Chapter 1: First Contact
Currently orbiting above Malevolent Creek were dozens of destroyers, yet with each day, their numbers crumbled under the rain of plasma shots aimed at them.
Unlike the Terminids, the Automatons could fire back, even completely repel them from certain planets. But there was no doubt that democracy would be victorious in the end.
"Initiate evasion maneuver!" The captain ordered, the sensors picking up a projectile heading right for them. The pilots did as told, turning the thrusters from the side to full power. But it didn't seem to be enough.
The captain grinned, seeing the scanners still indicating it would hit.
"Brace for impact! It was an honor serving under Super-Earth with my fellow patriots! Our deaths will not be in vain, soldiers!" The captain shouted, uniting the crew under his call.
"Sir, yes, Sir!" All saluted, embracing death with open arms as they awaited their doom.
The ship shook, errors popping up everywhere as the back side of the destroyer was shot at.
Initiating FTL Jump
"What?" The captain shouted, confused about the system suddenly going faster than light. The space around the destroyer distorted, and in milliseconds, a vast dark void surrounded the crew, different from their previous location at Malevolent Creek.
"Where are we? I need a status report!" The captain ordered.
"We-I don't know, Sir. We have been moved to some unknown location since our FTL Jump Drive was damaged. But it seems we are orbiting a planet." The officer said as he watched the visualization on his computer.
"Now that you say it, it does seem so. Is it under Automaton, Terminid, or our control?" The captain asked.
"It seems none of the three. The planet doesn't even seem to be in our system. It must be completely unexplored." The officer reported.
"I see. How is the FTL Jump Drive? Is it still functional?"
"No, Sir. It seems the last jump will be its last for a while. It needs drastic repairs, and we don't have the necessary material or fabricator to produce our destroyed parts." The officer exclaimed. The captain seemed nervous but didn't try to show. If the crew noticed, they would lose morale, which was the last thing he needed.
"And our communication channel? Can we contact other vessels, a colony, or even Super-Earth?"
"Communications have been scrapped as well, Sir." The officer said, a slight grunt escaping the captain's mouth as he heard that.
"Well, if we can't return to battle, we must find a way to repair our ship and return immediately before we are declared traitors. The Treason Decree for Defection declares we already are, but under these circumstances, I believe there is some legroom." The captain said, the crew seemingly nervous about that fact. They didn't want to be traitors, never.
"Have you scanned the planet yet? Are there any living lifeforms on it?"
"No, Sir. I will make a scan immediately." The officer activated their PSM, which is short for planetary scanning module. To their luck, it wasn't damaged or destroyed. "The scanner shows many heat signatures all around the planet. Never have I seen something like this, Sir. We aren't alone at all here." The officer reported.
"I see. Still, we must be careful. From what we know, there could be extremely dangerous creatures on this planet. One's that threaten democracy. But we don't have any choice. Are the cryo-chambers still intact?" The captain inquired, at which one of the officers checked their status.
"Cryo-chambers haven't been damaged, Sir. Hellpods are intact as well." He reported.
"Good. Defrost four Helldivers for deployment. They will act as reconnaissance to see if the planet is hostile or not."
"Of course, Sir." The officer moved to the cryo-chamber control system, selecting four Helldivers in a row.
—-
Name: Darren Smith
Age: 25
Codename: M4
Rank: Sergeant
Position: Battle Master Helldiver
Choice of Weapon: Breaker, P-19 Redeemer, Grenade Launcher
Assigned Strategems: Orbital Precision Strike, Eagle Strafing Run, Gatling Sentry
Deployment History: Malevolent Creek; 2, Mantes; 5, Draupnir; 3
—-
Name: Vicky Dickson
Age: 22
Codename: C1
Rank: Sergeant
Position: B-01 Tactical Helldiver
Choice of Weapon: Liberator, P-19 Redemer, Guard Dog Rover
Assigned Strategems: Supply Pack, Anti-Personnel Minefield, Eagle Strafing Run
Deployment History: Mantes; 3, Draupnir; 4
—-
Name: Allan Williams
Age: 27
Codename: M2
Rank: Sergeant
Position: Scout Helldiver
Choice of Weapon: SC-Infiltrator, P19- Redeemer, Anti-Material-Rifle
Assigned Strategems: Eagle Airstrike, Orbital Gas Strike, Orbital EMS Strike, Orbital Smoke Strike
Deployment History: Mantes; 5, Draupnir; 3
—-
Name: Martin Jones
Age: 30
Codename: D3
Rank: Chief
Position: SA-25 Steel Trooper Helldiver
Choice of Weapon: Liberator Penetrator, P19- Redeemer, Railgun
Assigned Strategems: Eagle 500KG Bomb, Shield Generator Pack, Orbital Laser
Deployment History: Malevolent Creek; 9, Mantes; 7, Draupnir; 6
—
One by one, the four got defrosted. They first had to adjust to the feeling of moving again after being in ice for so long, but since they were experienced, it didn't take long.
Helldivers to bridge
"Man, my head hurts." Allan exclaimed. He almost wanted to massage his face when he remembered he was wearing a helmet.
"Can't even handle a bit of cryosleep can you?" Vicky retorted.
"Shut it, you two! This isn't the time to have fun. We have to report to the bridge." Martin Jones, or the Chief as they call him, said to the two.
"C'mon guys. We gotta go." Darren said, following the chief toward the bridge, the other two doing the same.
It wasn't long until they found themselves before the Death Captain of this vessel. A true Super-Earth hero, one they wouldn't even dare disrespect. He was a Savior of the Free, visible by his highly decorated armor and distinguishable helmet, having two wings sprouting from each side upwards.
"Helldivers, your mission will be to explore the planet's surface, possibly make contact with a civilization you find, and if Liberty needs it, exterminate whatever threat you come over. Understood!?" The captain ordered, the four Helldivers standing straight as they saluted his words.
"Sir, yes, Sir!"
"Good! I wish you good luck on your mission, Helldivers! Prepare the Hellpods!" The captain said.
The four Helldivers rushed to the pods, pushing their feet in the safety hold as they descended, caps closing the top off.
Dropping Hellpods
With incredible speed, the Hellpods dropped toward the planet. The average time it takes to reach the surface varies depending on the atmosphere and the planet's gravitational pressure.
Prepare for impact
The Helldivers heard and tensed their body, their neck straight as they waited until they finally deployed. It would feel incredibly painful if they didn't do it right. But since they all were experienced Helldivers, they knew how to drop without great discomfort afterward.
Thrusters activated, slowing down each pod as they neared the ground.
The four of them impacted the ground, the hatches opening as they ascended from their pods.
"Check the area." The Chief ordered M2, or Allan Williams, the squad's scout.
"On it." With his marker, he scanned the surrounding area for any enemies. "No hostile presence as of now."
"Good. Don't deploy your support weapons or stratagems, only when needed." The Chief exclaimed.
"Understood."
"Good. M2, any signs of civilization?" The Chief asked. Currently, trees surround them, many trees, similar to Earth. To say there was a difference would be a lie. If not for their knowledge, he would mistaken this as a park or a protected forest from Super-Earth.
"I caught up something on my map. Definitely something we should check out." M2 said.
"Good. M4, C1, you'll be at the front while M2 and I take the back." The squad moved through the forest, eyeing every suspicious corner or tree.
"Wait!" The Chief ordered, hearing something up ahead.
"Is that screaming?" C1 questioned.
"It is. Be ready for combat." The Chief informed, holding his weapon ready to shoot at any target. His grip on the tripper tensed as they neared the site where the sound originated.
Quickly, the Chief gave signal to hide behind the trees as he turned to see where the scream came from.
A person in what seemed to be a knight's armor stood over two girls, sword in hand, as he was ready to strike them while they were unharmed. The knight's comrade seemed to just watch it happen.
Without hesitation, the Chief turned around and aimed his Liberator Penetrator at the man, shooting him straight through the chest, leaving a huge hole in it.
"Go!" His team didn't hesitate, M4 quickly shooting a shotgun shell into the other knight's head.
The girls screamed in shock at the knight's sudden death, even more frightened than before.
"Are you alright? Can you understand me?" The Chief asked, at which the bigger of the two looked at him and nodded. She looked utterly human, a relief to the Helldivers.
"Did we land back in the medieval era or what?" Allan exclaimed, examining the knight's armor.
"Not the time, M2!" The Chief said, then turning back to the girls. "You won't have to worry anymore! Now that the Helldivers are here, you will be safe, I promise it!" The chief said heroically.
"T-Thank you, mister." The blonde girl said, tears filling her eyes as she held her little sister tight.
"No need to thank me. After all, it is my job to protect the free. Now, would you perhaps know where the nearest civilization is? Perhaps where you came from?" The Chief asked, at which the girl tensed up. He noticed she looked at one of the dead knights, and he was getting the message.
"I see. So these men attacked your home, and you fled into here, is that right?" He asked, and she nodded. "Do not worry. We will save your home from these bastards! Won't we, Helldivers!?"
"Sir, yes, Sir!"
"There you hear it! You two stay here. We'll handle them. Move on!" D3 said. Before the girl could ask their name, the squad disappeared behind the trees, moving so fast she couldn't even react.
"So there are humans on this planet. Expected some alien bugs or bots." Vicky said.
"Not all humans are on our side here, remember. We have to proceed with caution." Darren, or M4, answered.
"I found something. Up ahead, seems to be a village." Allan reported.
"If there are other enemies here, don't hesitate." The Chief told the squad, them nodding in response.
They rushed through the houses, which resembled old buildings of Earth a long time ago. But that didn't matter. They continued to what seemed to be the middle of the village, an open field with what seemed to be prisoners in the middle surrounded by knights.
"Have a taste of freedom!" Vicky screamed as she unloaded her magazine into the enemy lines.
Darren, Allan, and Martin followed up, the knights falling like dolls after being hit just once. It seems their armor didn't protect them from the Helldiver's bullets.
"Die scum!"
After the last magazine was fired, none of the knights stood. All were killed in a matter of seconds.
"Rejoice, you have just been saved! Who of you is in charge of this place?" The Chief inquired of the villagers, who seemed shocked at the power these dark-armoured knights showed.
Slowly, an old man rose to his feet, cautiously approaching the men.
"I am the village chief here. I thank you for saving us, but what do you intend to do now?" The man asked the Chief, who understood the man's worries. Without a motive, everybody would question a savior.
"We are fighters of democracy! We have seen what the knights did to your village and decided to save your poor lives. No need to thank us." The Chief replied, the man even more confused than before.
"I see. If there is anything we can offer as gratitude, please name it." The man said.
"Mmh, there is. Inform us of where we are right now. Perhaps you have a map?" The Chief asked, and the man nodded.
"Of course. This here is a small village in the Re-Estize Kingdom, neighboring the Baharut Empire to the east. I have a map in my house if you would follow me." The village chief said, receiving negative reactions from the squad.
"You mean they don't have freedom and democracy here?" Darren exclaimed, almost shouting.
"This sickens me." Vicky replied.
"Can't stand this. We must do something about it!" Allan said.
"Enough! We will see for that later. Until then, stay outside and play with the village kids or something." The Chief said, entering a house that seemed bigger than the others.
Quickly, the man pulled out a map made from parchment, the things imprinted upon it lightly visible.
"This here is the Re-Estize Kingdom, this the Baharut Empire, and in the south we have the Slane Theocracy. We are here, near the Great Forest of Tob. Many monsters are in there, so I wouldn't go far inside." The man said he noticed that he got the Helldiver's attention.
"Monsters?" The Chief asked, curious and intrigued.
"Yes. Goblins, Ogres, giant wolves, anything. Even walking nearby could mean getting attacked by a horde of them." The man explained.
"I see. Then why do you live here, so near at the border of the forest?" D3 asked.
"We can't really move from here. We don't possess much money, only the houses that give us shelter. Moving somewhere else would mean abandoning an almost free home." The man stated.
"You mean you aren't free?" The Helldvier asked, confusing the old man.
"Free? We are free, but we are still people of the Re-Estize Kingdom, meaning we have to pay taxes, if that is what you mean." The man said.
One word triggered the Helldiver quite a lot. A kingdom. Even saying it, he couldn't stop feeling a pain in his throat. A kingdom meant no democracy and no great rights that give someone freedom. He couldn't stand it. If he could spit, he would.
"That will be all then. We-" Before he could finish, a man sprinted into the house, breathing rapidly.
"We have visitors! On horseback, it seems!" The man said.
Quickly, the Chief exited the house, calling in his squad.
"To me, now!"
The four of them stood there. Their weapons pointed up front as the dust rose on the horizon.
"Horses? Where are we? Is this some kind of a cosplay event?" Allan exclaimed, earning him a stare from his Chief. Even if he couldn't see his face, he knew he was displeased by his remark.
The men approached, but they didn't seem hostile. But just in case, the Helldivers kept their weapons pointed.
"Stop right there!" The Chief shouted at the approaching men. His tone of hostility was quickly recognized by what seemed to be the leader, his expression changing slightly.
"I am Gazef Stronoff, Warrior Captain of Re-Estize! I have come here on behalf of the king! Are you the village chief?" The man inquired, and the one he questioned nodded. "Then who are these men here beside you?."
"They saved us from the attackers. They do not mean any harm, I assure you, Warrior Captain." The village chief explained, and Gazef eyed the four carefully before he dismounted his horse.
At that, the Helldivers lowered their weapons.
"I thank you for what would have been my mission. I am Gazef Stronoff, Warrior Captain of Re-Estize." The man offered a handshake to Martin. Reluctantly, he put his weapon away and offered his own.
"Martin Jones, Chief Helldiver." He replied, confusing the Warrior Captain.
"Helldiver? Are you perhaps an adventurer? Is that the name of your team?" Gazef asked, scrutinizing the Helldiver's gear as it seemed alien to him. But with his words, he only confused the Chief even more.
"One could call us adventurers, but we're more of exterminators, really. We kill everything that isn't human, well, most of the time. Comes with the job as a Helldiver." He replied, the Warrior Captain raising a brow at his statement.
"Could I ask you from where do you come exactly? I haven't heard of an organization called the Helldivers. This is the first time I've heard of it." Gazef wanted to know more. These men, he guessed, seemed rather out of place. They wore black armor with some yellow parts, symbols of skulls on their breastplate, and a fully closed helmet. A strange reflective substance was before their eyes, and he didn't know exactly what it was.
"We are an elite peacekeeping force, providing freedom and democracy wherever we go. That is our job. It comes with sacrifices." The Chief explained. But the Warrior Captain didn't seem to get it at all. He ignored the man's words before him and moved to the next subject. For now, he classified the "Helldivers" as mercenaries from another part of the continent.
"Chief, I'm getting signals of hostile forces coming our way, and they're pretty numerous." Allan informed.
"Well, it was nice talking with you, Mr. Stronoff. But we have a duty to uphold. Follow me!" The Chief said, and the squad dozed off into the distance.
"We'll follow them!" Gazef said as he mounted his horse.
The four Helldivers quickly maneuvered to the open field, enemies coming up ahead.
"Call in your support weapons!" The Chief ordered.
All four grabbed a round object, like a baseball, and entered a code dedicated to the stratagem they wanted to call.
"Grenade Launcher!"
"Guard Dog Rover!"
"Anti-Material-Rifle!"
"Shield Generator Pack! Railgun!"
Blue beacons of light appeared, and in a matter of seconds, objects with great speeds flew toward the ground, impacting with the ground and opening to show many different kinds of weapons.
"Grab'em and be ready!"
Quickly, they equipped their respective support weapons, pointing them at the incoming enemy group.
"What are those?" Vicky questioned, seeing flying metallic creatures with energy-like wings holding swords made out of light.
"Alien contact!" The Chief exclaimed, preparing to shoot.
"Heavy in the middle!" Allan said, seeing a taller alien-like creature hovering above what seemed to be the attackers' leader. It had a mace in its hand together with a shield showing the sun.
This time, they wore robes instead of armor and weird head coverings.
The leader seemed confused as he saw them.
"Who are yo-" Before he could answer, fire erupted from the Helldiver's barrels, and bullets flew toward the floating creatures with immense speed. Some of the Archangel Flames quickly went in front of the casters, protecting them from the barrage of fire. Unfortunately, the bullets didn't do anything to the angels.
"We're dealing no damage! Use your support weapons!" The Chief took out his railgun, put it into unsafe mode, and aimed at one of the flying knights.
Allan took out his Anti-Material-Rifle, which killed each knight in two shots. The Chief's Railgun did it in one, yet that wasn't enough as more simply spawned in. The Chief quickly noticed this.
"Aim at the alien sympathizers! Kill those bastards!" Switching to his primary, he unloaded his Liberator as rounds of explosive bullets flew toward the robed men, some dying immediately from the impact. In contrast, others sought out protection behind the flying knights.
"That's enough!" Principality of Observation, attack!" Their leader exclaimed, the biggest of the aliens materializing a mace as it went in for an attack.
"C1 and M4 focus on the smaller ones! M2, you'll attack the heavy!" The Chief ordered, unloading shots of shots into the massive flying creature. It neared them, swinging its mace at the Chief. Just in time, Allan shot it with his rifle, explosions following.
"What is this weird magic they are using? Are those wands?" Their leader questioned.
"Ahh! They got me! Healing up with a stim!" Vicky remarked that one of the smaller knights had pierced her arm with their light swords.
Behind the Helldivers, a troop of horsemen approached the battle, looking at the Helldivers with shock.
"Warrior Captain, what should we do?" One soldier asked.
"I… don't know. They seem to handle it quite well. We will stay as reinforcements. It seems the weapons they are using would kill us if we were to go between them and the enemy." Gazef remarked.
"Grenades!" Darren shouted, throwing grenades toward the rows of casters.
"He can't even hit-" One wanted to say before he got blasted away by the explosion. They mistook the grenades for projectiles aimed at them. Big mistake.
"Big one's going down! Don't stop shooting!"
Nigun had enough of this. He took a crystal from his robes and prepared to summon one of the highest angels possible. A light materialized in the air as a creature appeared out of pure white, wings sprouting from every part of its body as it held a golden mace in its arms.
"A titan!" M2 exclaimed at seeing the giant creature.
"I have enough of this! Calling in a stratagem! Orbital Laser!" He threw a black sphere under the titan, a red light appearing after.
"What's this? Are you offering a light show before-" A huge yellow pillar hit the Dominion Authority, the laser dealing heat damage the angel hadn't felt before. Yet it still stood, tanking the damage made from the laser cannon.
"What is that? No matter! Dominion Authority, attack them!"
"Eagle 500KG Bomb!" The Chief exclaimed, seeing the creature go for an attack. He didn't know what kind of attack it would be, but any attack from a titan could end dangerously.
Another red beacon appeared, the Eagle already approaching, dropping the bomb on the target.
The angel was almost ready to perform its lethal attack, but in time, a huge explosion followed up, destroying the Dominion Authority and the robed mages.
"Well, that was something." Darren said. He could have sworn to see his life pass before his eyes. But fate had something else in mind for him. To die on another day for Super-Earth.
Approaching them was the Warrior Captain, his face quite shocked from the scene he had witnessed.
"Warrior Captain! No need for your help. We already dealt with the alien sympathizers." Martin, or D3, said.
"I saw that. Could you tell me what that was? The yellow pillar of light and the huge flash of fire. I have never seen such magic." The Warrior Captain said, getting a chuckle from the Chief.
"Not magic, technology. Look up." Gazef proceeded to do so, and his jaw fell to the ground as he did.
In the sky, there was some sort of metal creature shaped like a sword.
"What is that…"
"Impossible!"
"What?"
"A ship. A Super Destroyer, made for purging anything that doesn't love freedom and democracy. It seems Pelican One is already approaching." A small dot appeared, growing to show a flying object nearing with great speed.
"And what is that?" The Warrior Captain said, pointing toward the Pelican.
"Our ride. It was nice meeting someone like you! Perhaps when Super-Earth liberates this world, you may join one of us as a Helldiver!" Chief said, offering a thumbs up to Gazef, who looked at him without words.
"Farewell then…"
The Pelican approached, landing before Gazef's troops. They watched as the Helldivers entered the metal object. The opening then closed up again and flew away.
"Did they just get inside its, you know, ass?" A soldier asked.
"Don't know talk to me ever again."
"I need to inform the king about this. They are dangerous and unknown and said they would liberate this world. For me, this means they want to conquer it together with Re-Estize. We return home, brothers! Back to the capital!" Stronoff said while the Helldivers flew toward the Sword of Midnight.
They were greeted personally at the bridge by the captain, who awaited their report.
"Sir, we have made contact with a human civilization of the medieval era. There seem to be some alien sympathizers living on this planet that can somehow summon flying creatures of metal. Out of that, we haven't really much else to say, Sir. Kingdoms and empires exist. We even made a digital copy of the map a villager showed us." The Chief informed the captain, who tensed up at kingdoms and empires.
"So you say they don't have any democracy here?" The captain exclaimed.
"No, they do not apparently. They don't even know the definition of the name." The Chief replied.
"We have repaired communications with Super-Earth. We will report this to the government, and if they give the go, we will invade this planet in the name of democracy!"
discord . gg / h6cpJ5d3xh
Here's my discord invitation code. Join if you're interested in becoming a proofreader of my next chapters, or you just want to hang around. Both work.
I'm playing Helldivers 2 for two weeks now, and I can't stop. So I got this idea. This story takes priority now before all others. Nothing can stop me. For Freedom!