A/N: Hey guys, here is a HELLDIVERS and RWBY crossover.

To answer an already important question "Why is this in the normal RWBY section?" Well thats because HELLDIVERS doesn't have a fanfiction page yet.

Anyways, tell me how Lumox and I did on writing this!

Enjoy this story and review it too!

Also HELLDIVERS is property of Arrowhead Game Studios and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth

In orbit above Navi VII, Bug Territory, Hunter Squad
Aboard the
SEN (Super Earth Navy) Sword of Damocles

"No, no, and no… for the last time No! You can't requisition 4 EXO-44's, Yes Major, I understand it's for the advancement of Democracy, and Super Earth, but you can't call in that many EXO-44's in a single mission, limit is 2 at most." The supply officer checked his holographic clipboard several more, irritated, times before turning around.

"Come on, I mean… just this once?" Simmons held up his pointer finger, a sheepish grin on his face, as the supply officer gave him a deadpanned stare.

"No…" Came his reply as he promptly marched off towards the cargo bay, the door closed behind him leaving Simmons standing there in defeat.

Simmons pulled his arm in and snapped his fingers quietly before muttering "So close…" and walking back towards the bridge of the ship with a slight sigh.

Major Arthur Simmons, Hunter 1-1, leader of Hunter Squad. Simmons is revered and held in high-standings by those in the top brass. Government officials and soldiers alike have heard of Hunter Squad and their exploits in upholding the standards and views of Super Earth across the galaxy. Despite his stoic and serious demeanor in the face of government officials and high-ranking officers he appears differently to his comrades. His persona during battle is hectic and unmeasured, making plans up "on the fly" and, taking bounds and leaps to ensure victory by any means necessary.

6 feet 4 inches and well-built, the Major is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield and the tallest in Hunter squad. The Bugs, Cyborgs, and Illuminate that have perished by his hand number over 210 thousand in the name democracy. With just over 110 "accidents" he is second in line to the fewest "accidents" in Hunter Squad. Entering battle with an in-your-face philosophy and an itchy trigger finger the Major wields an SG-255 'Breaker' Shotgun. Capable of fully automatic fire and boasting a drum-magazine the Breaker is a solid, well rounded, shotgun.

Despite his fondness for shotguns, Simmons starts off his missions, be they threat level 1 or 12, with an EXO-44 Walker Exosuit. The EXO-44 is standard issue to the forces of Super Earth and boasts 8 anti-tank missiles on the right side mount and a heavy chain gun on the left mount. Limited stabilizers and aiming capabilities bring to bear the weaknesses of the EXO-44. The bipedal mech suffers from slow turning rate and the lack of any gimbaled weapon mounts means the entire, blocky, frame of the torso has to pivot to face the target. On top of this glaring problem is the lack of proper aiming reticule for the pilot. This can lead to some disastrous, and potentially fatal, accidents involving the rest of the squad and a few dozen stray, large-caliber, chaingun rounds.

In addition to his love of EXO's and shotguns there lays in his mind, and heart, a special place for the A/MG-II Minigun Turret. Three barrels of reinforced titanium spraying death down-range was quite appealing to Simmons. He showed an interest in the death machine, much to the fear and disdain of his squad mates, on their second operation. That day Simmons racked up his first three accidentals, in a record four seconds, when the extraction ship arrived and his squad mates found themselves between a spooled-up A/MG-II and a group of Bug warriors. The turret tore apart the Bugs… and his squad mates who, unfortunately, found themselves to be chest high with the turrets barrels. When the transport arrived back at the ship in orbit he stepped off into the cargo bay and was met with three, incredibly irritated squad mates who gave him a few choice words of disagreement with his turret. However, these words have had no effect on Simmons as he continues to carry at least two of the A/MG-II's into battle. Compared to his love of the turrets his fashion sense seems toned down but retains at the same level of importance.

Simmons carries himself with pride every time he exits the locker room with his Arctic design helmet cradled in the crook of his right arm, his favorite, and only cradling spot for the helmet. The knee-length rounded cape flowed behind him with a single longer rectangle of fabric stretched a few inches further than the end of the cape. The capes golden highlights shone even in the dim light of the ship. The white and grey digital camouflage of his jacket showed through the plates of armor that protected his chest, shoulders, shins, and forearms. A dull grey and black finish on the plates completed the look of the armor. Designed for conflict on Arctic planets the armor that shared the name was built for just that, two goals in mind. The first, being warm in below zero temperatures and protecting the soldier inside from claws, bullets, and lasers. A thermal imaging camera on the front of the helmet helped no matter the type of planet he had visited. Rounding off in the back orange plates covered the cheeks and ended just before the chin where a white plate of metal finished off the mask. A small antenna and communications box lay to the right of the visor where a connected piece of reinforced glass creates a viewport in the front of the helmet above the wearer's nose. Although the suit looked new, one could find many dozens, even hundreds, of scratches and dents in the armor under the fresh paint.

The door to the bridge hissed open as he made his way onto the upper deck. A large window looking out onto the surface of the swampy planet they orbited. Over the planet's horizon the inky blackness of space sprawled out, many tens of billions of small lights penetrated the blackness. Hundreds of billions of planets laid near those stars, all under the watchful eye of Super Earth. Her iron fist, in the form of the Helldivers, ever reaching. Helldivers are the best of the best in the Super Earths armed forces. Fearless in both life and death they are launched at Super Earths endangered planets at supersonic speeds, ready to destroy those who threaten the very existence of Democracy throughout the galaxy. Super Earths personal Democracy Police and upholders of her morals and way of life. Death is something faced, and experienced, daily for a Helldiver. Being some of the only men and women in the galaxy to be able to die more than once. Experimentation and research in cloning has rendered the Helldivers immortal for lack of a better description. Upon death the Helldivers memories are loaded into a new body that is pre-loaded into a Hellpod with their previous equipment loadout and launched back to the planet's surface once a squad mate deploys a reinforcement beacon. Simmons sighed as he looked from the planet back to the bridge.

His eyes shifted from the room to the Hellpods. Three other helldivers, dressed in different armors, stood looking at the galactic map. The three of them stood with their helmets on discussing the plan of attack for the planet's surface when they spotted Major Simmons on the edge of the room. One of them spoke towards him as he made his way towards the table.

"So… the four EXO's, what did he say?" Simmons couldn't see it but he could tell they were smiling as he shrugged and shook his head.

A collective groan of disappointment rising from the three as Simmons chuckled at their reaction.

"Come on! I mean what does he think you are going to do with them, throw them at the enemy? If you can even find them, that is." Came a response to Simmons's report followed by a low chuckle after the last part.

Corporal Nikolai 'Map' Vadimovich Shcherbatykh, Hunter 1-2, navigation specialist and communications officer. Without Nikolai Hunter squad would still be on most planets they've visited. Being the eyes, the ears, and the mouth for Hunter squad is a responsibility that Nikolai upholds to its fullest.

Rising to a whopping 5 feet 8 inches Nikolai is ranked the shortest in Hunter squad. Being a communications officer has rendered him lacking in the size department. With all of the running around he does on mission he is quite slim, although still larger than the fourth member of Hunter squad. In battle he has communicated with hostile forces through high velocity means and achieved 193,494 kills on his record. While he is well versed in conveying Democracy through external means he is quite inept at conveying his actions to the rest of Hunter squad. This is shown by a rather high "accidents" count at 148.

Being the least directionally challenged he keeps his head cool and his action on the field calculated. The philosophy "Accuracy in quantity" is how he gets things done. Nikolai joins the fray with a trusty MG-105 'Stalwart' light machine gun in his hands. Despite being in a role considered "Non-combative" by normal military forces, Nikolai lays down the pain upon the enemies of Democracy. The 'Stalwart' is ridiculously inaccurate and unstable, bouncing around quite a bit, but can unleash stupid amounts firepower downrange in a short span of time. Following his philosophy closely his call down list includes several high volume and high powered support options from SEN Sword of Damocles. An 'Eagle' fighter/bomber, as well as standard strafing runs, unleashes a line of 30mm rounds and four heat-seeking anti-tank missiles to completely destroy any soft to moderately armored targets in the area of operation. In addition to this, the ship that remains in orbit can fire its main rail battery on a designated zone for devastating results and the obliteration of any target unlucky enough to stand in the Helldivers way.

Raised in the harshest, and most inhospitable place on Super Earth Nikolai has become accustomed to living in close proximity to weather that is almost trying to actively kill you or turn him into a walking Hell-sicle. The temperatures on the planets helldivers can visit reach anywhere from 200 degrees fahrenheit, not in the lava mind you, to -70 degrees Fahrenheit. He feels at home on the Arctic planets, it's just nostalgic for him to be in way below zero temperatures since his hometown on super earth would reach temperatures as low as -89 degrees fahrenheit and even as low as -108 degrees fahrenheit at times.

Following in line with his heritage, Nikolai joins the battle in a special, all-terrain, suit of Helldiver armor. Swapping out armor plating on the upper-legs and arms in return for a double-thick jacket and pants. Elbow-high fully insulated and cold resistant gloves prevent instant hypothermia and thigh-high boots that seal at the ankles create a warm and quite comfortable environment inside the suit. The only armor that stayed was a padded and further insulated variant of the standard armor, only reaching down to his upper abdomen. His cape is thicker and wider than any other Helldiver cape since its job is to offer a larger area of protection against the elements. The cape also connects to the helmet. The helmet that comes with the all-terrain suit is smaller and much lighter than those found on other armors but is connected to the cape by being hooded. The mask is a tight fitting, all black protector that covers the entirety of the face and is the least elegant of all the Helldiver masks but works just as well. Alongside the mask there are a pair of built-in snow goggles that offer glare-protection while keeping an airtight seal and insulation. Along with the cape, the hood is also lined with a thick animal fur and keeps snow and ash, or flying debris, out of his face. Completing the suit, a sash crosses from left to right over his chest where two large ice-picks hang from it. The black and orange picks are acid and rust resistant since Nikolai uses them for more than just climbing. By the end of any given battle the picks are stained with any number of fluids ranging from the Stalker Bugs acidic blood to the oil from a Cyborgs machinery.

"Really? I mean you normally call in both of yours and they mostly stay intact for the duration of the mission. For a Helldiver squad we're quite careful… Now that's not taking into account my useage of the EXO-51..." Stated one of the other two Helldivers before trailing off, his filtered mask muffling his voice as he mumbled.

Warrant Officer Wulff 'Doc' Ferdinand, Hunter 1-3, support specialist. His rather important job is keeping the squad moving. Whether it be healing, or shooting the slow and injured his job has earned him the title of "Doc" from the rest of the Helldivers in Hunter Squad. Being a medic has desensitized Wulff to any kind of bodily harm or fluids that he may encounter on the battlefield.

Standing at a standard 6 feet and 2 inches Wulff is the middle man in the Hunter squad height game. Slightly more meaty than Simmons while maintaining the Helldiver required fitness quota. Whether it be Bug, Illuminate, or Cyborg they all have to face the "Doc". Wulff has racked up over 200,869 kills on hostile forces in the defense of democracy. While his kills impressive he stands at first place for the fewest "accidents" in Hunter squad, only 94. During battle Wulff's vocabulary, while containing many medical phrases, does not include quick and painless. Many Illuminate and Cyborg fighters understand Wulff's obsession with slow death.

Wulff enters battle with a rather short ranged, but deadly Flam-24 'Pyro' instead of the standard issue P-2 'Peacemaker' pistol. Preferring the slow burning of targets over time. As far as other weapons go Wulff like to keep things consistent with his obsession over slow death by heaving the TOX-13 'Avenger' on standby at all times. The TOX-13 attacks the central nervous system and starts by shutting down major organs and brain functions until the affected organism dies from extreme shock, total organ failure, destruction of the brain, or a combination of the aforementioned effects. Alongside the chemical and incendiary arsenal that Wulff has as his secondaries he also carries with him an acid-based primary rifle. The AR-14D 'Paragon' is Wulffs go-to weapon for any target at a range. The 'Paragon' fires seizure inducing, neurotoxin laced rounds. Albeit the rounds poison isn't as potent as the TOX-13's, they will still cause total organ failure and death in a few seconds. However being a medic requires him, by Helldiver standards and regulations, to have at least one non-death-causing tool at his disposal. This comes in the form of the AD-289 'Angel'. A semi-sentient drone capable of healing anything from small fractures and internal bleeding to severe external bleeding and missing limbs… to an extent.

Wulff also brings with him a variant of Sampson's beloved EXO-44, the EXO-51. The EXO-51 'Lumberer' is equipped to deal with large groups of enemies by way of its large flamethrower mounted on the left side of the torso. While the flamethrower is deadly to large groups the 90mm cannon on the right side of the hull fires high-explosive armor-piercing shells at near mach 1. The shells can devastate large numbers of tightly grouped, heavily armored targets with ease. However, the 'Lumberer' is only called in when Wulff's TOX-13 and Flam-24 aren't cutting it in battle.

Accompanying Wulff's close proximity to neurotoxins and incendiaries a hazmat variant of the Helldiver armor is his normal choice for missions. On his back is the hazard ops cape, lined with chemical resistant material its main purpose is to deflect acids. However, the cape is also designed smaller than most other Helldiver capes due to its close proximity to chemicals and other corrosive materials. This is where the thin at the bottom and wide at the top design comes into play, limiting the capes chance to come in contact with the hazardous materials. A large neurotoxin and smoke nullifying filter sticks out from the left side of his helmet with a long tube running from the right side of the mask down to the chest-mounted air tank. Sporting long elbow-length gloves and tall knee-high boots designed to offer more protection against toxins and incendiaries as the name implies. While less armored than Simmons's suit, it is still reinforced and offers excellent torso protection. Small shoulder pads, upper arm guards, thigh pads, and a lower torso plate covers limited parts of his body.

A low growl alerted the other three of them to the fourth Helldiver present at the table. Wulff, Simmons, and Nikolai all turned slowly to the fourth and final member of Hunter Squad who had moved away from the table and was holding a private at gunpoint.

Hastings... just Hastings, Hunter 1-4, designated marksman and explosives expert. The job of killing heavily armored targets and procurement of samples for the R&D department, or as he calls it "SCIENCE", has been a role he fills quite well. Once he sees his "SCIENCE" nothing will stop him, not even a behemoth. On the battlefield Hastings rarely speaks except for the times he yells "SCIENCE" or when someone gets a little too close to his RL-112 Recoilless Rifle. However, when that happens he normally grunts, which might be able to be called speech, and points his rifle at the offender. His philosophy is if it moves it dies except Simmons…. Simmons is cool.

Hastings stands at 6 feet tall, making him the third shortest, and has a slim build enabling him to move quickly. Hastings has racked up 376,482 confirmed kills due to his uncanny marksmanship and his recoilless rifle. On the flip-side there have also been 231 so called "accidents" reportedly caused by Hastings weather it be a "misfired" round from his rifle or an airstrike a bit too close to friendly's. Although the fact that Simmons has not obtained a scratch from any of these incidents leads the other two members, and most common victims, to believe these are not accidents.

Hastings enters battle with a weathered LHO-63 high caliber, semi-automatic marksman rifle along with the standard issue P-2 'Peacemaker' and his RL-112 Recoilless Rifle which he is inseparable from as the previous supply officer found out the hard way and requested reassignment to another ship after he was shot five times in the knee after trying to take Hastings's Recoilless Rifle or as he calls her "Celia" which the rest of the crew speculates he has "known" the longest, for he treats Celia as a friend and can sometimes be heard whispering affectionately to Celia. Hastings rarely misses a shot for he has had a lot of experience with his rifle, the Peacemaker and Celia. Since you can't fit into a Hellpod with anything on you back other than a cape, Hastings personally places Celia in a calldown pod, and as the crew responsible for loading the pods have learned not to try to stop him for if you do you'll end up with a shattered knee cap or a gun pointed at your face and a man angrily grunting at you. Hastings favors offensive support rather than supplies or defense, he carries a beacon to inform the Sword of Damocles to fire its railguns at the specified target. during fire fights the squad has had to get used to the psychotic laughter that Hastings emits while shooting friend or foe alike.

Hastings's armour has stayed the same since Simmons… found him... in the god forsaken desert used as the Helldivers training ground. No one knows how long Hastings had been in that desert or how he got there because even the SEHC (Super Earth High Command) had no record of him until Simmons found him wandering through the facility destroying whatever moved. Hastings is clad in a short tattered cape that was most likely taken from a deceased candidate as was the rest of his apparel. He wears a black hooded helmet with a golden trim. Hastings refuses to take off his helmet so no one knows what his face looks like, and frankly people don't want to know. To match his scavenged apparel he wears a tattered yellow desert shawl around his neck. His torso is covered in a tan long sleeved tunic with light body armour and elbow length gloves since the desert is blanketed in a smoldering heat so if laden with heavier clothing movement gets more difficult and death comes more quickly. Although Hastings still wears his apparel on arctic missions but no one notices a decrease in proficiency or hears a complaint, probably because the fact that he doesn't talk much. Hasting's legs are covered by brown trousers and knee high boots. Not much is known about Hastings except that he is overprotective of recoilless rifle Celia, has high scores in marksmanship, and is referred to as Hastings because that's the only thing he would say when Simmons asked him for his name. Besides that, his loyalty to Simmons is like that of a dog and Simmons come first to everything except for Celia and SCIENCE.

A quick survey from Simmons summed up what the situation was like. A recoilless rifle on the floor and an Private staring down the barrel of a pistol belonging to Hastings put the pieces in place. The private had probably just taken a wrong step and knocked over the recoilless rifle, or Celia, on accident but then furthered the issue by attempting to pick it up.

"No one make any sudden movements, this Privates life is on the line." Came Simmons's rather unsettled voice as everyone stopped what they were doing and watched the crisis unfold in a nonchalant way.

Simmons leaned towards Wulff slightly before whispering to him, a hint of boredom prevalent in his words.

"First day?" Simmons asked as they watched the Private stand there with a look that portrayed a feeling of utter regret.

"Most likely, but I mean he should have been briefed on this before coming on-board." Wulff replied back, just blankly staring at Hastings who was now angrily grunting at the Private and waving the pistol around.

It was common knowledge around the ship that Hastings was a loose cannon and almost impossible to communicate with under normal circumstances, let alone agitated circumstances.

"Someone… oh for the love of Democracy! Do I have to do everything around here? Hastings, stop that this instant!" Simmons commanded as Hastings reluctantly stopped his actions and sat down on the nearby railing after collecting Celia.

The private let out a sigh of relief as he slowly backed away before exiting through the door on the right side of the room. The door hissed shut as Hastings pushed off from the railing and walked over to the other three.

Looking around the room Simmons saw that the rest of the crew had never left their stations to begin with and had carried on working through the whole ordeal.

"Well, I guess that it is normal around here…." Nikolai stated with a shrug, noticing Simmons looking at the lack of a reaction.

After Nikolai spoke they all turned back to face the map they had abandoned when Simmons walked in.

"So…. what are we doing today? 9, 10, 11?" Simmons rattled off a few danger levels as he stared at the map and flicked around a few of the planets in their system.

"Well, we're already over Navi VII and it's rated as an 11…" That was as far as Nikolai got before Simmons and Wulff were already in their pods. However, before Simmon's pod completely closed he yelled something out.

"Come on you assbandits, get in your pods now or I'll kill ya when we land!" That statement was enough to get Nikolai's ass in gear and send Hastings scurrying to load Celia into a supply Hellpod.

Only ten seconds later and all of Hunter Squad was loaded in their pods and ready to go. The countdown blared throughout the ship as it prepared to launch the live cargo towards a hellzone littered with hundreds, if not thousands, of Democracy's enemies.

Being launched from a Hellpod for the first time is quite an experience but as Hunter squad has learned it gets quite repetitive, routine, and bland. Not to mention the soreness you feel the next day if you survive the hostiles on the planet's surface.

Only 20 seconds after they entered their pods a deafening bang of launch followed by the feeling of your stomach, heart, and liver entering your throat as you reach speed in excess of Mach 2. And only 10 seconds after that the rapid deceleration from speed-of-sound to zero in only a millisecond which tends to happen when hitting the planet's surface.

Mist surrounded the four steaming pod's as moderate rain fell around them. The pods hissed open one by one letting their heroic cargo emerge onto the planet's surface. Simmons was the first one out and almost immediately had his radio in-hand and a beacon on the ground in 5 seconds flat.

The next to arrive was Hastings, a small grunt coming from the pod as it opened, a beacon flying out before Hastings himself had emerged. He was already a little jumpy from lack of contact with Celia. As Hastings was having his fit, Nikolai emerged from his pod and the ground shook as an EXO-44 walker crashed into the ground. An eager Simmons launched himself into the cockpit, bypassing the ladder all together.

Last but not least was a mildly peeved Wulff, seeing as swampy planets weren't on his list of "places I want to go". Wulff stretched and met-up with Nikolai who dove away from a rapidly expanding shadow. As he landed a pod slammed into the ground where he was just standing and opened up revealing Celia to Hastings who emitted a joyous shriek while diving at his beloved.

"Alright men," Simmons started as he pulled out his pda, "Our mission is simple, smash a Brood Commander, set up a drill for Super Earth, capture a designated zone in the name Democracy, and finally oversee the successful launch of a missile." Simmons finished his briefing as a small chitter was heard from behind them.

Hasting was fast on his feet as he quickly spun around and dispatched three Vanguards with three shots from his LHO-63 rifle. The carcasses oozed orange blood as they twitched slightly. The EXO-44 containing Simmons turned towards Hastings before speaking.

"Nice shots Hastings…" Hastings let out a small satisfactory grunt as Simmons congratulated him on his marksmanship.

However not a moment later another group was spotted off to the south. Pulling out the his map, Nikolai updated Simmons on the appearance of several patrols around them. Simmons nodded before addressing the squad from the EXO.

"We need to make haste towards the objectives, finish them, and then evacuate quickly. No dilly dallying…" Although just as Simmons had spoken a small, shiny object caught Hastings's eye. His pupils dilated and his mouth opened in his helmet as he let out a yell and rushed towards the shiny sample.

"SCIENCE!" Hastings exclaimed as he bee-lined towards the small sample of Bug organics. Diving before sliding in the mud towards the sample. Hastings slid past the sample and reached out, scooping it up in his arms before depositing it in a large satchel at his side.

The rest of Hunter Squad just looked on in silence as he made his way back to the group and returned to Simmons's side. Nikolai looked at Wulff who returned the look with a shrug before they resumed following Simmons and Hastings. The thump of the EXO's metal feet in the mud echoed slightly as dulled chitters could be heard in the distance, keeping Hunter Squad on alert.

The first two mission went relatively well with the Bug patrols being dispatched as soon as they appeared. The zone had been captured and the geological drill deployed when the squad started heading towards the missile site. Upon reaching the missile site Hunter Squad found the lack of patrols in the area unsettling as Nikolai went to startup the launch sequence.

It was at this exact moment went south. The first problem was the sudden appearance of Vanguards from all directions. They frantically fired hoping to at least cut half of them down before they called for their big brothers to enter the fray. However, a dozen of them still remained when a red mist burst from them and a screech rang out from their mandibles.

"Well shit, here they come!" Yelled Wulff as he pulled out his TOX-13 and 'Angel' left his back to tend to any injuries during the coming fight.

The barrel on Simmons's EXO-44 started spinning as the rounds were inserted into their chambers, ready to discharge at the first sign of a large swarm of Bugs.

"Hell this is my favorite part! How bout a nice hot cup of Liber-tea!" Nikolai exclaimed as he pulled out his 'Stalwart' light machine gun and opened fire into the crowd of Bugs.

"Stay close together!" Simmons yelled as the group fired in all directions at the encroaching horde.

Simmons was doing the most damage with his EXO as Stalkers, Warriors, Elites, and even Vanguards poured forth from the swamps and muddy soil meeting hot lead from their weapons. They were struggling to keep holding them back when suddenly the ground shook and an Impaler's tentacles burst from the ground in front of them.

"Don't stick together, spread out, move!" Came Simmons frantic call as he reversed his order and Hunter Squad dispersed, minus Hastings who was laughing like a madman as he pulled Celia from his back.

Orange tentacles swinging around wildly smashing its allies into the ground trying to crush the Helldivers. Simmons was unable to turn his torso towards the Impaler as a tentacle smashed into the side of the hull and caved in the rocket pod.

"God dammit! Move, get away!" Simmons yelled as Nikolai, who was right next to his walker started sprinting away.

Simmons flew from the back of the EXO as the pod erupted into flames. His feet carrying him only 20 feet before he hit the dirt and slid in the mud, pulling himself around a rock. Only a second later the EXO exploded outwards, pieces of shrapnel found their marks in the Bugs and severed one of the Impaler tentacles.

Hastings completely disregarded the exploding EXO and had given up on "giving shit number one" or "trying to find his one fuck" aimed at the Impaler with his recoilless rifle and depressed the trigger. A cloud of smoke and compressed air ejected backwards, vaporizing a Stalker sneaking up on him, as the the shell shot forward impaling the Impalers unprotected face hole punching straight through and tearing a large chunk out of the Impalers back, Hastings then crouched down giggling to himself as he reloaded Celia.

"Okay, group up, the missile's about to take off. Just a few more seconds." Simmons ordered as Hunter Squad regrouped and eliminated the rest of the bugs, albeit Simmons was a little miffed about his lost walker.

Nikolai had run out of ammunition in his 'Stalwart' magazine and slung it onto his back as an Elite charged him. Letting out a yell he jumped at the elite, his ice picks in hand as he started smashing through the Bugs thick chitin. Simmons wash unleashing his 'Breakers' magazine into the waves of Bugs being slowly pushed back.

Wulff had emptied his TOX-13 onto a horde of Warriors and Elites, observed in unbridled glee as they slowly twitched and stopped moving. However that was cut slightly short with the appearance of a Stalker. The invisible beast appeared right behind Wulff who was still admiring his handiwork when the Stalker closed the distance.

"Doc, behind you!" Yelled Nikolai who had just leapt off of the Elites body covered in orange blood.

Wulff Turned around just as a long scythe-like arm pierced through his abdomen, lifting him off the ground. He coughed as blood splattered on the inside of his helmet, before a small smirk edged its way onto his features.

"Great…now I've got you where I want you!" Doc yelled out as he pulled out his Flam-24 sidearm and shoved it in the Stalkers mouth.

The Bug screeched as its insides burned and flung Wulff from its blade and into the mud. As the Stalker fell over dead Wulff stood up slowly, a large hole in the left side of his lower torso.

"Well… thats gonna need some patching up." Doc stated in a monotone as 'Angel' flew over and started applying it's healing beam to the hole.

After a few seconds the hole started closing and the skin reforming, followed closely by the uniform. The drone tilted slightly, appearing satisfied with it's work, before landing on Wulffs back and entering a recharge state.

"You know that some days I wonder how many more times you would have died without that thing." Simmons stated as they started moving towards the last objective, finding and killing a Brood Commander.

By no means was killing the Brood Commander an easy task. Pitch-black plates of chitin and bright orange claws, they are rumored to be some of the toughest Bugs in existence. Soldiers of Super Earth tell of entire battalions being wiped out by these rampaging beasts. Even to a highly-trained and well-equipped Helldiver squad they can be almost impossible to take down. Hunter Squad continued through the rain and knee-high muck towards the site where the Brood Commander had been spotted earlier than day.

"Remember guys, these Brood Commander can be tough as hell to kill. Engage with extreme prejudice." Simmons ordered in a hushed tone as he motioned for them to enter a lower stance.

Hunter Squad, now crouching through the muck, entered the large area where the Brood Commander was said to be located.

Their laser sights scanned the treelines and swamps as they moved in unison trying to find their target. Every now and then a small glimpse of shiny chitin, or dripping acid caught their attention and soon after the corpse of a Stalker or Vanguard would fall into the muddy soil after a single weapon discharge. Another 2 minutes passed without a glimpse nor a hint as to where the Brood Commander was there.

"We should have found him by now." Wulff stated as he looked down the sights of his rifle.

"Yeah, maybe he's sleeping?" Nikolai questioned jokingly as they both chuckled, Simmons quickly shushing them. Simmons was on edge as he stopped moving and the rest of the squad stopped next to him.

"What's the matter Major?" Nikolai questioned as he continued to scan their surroundings. Turning around for a second he could see that Simmons was calling down his second EXO-44. Simmons turned and threw the beacon. The orb bounced a few times before coming to rest near a large boulder.

"Cover me for a few seconds…" Simmons had started before the boulder that the beacon landed next to let out a low growl and started shifting. Simmons looked on in horror as the boulder bolted to the side quickly as the EXO landed right next to it, clearly startling it.

"What are the chances of that? Map guessed right this time!" Wulff exclaimed in slight shock at the fact that Nikolai's joke was actually correct.

"No…" Simmons whispered out as he reached out a hand, a sadness and feeling of helplessness washed over him as the Brood Commander looked at the EXO for a second before smashing it off of its feet and into a nearby wall.

The completely destroyed EXO smoked and sparked as Simmons watched in disbelief. However Nikolai and Simmons knew that once the Brood Commander had destroyed his unused EXO all bets on this being not leading to death were off.

"My EXO… you destroyed my EXO!" Simmons yelled out without thinking as the Brood Commander stared right at them with its piercing red eyes.

A chill went down their spines as the Bug clicked its mandibles a few times before pounding the ground with it's hind legs and claws suggesting that it was about to charge at them.

"Disperse, don't give it a group to target, Hastings… you know what to do!" Simmons barked out orders as the over-sized beetle charged them.

Simmons, Hastings, and Nikolai had evaded the charge but the Bug was headed straight for Wulff who turned his head to see a 20-odd-feet-tall Brood Commander bearing down on him. He let out a loud sigh as he found himself in the thick mire. Hastings took aim with his launcher and pulled the trigger, the round flying down-range. The round impacted the Bugs armored side. However, what happened next only made them, minus Wulff who had given up on life, open their mouths in shock as the Brood Commander glowed with a bright orange and yellow before the shell deflected off to the side and exploded. Hastings' eye twitched slightly as he continued to stare through the sight at the Brood Commander.

"What the hell! Do these things have god-damned shields!?" Nikolai yelled out in shock as the Brood Commander picked Wulff up in its claw.

Wulff let out a pained yell as the Bug closed its claw all the way slicing him in-half at the waist. The two bloody sections falling to either side as the Brood Commander turned to face the three remaining members of Hunter Squad excluding Hastings.

"Apparently so… we need to find a way to get through that things... whatever the hell it is... and kill it!" Simmons yelled back to Nikolai as they started baiting it around.

Simmons and Nikolai frantically fired as the Brood Commander charged towards them. The shots proving futile as they hit the "shield" and either bounced off or shattered on impact. The Brood commander changed direction forcing Simmons to dive to the the left as the Brood Commander missed him and started following Nikolai.

Hastings finished reloading Celia and wasted no time as he brought up the launcher and fired, the shell impacting the field yet again before detonating off to the side. The launcher slouched slightly in Hastings grip as he glared daggers at the Bug letting out a silent internal scream in his head.

"It looks it would take something close to a Hellpod to kill that thing!" Nikolai exclaimed his thought out-loud as an idea popped into both his and Simmons heads at the same time.

Simmons and Nikolai locked eyes for a second before Simmons pulled out his radio and produced a beacon from his backpack . The frequent and rather annoying beeping followed by the shaking of Wulff's name in the squad status window was starting to wear on Simmons as he threw the beacon out. Looking to the left he saw Nikolai still baiting the Brood Commander.

"Map! Bring him over here, now!" Simmons ordered as Nikolai grunted back between puffs.

A large shadow had appeared near the beacon as Nikolai sprinted over it, the Brood Commander nipping at his heels as a loud whistle was heard from above. Diving, Nikolai narrowly dodged a messy Hellpod related death. The Brood Commander on the other-hand, took it quite poorly. The shield around it fluctuated violently before the entire Bug glowed and faded letting the Hellpod through.

As the dust cleared, Nikolai, Hastings, and Simmons walked over to the body of the Brood Commander. The pod had smashed through the Brood Commanders thick shell and pinned it to the ground. The only noise was a hissing from the flesh sizzling on the atmosphere-heated Hellpod as Simmons creeped over to the Brood Commander. Climbing up on it he found the large hole and peaked over the edge, locating the Hellpod at the bottom.

"Hey, you alive in there Doc?" Simmons jokingly cupped his hands around his mask and shouted into the gore-filled hole.

A few seconds later a muffled grumble could be heard as a hand reached out of the pod, trying to find a handhold on the organs of the Brood Commander.

Simmons looked over his shoulder as the extraction beacon landed, Hastings rushing over and activated the countdown for extraction. Turning back to the hole he found Wulff clawing his way up the wall of the hole in the Brood Commanders body. Cursing and grunting as he climbed before something caught his eye. He tilted his head slightly before pulling his arm back and thrusting it through the tissue and towards the glowing object.

"What the hell are you doing down there Doc, the transport's going to be here in 20 seconds!" Simmons said in a bit of a rush as he could see the transport entering atmosphere.

Looking back into the hole he saw Wulff holding a bloody crystal of sorts. It glowed and was shifting between many different colors and looked as unsettling as it did beautiful.

"Bring that with us, the egg-heads could use some more sam…" Simmons stopped himself and looked over his shoulder at a now mildly interested Hastings, tilting his head and grunting a little at Simmons's unfinished statement. However, his curiosity and attention was cut short by the roaring engines of the transport as it landed on the beacon.

Simmons looked at Wulff as he finally emerged from the corpse, the glowing crystal in his hands. Wulff shrugged as Simmons returned the gesture and they ran to the transport where Hastings and Nikolai were waiting in their seats.

"What took you guys so long?" Nikolai questioned as Hastings grunted. It was at this moment that Hastings and Nikolai spotted the crystal that Wulff was holding.

"What in the hell is that Doc?!" Nikolai exclaimed in slight shock at seeing the glowing, multicolored crystal. Hasting let out a grunt of disappointment that he had missed such an obvious sample.

"I would love to tell you what it is, but both myself and Doc are equally as baffled by what it is. Doc found it inside the Brood Commander." Simmons stated as he took a seat across from Hastings and Nikolai with Wulff taking his seat as the transport lifted off.

"I think it has something to do with the 'shield' that the Brood Commander had around him." They all looked at Wulff, waiting for answers that would never come.

"I have no idea what it is, but I think we could develop technology of our own using it." Wulff had supplied them with no further answers as he held it out and observed it.

"It looks too… machined, like its…" Nikolai stated as he looked at it.

"Man-made?" Simmons finished Nikolai's thought as they all realized what this could mean. Anything from Illuminate cooperation with the Bugs to an unharnessed element, one democracy could use in these trying times.

"We'll talk more about this once the scientists study it back on the ship." Simmons stated as he took the crystal from Wulff and put it in Hastings' sample pack, a content grunt coming from his mask.

The transport's landing gear clanked loudly against the floors of the hanger as the bay door slammed shut following the craft's landing. The doors to the shuttle opened and the four members of Hunter Squad filled out of the transport. The first person they saw was the Admiral.

"Admiral…" They said as they saluted, all of them except Hastings who just gave a quick grunt and a nod.

"At ease gentlemen, now from what I gathered from the boys in intel there was a strange… finding, am I right?" The Admiral clasped his hands behind his back as he looked to the squad, Hastings in particular.

Wulff nodded before walking over to Hastings, pausing a minute allowing Hastings to nod before removing a crystal from the sack. It was, by all measurements and description, a perfect diamond. Alongside the shape came a multitude of colors that appeared to bounce around and swirl around on the inside of the crystal.

"This… this is what we found." Wulff stated as he held the crystal out to the Admiral.

The Admiral took it in his hands before turning to a group of science officers and handing it off to them. As they placed the crystal in the container it let out a small flash before the container sealed completely causing the scientists to pause briefly before continuing.

"We have no idea what it is… or where it came from for that matter. For all we know it could be, most likely, an Illuminate device of some sort." Simmons stated in a monotone as he watched the cart exit the room, the two scientists by its side.

"The science division will take care of it. In the meantime, congratulations on Navi VII!" The Admiral had shifted his personality a full 180 and was patting them on the backs, again minus Hastings, for their actions on the surface.

The small display was interrupted as the Admirals PDA rang and he pulled it out. His switched to one of slight irritation before he looked up to Hunter Squad and flashed a small smile. Simmons saw the screen briefly and it read "R&D".

"Sorry, I have to take this one." He pointed to the PDA, "Oh, but you four head to the bridge and plan our next mission, I will be there shortly." Hunter Squad saluted and departed as the Admiral answered the call and paced back and forth.

Words of encouragement and congratulation were shared with them as they made their way down the various hallways and corridors that lead to the bridge. The crew that they ran into to were in high spirits and as energetic as they always are. Living to serve Super Earth and upholding her morals had quite the effect on the soldiers as Hunter Squad had accepted as well.

A minute later and they had reached the bridge. Simmons immediately head to the map table and started looking for another planet to liberate.

"Level 10?" He questioned as he looked to the rest of his squad, most of whom replied with a half-hearted "Nah".

"What about an 8?" Simmons went a little lower to see if his squad was just tired of dying over and over.

"Sure…" Came Wulffs slightly more enthusiastic response as they looked to Nikolai.

"Eh… Why the hell not?" Nikolai said with a smirk on his face under his helmet.

The three of them turned to Hastings who was cradling Celia. Hasting looked up from his recoilless rifle and let out a low grunt as Simmons looked back to the other two.

"Looks like it's settled then, Augustus VIII, Desert Planet." Simmons selected the planet and hit the travel button.

"Slipspace drive charging, 10 seconds until launch." The female AI stated

The countdown to slipspace travel appeared on the screen as a loud banging was heard on the door followed by the fevered scratching of a key-card.

"What the hell is that?" Simmons questioned as the door hissed and burst open.

"9 seconds until launch."

The man who burst in was breathing heavily as he fell next to the table and put his hand on the railing. He pulled with all his might and got to his feet as he took another deep breath. Nikolai let out a small chuckle as the flipped his knife around a few times.

"Slipspace drive charged! 8 seconds until launch"

"Wait... C-Cancel the jump!" He wheezed out as he stood up and tried to touch the board.

However as he reached for the map it started flashing and changing colors rapidly. They all looked to the countdown as the voice started freaking out.

"S-s-slipspace A-a-a-anomaly d-d-detected! W-warn… warning! Ab-abort I-I-Immediately! Critical system and navigation failure detected!"

"That can't be good." Wulff stated in a monotone as the stars in front of the ship stretched and the tubular Slipspace stream opened.

"That's not normal." Simmons stated as they all looked at the tube of light and saw that it was rapidly changing colors before sticking to a solid, pitch black.

The ship started violently shaking as the pitch black enveloped the area around the ship.

"Grab onto something, I don't care what!" Simmons ordered as the crew in the bridge buckled in and held on.

Wulff grabbed onto the nearby railing. Nikolai hopped into the seat he was sitting next to and strapped in. Hastings held onto a different railing than Wulff, but not before buckling in Celia. The map shutdown and the pitch black light turned to a rainbow of intense color before the ship jolted with near impossible speed and violence as people were sent flying and, for most of the crew, everything went black.

A/N: So... thats it for the first chapter!

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