in Karachi, just before the start of the Second Kashmir War. His father Saleem was a militiaman and died in combat just six weeks after Rachid was born. As a result, he grew up never knowing his father outside of photographs and second-hand accounts. Even so, he came to idolize his father and resolved to become a soldier like him.

Rachid had a very difficult childhood, primarily due to the sharp economic downturn that swiftly followed the war. His destitute and widowed mother soon remarried a wealthy statesman, Karim Gandapur, whom Rachid came to resent. In addition, he scorned his mother for 'betraying' his father. The animosity soon proved mutual, and Karim had Rachid thrown out of the house by the time he was 14.

Even as he starved in the streets, Rachid staunchly refused to compromise his chances of joining the military by stealing. He continued to attend school as though nothing had happened, while spending his nights working odd jobs in order to get by.

## Army Enlistment

When he came of age in 1983, Rachid joined the Pakistan Army, just as he had always intended. He fit in exceptionally well with the strict and demanding lifestyle of a soldier, which Rachid considered borderline luxurious compared to the life he'd had before. It wasn't long before he'd made a name for himself in the Army.

A few years later when he was 24, Rachid received a letter from his estranged half-sister, Mila. She begged her brother to return home, as their mother was quite ill and likely to die soon. Rachid relented and returned back to his childhood home for the first time in a decade. He was able to reconcile and patch things up with his mother, who succumbed to her illness soon after.

Even after returning back to his Army duties, Rachid and Mila remained in touch through letters and regular visits. It was thanks to his sister that Rachid was introduced to her friend Mahsima Singh. The two hit is off immediately and were married just two years later. Over the span of their thirty-year marriage, the two had six children; Saleema, Saahira, Ramazan, Kanat, Teena, and Azer.

As Rachid's military career progressed and Rachid's keen mind became a considerable asset for the Army, he soon drew the attention of the Special Service Group. He made such an impact with the SSG that he ended up one of the group's most esteemed soldiers after only a few short years. Not that his tenure with the SSG was short; he was with the group for over 20 years, with the latter half gradually pushing him into a more advisory role.

## Joining the ICO

Almas was the very first Operator chosen to represent Pakistan, following the induction of the country in late 2018. During this period, he and Fatema Jalali were an Established Duo. He served in an as-needed basis following Cross stepping down to Deputy Director, with the new Director abolishing the Established Squadrons and Established Duos while restructuring the organization.

After Cross went MIA in July 2022, ICO spent the next six months searching for him with no luck. As of January 2023, the Director began looking for Cross' replacement as Deputy Director. After two months of going over Operator files, psych evaluations, and copious interviews, the Director finally chose Almas as the new Deputy Director that March.