The Helldivers

Chapter 2

[ 2184 CE – Omega / Sahrabarik / Omega Nebula ]

"Five minutes until arrival on Omega."

Ark paid no attention to Cassandra's voice, keeping his attention on the armor he found in his locker. In the cargo bay of the Nameless, there was a long row of lockers, with only three of them currently full, and they were large enough to hold a set of armor and even a few weapons. The armor he had been given was Heavy Duelist Armor, ordinary enough if Ark had his say but he appreciated that Anderson remembered his preferences, as he was a Soldier and preferred to use firearms in combat.

"You know, with all the money the Alliance threw at this project I thought we'd get state-of-the-art equipment, not something you can find in different stores."

Glancing to the right, he saw Kan tinkering with his weapons on a workbench, disassembling and reassembling them with speed and efficiency, though he had to admit he was surprised to see a particular sniper rifle in the quarian's hands "Is that an M-98 Widow?"

"Yes, but this is its improved version: the Black Widow; although it is better, it is not mass produced and currently only the Council Specters can obtain one, but there is a small number available on the black market." after adjusting the optics, the quarian put the sniper rifle back in his locker and took out his heavy pistol and a shotgun. He then pointed across the cargo bay with one finger "And I was serious before, what do they expect us to do with something like that?"

Looking in that direction, Ark couldn't help but wonder the same thing. Anderson had been 'generous' enough to entrust them with an M-35 Mako which had undergone several modifications, including some crude work to pass it off as a stolen Alliance vehicle. Sure, they would have to disembark from time to time, but that vehicle only had room for a small team and the modifications made had made it stronger but also slower and heavier.

Without saying anything, he looked back at Kan, who glared back at him "Don't even try to suggest that I can modify it in any way because I'm a quarian."

"I would never dream of saying something like that." in an unconvincing voice before adjusting the last pieces of his armor, after which he retrieved his heavy pistol and took with him an M-96 Mattock assault rifle and an M-23 Katana shotgun.

Once they were ready, they took the elevator back to the upper level and headed towards the cockpit just as Cassandra was finishing the docking maneuvers. The entire ship shook for a few seconds as it was blocked by Omega's gravity locks but then some lights on the command console turned green, signaling that everything was successful.

"Well, here we are! The legendary Omega! A place full of promise, opportunity, and law!" said Kan with a nod, casting a distracted glance towards one of the windows in the large bulkheads of the station where all three could see a batarian being killed by a bullet to the head, staining the glass with blood and brains "It feels like home, doesn't it?"

"Cassandra, arm the mechs just in case and always stay in touch. If you discover something useful, please let us know." ordered Ark before heading towards the airlock to exit the ship. He didn't receive a response but he knew the young pilot would do what he asked and, within seconds, he and Kan finally found themselves on Omega. The two didn't even have time to look around properly before they saw a salarian approaching them with a brisk step and a fake smile on his face. Kan took a step back, wanting to enjoy the scene of Ark dealing with the first of many swindlers or pickpockets, but the albino brought him no joy as he immediately drew his heavy pistol and pointed it at the salarian.

Eyes wide in shock and fear, the salarian immediately stopped and raised his hands in surrender before very quickly backing away. With a soft snort, Kan looked at his crewmate "You are no fun at all."

Not wanting to comment, Ark headed towards the end of the corridor and the two found themselves a few dozen meters from the entrance of a place called Afterlife which, judging by the queue to enter, must have been a very famous and crowded place. Around them, they saw aliens of all races but it was clear that, although the situation was calm, that place was not exactly a paradise and that violence was the order of the day, judging by the bullet holes visible here and there.

"So, how do we want to proceed? Do we stop the first person who passes by and ask them if they want to join in a potentially suicidal long-term mission?" asked Kan, already noticing some individuals who seemed to be able to use a gun.

"We can't ask just anyone; even if the pay is good, it doesn't mean that certain mercenaries won't try to betray us." said Ark, observing the Afterlife with an interested look. If the music that could be heard in the background came from there, it was clear that it was a place where you could drink and relax, the perfect place to get information, but unfortunately, it seemed like a place where you could only enter by invitation or after interminable waits.

"Let's split up and look around, this place is huge and we will certainly find someone suitable for the mission."

Kan shrugged and walked away to do as requested, while Ark activated his omni-tool and checked the map of that sector, then headed towards the area where several shops were selling new and especially used goods. Looking around he couldn't notice how there were quite a few humans and batarians around but they didn't seem particularly hostile to each other, although it was clear that there was no peace and love between them either.

After a few minutes of looking at some goods (he was there for a reason but nothing stopped him from seeing if there was anything worth buying) he found himself in front of a kiosk manned by a large elcor who, strangely, was smoking a cigar "Tentatively excited: welcome, human. What can I get for you?"

"Do you have anything like special weapons or armor?"

"Excited: yes, I own some models of Terminus Armor, at the cheapest prices on the market."

'Their lack of facial expressions is always strange to me.' thought Ark before carefully looking at the armor data on the monitor to his left. After reading everything carefully, he nodded before buying one "Have it delivered to the Nameless, it is docked at the hatch in front of the Afterlife."

"Courteously: Thank you for your purchase, I will have it delivered immediately. Good day."

Satisfied with his purchase, Ark walked away from the kiosk, trying to decide where he could look for someone suitable for his team since there were purely normal people or simple merchants around there. Going down some stairs, he noticed how the situation was visibly worsening, reminding him of the ghettos that could be found in some human cities, but worse kept and even more in disarray; if they weren't homeless people sleeping on the streets, then they were vorcha tearing up some junk to get something out of it.

Luckily none of them tried to cause any trouble for Ark, although some vorcha growled at him menacingly but he ignored them, continuing to explore the area. After several minutes spent in the middle of corridors full of dirt and exhausted people, Ark heard some shots in the distance and, if such an event was commonplace on Omega, he still decided to go in that direction to see what was happening.

As he approached the corner at the end of the corridor, he poked his head out a little and saw two dead varren on the ground, both killed with multiple blows to the head. An explosion caught his attention and, after drawing his assault rifle, he advanced along the corridor keeping the weapon pointed forward. It didn't take him long to emerge into a small square, in the center of which he saw a krogan wearing red armor where the insignia of the Blood Pack was visible.

"Come out and face me, you vermin!" shouted the krogan, firing a few shots with his shotgun at the windows of the small building in front of him "I'll rip off your skull and feed your body to the recruits! I'm sure they will appreciate the gift!"

Ark stood aside for a few seconds, watching him rant again and again at whoever was hiding inside the house, and then he stepped forward "Oi. Who the hell are you wasting ammo on?"

The krogan was quick to turn and aim his weapon at the newcomer but did not pull the trigger, having noticed that Ark had lowered his rifle "Get the fuck out of my sight, human! This is a personal matter!"

"Since when did the krogan of the Blood Pack waste shots through the windows of an abandoned building for a personal matter?" asked Ark, looking at the two-story building in front of them, clearly abandoned or at least uninhabited, given the complete absence of noises inside.

The large alien growled at him before turning and firing another shot before switching thermal clips "A vermin is hiding in here! A damned vorcha who dared to kill my cousin! Today I will kill him and then I will kill thirty more vorcha to set an example for them!"

Ark raised an eyebrow, clearly doubtful of what he had just heard "If we assume that your cousin was a krogan, do you want me to believe that a single vorcha managed to kill him? Are you sure he's not just an uglier turian than usual?"

"You think I can't tell the difference between a vorcha and a turian?" the krogan was now a few centimeters from Ark's face, glaring at him "He's a former vorcha of the Blood Pack but he's cunning and sneaky! I'm sure he stabbed my cousin in the back but that doesn't change the fact that he killed him and today I will have my revenge!" he then stopped speaking, sniffing the air "Your smell…it's strange, human."

Narrowing his eyes, Ark raised a hand and, after pressing it against his muzzle, pushed him back slightly "Get out of my face, krogan. If you're convinced that this vorcha killed your cousin, why don't you go in and kill him?"

"Didn't you hear me human?! That worm is sneaky and will have set up a trap or two in there, plus I'm sure that as soon as I get in he'll escape out of a window! It's the only way he can escape since there are no other accesses to this building!"

Ark rolled his eyes, wondering if that krogan wasn't simply scared, yet he couldn't help but be intrigued by such a crafty vorcha; having decided what to do, he switched to his shotgun "You go inside and I'll wait out here; if he escapes I will keep him at gunpoint and warn you."

"Why would you ever do that? I don't even know you." the krogan asked with clear doubt in his voice.

"Let's just say I also lost a family member to some vorcha."

The krogan was silent for a few seconds, then he returned his attention to the building "If he comes out, don't you dare kill him! He is my prey!"

"Relax, he's not the one I intend to kill." Ark replied smoothly, taking a step forward and resting the barrel of his shotgun behind the frontal plate on the krogan's head before pulling the trigger. A flower of blood, bone, and gray matter bloomed from the krogan's skull and he fell to the ground without so much as a groan, after which Ark pulled the trigger again, destroying his head. Satisfied with the result, he put the weapon away and looked at the abandoned building "You can come out now, the krogan is dead."

He didn't get an answer, so he walked to the front door, or what was left of it, and opened it. Inside he saw only a large room full of semi-destroyed furniture but when he started to enter, someone shot at him from above near his foot, making him take out his heavy pistol. Looking up, his eyes locked with the red ones of a vorcha holding him at gunpoint from a hole in the ceiling, which he then used to leap into the room below, keeping his M-6 Carnifex trained on Ark.

"You kill krogan. Why?"

"Let's just say I was curious to see the vorcha capable of making a krogan so restless." explained Ark before lowering his weapon but, like before, when he tried to take a step forward, the vorcha shot near his foot to make him stop only this time Ark growled at the alien.

"You no enter! Proximity mine near door! Add explosive for krogan!" the vorcha seemed almost agitated, but Ark had the feeling that what was agitating him was the idea of wasting something made especially for a krogan in an accident. Under his surprised gaze, he saw an omni-tool appear around the vorcha's left arm who, after typing two quick commands, deactivated the proximity mine hidden in the doorway.

The vorcha then approached to pick it up and place it back inside the dark pouch on his right thigh, and now that he was closer, Ark could see how that alien had several pouches on his body: one on his upper left arm, the one on his right thigh, a larger one attached to his ebony utility belt, as well as a bandolier that he held diagonally across his chest over a crimson red, studded leather vest, paired with tactical pants of the same color.

"First time human help me. Why risk for vorcha?"

Ark shrugged "As mentioned, I was curious. That krogan said you were part of the Blood Pack; is it true?"

"Yes, name is Jek. Me in Blood Pack. Four years, whole life. Then mission end badly. Brother die, I kill krogan responsible. Abandon Blood Pack!" explained the vorcha in the raspy voice that characterized his species, though Ark had to admit that it was unheard of that a vorcha could currently have a civil conversation without immediately resorting to violence.

"That krogan also said you were cunning and sneaky, was he telling the truth?"

Jek shook his head "Very smart. I make bombs, very powerful. Good with electronics. More skilled than many vorcha."

Ark scratched his chin, clearly interested "And what are you doing now?"

"Low profile. Small jobs. Accumulate funds. Intention to leave Omega."

"Is that so?" now Ark was more than certain that he had finally found someone valid "If so, would you like to join me? I'm currently putting together a team."

Jek narrowed his gaze "Team for what? Who say you not with other krogan? I smell krogan on you, different than dead krogan!"

"That's something you don't have to worry about, but just know that I'm not with any krogan." said the albino, clearly upset that everyone was commenting on his smell "Our team will take care of a bit of everything but we will not be mercenaries, we will have complete freedom of movement, action, and decision. If you decide to join me, everything will be explained to you better when we are on board my ship."

"It's not your ship."

'Now is not the time, Cassandra.' thought Ark, resisting the urge to rub his forehead.

Jek, on the other hand, was considering the possibility that had just presented itself to him. The vorcha looked back at the human in front of him, shaking his head "I no longer a slave. No go back to be one!"

"I don't need slaves, I need capable people." replied Ark while crossing his arms "You will have the opportunity to do as you wish on board the ship but I want efficiency during missions, I have no use for cannon fodder."

The alien stared at him in silence for several seconds before reactivating his omni-tool; Jek typed a couple of commands again before reaching out and retrieving a second hidden proximity mine. Ark looked at the second explosive with an amused grin "A backup plan?"

"Always need one." nodded Jek "Krogan not smart. Enter from the entrance. Two mines to wound, I kill from above."

"What if he stayed out?"

"Vorcha can fast. Krogan need food. Eventually go away." explained Jek, approaching the krogan's corpse in the process, quickly recovering some credits, thermal clips, and his weapon.

Ark approached him, watching him work "How did you end up in that situation?"

"Krogan hunt me for two weeks. Varren excellent nose, and krogan use dead cousin's armor. Find me after small job, chase for hours." Jek pointed downward "Possible to go down, but Blood Pack territory. Blue Suns territory here, krogan no bring large team, easy to lose track or resist."

"So you chose a location with a better chance of survival after killing his varren, very clever. If by chance some Blue Suns had come in my place, they would still have tried to kill him and you could have left." summarized Ark, before holding out his hand "I haven't introduced myself yet, my name is Ark; happy to have you on board. Once we are calmer we can talk about your compensation."

Jek looked at the hand and blinked a couple of times, then he returned the gesture and shook hands with Ark, being careful not to apply too much force and risk scratching him with his claw-like fingers "Fight strong opponents, my compensation. Credits useful, but no goal."

"A warrior huh? If it goes as I think, you will be happy with us but know that I do not tolerate any kind of racism on my ship. I couldn't care less what race you belong to once you're on the ship with me, is that clear?" when Jek nodded, Ark let go of his hand before walking down the corridor he had come from with the vorcha at his side "By the way, do you know anyone who might be interested in joining us? There are currently only a few of us so anyone will do. A doctor, an engine expert, and so on…"

The vorcha seemed to think about it for a few seconds "Mordin Solus, salarian doctor. Very smart, very competent, very dangerous. Clinic in urban area, lower level. He help everyone, but also shoot and kill. Kill many vorcha and Blue Suns. Not here now, left for journey."

"That's a shame, a salarian doctor would have been very useful. Anyone else?"

"Alison Athenius, occasional helper. Own another clinic. She help all except batarians, kill two pirates days ago." said Jek indicating in which direction this doctor's clinic was "She strange, no receive money for treatment. Ask for alcohol, plants, drugs, painkillers, but she no scientist like salarian doctor. I believe she depressed or dying."

Ark looked at him, raising an eyebrow "Why do you think so?"

"See exchange once. She help krogan, receive krogan planet plant. Plant can calm krogan, very powerful, effect too strong for humans." Jek tapped his right temple "Humans intelligent, but weak in body and mind. Alien plants and drugs dangerous to you. Doctor no use plant for patients, use for her."

"Mh…still worth a try. Let's go to this doctor." Ark said before following Jek through the alleys of Omega, noticing how the vorcha was particularly alert, even if it wasn't strange given what happened a few minutes earlier. Standing behind him, the albino could observe the way he moved and it was clear that Jek had a lot of combat experience: one hand close to his gun, checking every corner before going past it, walking close to walls and above all without making too much noise.

After several minutes without incident, although the strange duo had attracted quite a few glances as it was almost impossible to see a vorcha alongside a human (unless they were trying to kill each other), they arrived in a more urban area where everything seemed calmer, even if it was an illusion since Ark could very well see the damage of some buildings and at least a couple of drug dealers nearby. The illusion was further shattered by a couple who quickly passed by them, muttering something about a fight and someone getting hurt.

Ark and Jek then headed in that direction and found themselves in a small street, where some passers-by were looking at something or simply ignoring what was happening: a salarian was sitting on the ground against a wall with a bloody wound on one side while, a few meters away from him, there was a human who was holding one hand over a bruise on his forehead, holding a knife stained with green blood in the other.

What caught Ark's attention, however, was the young woman wearing a white medical suit currently kneeling next to the salarian. She had long, dark brown hair that ran down her back, a petite body, and a pale complexion. She was currently moving her omni-tool over the salarian's wound to apply some medi-gel and Ark could see that she was also scanning said wound thanks to the dark visor covering her eyes.

"Hey, you! Why the hell are you helping that damn salarian? You should help me first!" shouted the man, trying in vain to get up. The blow to his head had caused more damage than expected, but he was certainly not in danger of his life like the salarian.

The woman didn't even seem to hear him and continued to treat the alien until the wound was completely closed, after which she helped him get up. Being ignored seemed to anger the man even more and, using the nearby wall to stand, he began to stagger towards the doctor and threatened her with the knife "You damn bitch! You're one of those damn pro-aliens, right? Would you turn your back on a human?!"

His protests were brutally silenced when the woman took the M-6 Carnifex from her black belt and pointed it at him, immediately pulling the trigger. The shot grazed his ear, causing him to fall to the ground in fright and causing most of the passers-by who had stopped to watch to disperse. With a calm step, she approached the man and pointed the gun at him again "Tell me, do you think it was wise to insult me while I was doing my job after you almost killed that salarian?" the man shook his head, visibly terrified of dying "Your breath smells like alcohol, so I'll blame your behavior on that. Only for this time."

She then put away her weapon and applied some medi-gel to the visible bruise on the man's head, surprising him, after which she walked away without even asking him for compensation.

"Is it her?" asked Ark and when Jek nodded, the albino began to follow her, quickly arriving in front of her small clinic, recognizable only by the large green neon cross placed above the entrance. The external appearance was not the best but he was not there to judge and, without wasting any more time, he went inside with Jek, finding himself in a small room where there was a desk with a turned-off computer on it, a medical bed for patients and some shelves with medicines. Talking about minimalism.

"Who are you?"

Ark returned his attention to Alison, currently sitting at the desk but now her visor was resting on the desk and he could see her light brown eyes and had to admit that he had rarely seen someone with such exhausted eyes. Difficulty sleeping perhaps? Or those plants Jek had talked about? Feeling there was no point in overthinking it, Ark took a step forward "Name's Ark, I have a proposal for you Dr. Athenius."

Alison didn't bat an eye and put the visor back on her face "I don't work for pirates, nor criminal gangs. You can go and look for medi-gel elsewhere." but then stood up, gesturing towards the medical bed "However, I can't let you go out with a possible infectious disease, sit down."

"I'm not sick."

"That's for me to decide." replied Alison, her tone leaving no room for argument. Moving closer to Ark, she raised an arm and lightly scratched the small scales near his scalp "They don't appear to be infections or fungi."

Ark took her hand and moved it away from his face "They are not something harmful, I was born with them, and regarding what you said before, we are neither pirates nor a criminal gang."

"Really? Because from what I've seen, vorcha are mostly members of the Blood Pack or pirate gangs." said Alison while glancing at Jek, who was tapping on her computer "It's broken, there's no point in trying to turn it on."

"That might be the case, but Jek is a member of my crew and that's what I'd like to talk about. I'm putting together a team for a long-term mission and we could use a doctor on board." said Ark before shrugging "Honestly speaking, we have mechs and medical equipment on board and I don't think I will ever need that much medical attention, but I would prefer someone alive as a doctor and not a machine, also if you have the courage to set up shop here it means you can take care of yourself."

"Be that as it may, I don't see why I should join in on this mission when I have patients here who need my help." she looked back at Jek "Furthermore I don't…oh."

Glancing towards the vorcha, Ark saw him putting away a small tool while the computer next to him was up and running. Ark could have sworn he took his eyes off Jek for not even a minute.

Alison stood in front of the PC and typed some things, noticing with pleasure how it worked almost better than before "I didn't expect this. Thank you."

Jek looked at Ark first, almost as if to ask how to react, then looked back at Alison, nodding "You welcome. Damaged cables, processor not aligned. Computers run better and longer now." he then looked down and, before Alison or Ark could say anything, he opened his mouth "Lower body not proportionate. I recommend metabolism control, you humans have fragile organs."

As Alison narrowed her eyes at him, Ark coughed into his fist to suppress a snort. He honestly couldn't blame the vorcha for saying that, as Alison was shorter than them (Jek was only a few inches taller than her but the point remained) but while her shoulders, chest and hips were slim, her legs were bigger, but he wasn't one to make judgments about other people's appearance. However, he made a small mental note to teach Jek to be more discreet to avoid any thorny situations with the other crew members.

Shacking his head, Ark focused back on Alison "There will be people to help where we go too, but I can't explain further if you decide not to join us, doc."

Alison looked back at her computer but it was clear she was staring into space. The woman didn't move for a few minutes and Ark could see that Jek was perplexed by her behavior, but eventually she sighed and looked at them "Very well, I will join this team of yours but know that I do not intend to help any kind of pirates, and above all I hate batarians. Also, if you do anything like kidnap innocents or anything, I will kill you myself."

Ark had to admit it, she had balls. Ever since Alison had found herself in front of an armed human and vorcha she had never shown any sign of fear and in fact, she was even threatening him. Yes, he had found a great doctor for the team, even if that story about plants and drugs could be a problem, but from what he saw, there were only normal medicines there and nothing more.

"Don't worry, I don't intend to do anything like that. Welcome aboard, doctor Athenius."

"Doctor Alison will do." she said while shutting down her computer "If this is truly a long-term mission, I'll have to pack my belongings."

Ark nodded at her "You can pack everything up and I'll send a mech to get your things. The same goes for you Jek, do you need to retrieve something?"

"No much. Components and electronics, easy transport."

"Cassandra, prepare a mech to reach my location and retrieve Dr. Alison's belongings. I'm returning to the Nameless with two new team members." said Ark while pressing two fingers on his right ear.

"Roger that. You might want to take a detour though." came Cassandra's response from the ship and Ark couldn't tell if she was bored or tired. The former probably.

"And why is that?"

"The ship's VI has managed to establish a link with Omega, and I can access many of the station's cameras. Kan also found two possible members for the team."

For some strange reason, Ark knew he would regret asking but he had to "And what's the problem?"

"He and the other two are holed up in a block under Eclipse control, and are currently locked in a firefight with at least two mercenary squads."

"…"

"We can always leave him there."

"Tempting but no, we have to give him a hand. Send me the coordinates." Ark then looked at Jek and Alison "Change of plans, it looks like our first action will be a recovery mission."

"Ark."

A long sigh escaped his lips "What is it, Cassandra?"

"Teams from the Blue Suns and Blood Pack are converging on Kan's location."

"…"

TO BE CONTINUED…

And here we are with the first chapter! A short and quick chapter to get the ball rolling and introduce some characters! In the next chapter, we will see Kan's POV and how he ended up in the situation he is in now!

This chapter also marks the end of the OC submission period (edit: this chapter was supposed to be released on October 1st but I had internet problems)! Thank you very much to everyone who participated and I must admit that some of the OCs I received are really complex and well structured! Below you will find the list of all the OCs who will be part of the Helldivers team (just first and last names so as not to spoil anything, even if in some cases it's easy to guess what they are) and unfortunately, I had to refuse several OCs, but I still thank you for your effort!

Edit: having received some responses from users who had yet to send their OCs, the deadline to complete these OCs is set for October 7th! So the team could get some additions! Furthermore, if a new user wants to try to create an OC they are free to do so, but after October 7th I will no longer accept anyone!

By the way, I hope I got the vorcha and elcor way of speaking right, it was driving me crazy at times.

HELLDIVERS LIST:

Ark (by: SoImAWriterSoWhat)

Cassandra 'Cassy' Thompson (by: SoImAWriterSoWhat)

Kan (by: TheDapperCat)

Jek (by: Lawrence Cartwright)

Mercury (by: Lawrence Cartwright)

Soryana T'Namyek (by: Cellenia2)

Alison Athenius (by: Cellenia2)

Alara Khesh (by: Outcast001)

Marcus Graves (by: AdaviantheBear)

Kiyala Marios (by: Mandalore the Survivor)

Vin Nilsson (by: Mandalore the Survivor)

Wator'Lofor vas Caram (by: zetsunaflames)

Carn Dran'fapos (by: 101romansoldier)