Super Earth. Our Home.

Prosperity. Liberty. Democracy.

Our way of life.

But freedom doesn't come free. It is every man, woman and child's duty to protect our home, our culture, and our families.

Why not make the most important decision of your life?

Make the safety of your family a personal responsibility!

And prove that you have the strength and courage to be free!

Join the HELLDIVERS!

Travel the galaxy! Visit the capitals!

Meet unusual people and represent the federation!

Secure the resources we need to preserve our way of life and create a future for Super Earth!

Spread managed democracy throughout the galaxy.

Become more than you are.

Become.

A Hero!

Become.

A Legend!

Become.

A HELLDIVER!

Aboard the Super Earth Ship -Hammer Of Democracy-

"Helldivers to Hellpods, repeat, Helldivers to Hellpods."

Our vessel stood just above the atmosphere of the planet Meridia in the Umlaut Sector, a once vibrant planet, now turned Terminid super colony. No one could have foreseen that these fascist bugs would develop a resistance, going so far as to thrive and evolve, following the deployment of the TCS, much to the dismay of Super Earth Command and Super Earth scientists.

As such, Operation Enduring Peace was green lit, seeing the deployment of Helldivers once more to the planet. This time, to sign off on the planet's destruction. The Super Earth Armed Forces Command authorized the use of "Dark Fluid", an exotic substance that defies physics by somehow creating unstable gravitational singularities when used in mass.

In their great wisdom, Command sought use of the substance to collapse the planet into a black hole and destroy the planet along with all of the Liberty-forsaken bugs that inhabit it.

With a hiss, my 'B-01 Tactical' helmet hermetically sealed to my 'B-01 Tactical' armor and body glove underneath. Cape fluttering as a result of the Super Destroyer's built-in 'Super Wind Simulator', I strode towards my Hellpod, my boots latching onto the floor's restraints as the elevator lowered me into its hull.

Locking my SG-225 'Breaker' shotgun and P-19 'Redeemer' machine pistol onto the designated weapon rack, I strapped in for launch. Above me, the Hellpod seals itself, a steel plate with the Helldiver's insignia latched onto the entrance, ensuring a perfect seal.

This was a solo drop on my part. The previous Diver's that preceded me all perished in their fight for Democracy and all that it stands for. Just before they could deploy the final injector, the cowardly bugs surrounded and massacred the heroic Divers.

As such, it was up to me to activate the final injector and extract.

The alarms blared as ship control locked onto the chosen coordinates, an open patch of land not too far off from the designated Dark Fluid injection site.

"Launch initiated."

I feel the Hellpod eject from the Super Destroyer, with the camera feed flickering to life following the launch, giving me a live feed of my descent to the planet.

As I approached the planet, I noticed something off on my drop. The planet seemed to be... glowing?

Not in the same sense as the light refracting off of the spores that contaminated the atmosphere, but an alien purple glow, the same as with those Dark Fluid containers that we hauled to the injectors.

'Is it... working?' I thought to myself.

Then fellow Super Destroyers began jumping away from the planet.

'Strange, were they called back for another operation?' I understandably questioned, as there couldn't have been an any more important operation than the one straight from Super Earth.

I looked back at the planet, with the glow slowly becoming more apparent, the edges of the planet slowly becoming contorted.

At various points of the atmosphere, I could make out dozens of Pelicans speeding away from the planet, as if in a frantic escape.

As the Hellpod's hull slowly heated upon entering the fringes of Meridia's atmosphere, I could hear a dull hum emanate from beyond the pod.

My concerns steadily grew as my pod broke through the thick layer of spores, revealing the planet's earth.

My concerns then evolved into fear, then terror, as the ground below me caved into itself, as if something below was consuming the ground in a ravenous hunger.

I briefly entertained the thought that the Hive Lords, a dangerous foe from the First Galactic War, may have made a resurgence, characterized by their ability to terraform planets beneath the crust to create large hives and networks of tunnels.

But I inevitably shake off the thought, the brave Helldivers of the First War surely wiped them off the faces of all the planets they inhabited, so there was completely no way they could still exist. Super Earth High Command and its superiors never lie, after all.

I then come to the conclusion that Operation Enduring Peace was working. How else was the planet slowly consuming itself, if not the success of my fellow Divers?

My heart sank to my stomach, I then realized that I was on my way towards that collapsing planet.

Panic set in on all sides as I froze in fear.

'This is it... then.'

Realizing that there's no way out of this, I accept the fact that this is how I'm going out.

In one last act of patriotism, I looked ahead, steeling myself. Straightening myself out as much as possible, I stared at the Super Earth insignia painted onto the inside of the hull.

Giving one last salute towards Super Earth, I raised my fist and brought it down.

"For Super Earth."

A deep and stress-racked sigh escaped her lips.

The flipping of documents and the faint scratching of pen on paper could be heard as she worked endlessly to complete the mountain of paperwork that dominated a good portion of her desk.

Of course, even the lowest of lows can get even lower.

The documents she was signing off on were all complaints and requests, all of which could be traced back to the complete disappearance of the General Student Council President.

She lifted her phone, the screen turning on. She watched in real time as the message notifications jumped from double, to triple digits, with the messages no doubt coming from the representative's downstairs waiting to talk her ears off.

'Seems like I can no longer stall for time...' She thought to herself.

Another sigh comes from her as she raised herself from her seat and strode towards the elevator.

With a ding, the doors opened. Stepping in, she composed herself as she selected the ground floor. In bated breath, she watched the LED screen slowly count down, before finally hitting the bottom.

Stepping out, she's met with the lobby. Scanning the large room, she felt a tinge of hope that the representatives had left.

Then she closed her eyes, that same hope fading as quickly as it came as numerous footsteps could be heard approaching her. And fast.

"Acting President! There you are!" A purple haired girl called out to her.

Her still closed eyes twitched incessantly before opening them and adopting a customer service smile. Then she turned to face her.

"Ah, Hayase-san." She spoke as she eyed the rest of the girls. "Might you need something of me?" The Acting President continued, speaking in a manner that befitted the title.

One of the others stepped forward. "Ah, I too require your attention." She spoke, her jet-black wings that flanked her sides fluttering slightly.

Then another. "I've come on the behalf of the Prefect Team, Acting President. We have urgent matters that must be discussed with the General Student Council President." This one blonde, with a hefty and large bag strapped over her shoulder.

The Acting President felt a twinge of annoyance, but she had to remain calm and collected.

"I'm afraid you will have to wait. There are matters here at the General Student Council that too need facing."

Hayase groaned. "Is that all you can say?" She asked in annoyance as she crossed her arms. "Not only Millenium, for all schools, in fact, you've been saying the same thing and brushing us off!"

Black Wings nodded. "I'm afraid I'll have to agree with Hayase-san, Acting President. We've been patient as long as possible, but with how fast Kivotos is deteriorating..." She purses her lips. "Something must be done."

Blonde Hair chimed in as well as she nodded. "Hayase-san and Hanekawa-san are correct, Acting President, the situation with the PMC's in the area, as well as the local gangs is getting out of hand. They've begun raiding a multitude of districts across Kivotos, and our forces, as well as those of other schools, are spread thin."

The Acting President nodded. She was all too familiar with what the representatives said, after all, she has to deal with the aftermath with every single incident that has occurred via paperwork. And those were only the ones that managed to be reported.

She grimaced, but they were right, something needs to be done, and done fast. She remembered that the GSC President had left a letter stating that an adult male would come in and assist with the dealings of Kivotos. Including the rapid deterioration of schools and the suppression of the multitude of gangs and PMC's.

'But where are they?' She questioned.

If they were to appear, now would be a great time for them to show up. Any later and there likely wouldn't be a Kivotos to repair.

With a sigh, she turned around and walked towards the lobby window to gaze at the city.

"H-hey!" Hayase called out. "We're still talking here!"

The Acting President shook her head. "Indeed, and the interaction can still be held. I'm simply looking out the window."

Hanekawa raised a brow then shrugged, joining the Acting President as she took to her side.

Blonde Hair followed suit next, with Hayase joining in after making a complaint.

Holding my salute, I waited for the embrace of death to take hold of me, hoping that once I pass into the black hole, it would at least be quick.

But as I waited, I slowly lowered my salute, then I strained my ears. The deafening hum of what I assumed to be the black hole was gone, and the creaking of the Hellpod's hull ceased.

I raised a brow as I reached for the console that controlled the pod's external camera. After trying it a few times, I give up, concluding that whatever happened out there busted the camera.

'Does that mean I'm inside the black hole?' I thought as I put a hand to my chin.

Contemplating my situation, I assume that I'm likely within the black hole. The most confusing part about this is the fact that I'm not dead... yet.

I mull over my situation for a few more moments before the screen flickers to life. I watch in surprise as instead of a camera feed, a Super Earth Public Service Announcement began playing. Hope is rekindled inside me as I watched with a smile.

Then the smile gradually faded off my face, as instead of a Ministry of Truth mandated broadcast, it confusingly revealed the confines of an old Super Earth monorail. The camera then panned over a woman. She wore a pure white uniform, her similarly shaded hair with blue highlights flowing past her shoulders. She sat on a bench that lined across the monorail's wall, a window behind her revealing a beautiful blue sky.

What caught me off guard from the sight was the gunshot wound she had sustained. To her lower left abdomen stood the wound, a trail of blood flowing from the site of injury and ruining her uniform.

Out of reflex, I reached for my stims housed in a polymer container to my side before realizing that she is beyond my reach. Holstering the stimulant, I continued watching in confusion and concern.

A few more moments passed before the woman began talking.

"It was all my fault." She began.

I raised a brow, my face obscured behind my 'B-01 Tactical' helmet.

Her facial expression was somehow serene... calm. As if she hasn't been shot.

"My decisions, and everything they caused."

"It had to come to this for me to finally realize that you were right all along..."

"So forgive me for being so bold, but I must ask for your help."

'Is she... talking to me?'

"You'll forget these words, but it won't matter."

"I believe what matters most are the choices we make, not the experiences we have."

"There are choices only you can make."

A small smile appears on her face, but that's all I can make out, her eyes thoroughly obscured by her hair.

"I didn't truly understand it then, but now I do."

"Adulthood, responsibility, obligation... and the choices you make that extend beyond those ideals."

"I even understand their implications."

"..." She paused, as if contemplating the rest of her words.

"Therefore, Sensei..." She continued, her voice more resolute.

"...you're the only one I can trust."

"Only you can free us from this twisted, distorted fate..."

"...And find the choices that will lead us to a new reality."

"So, Sensei. Please..." She trailed off as the screen eventually faded to black.

'What in Lady Liberty was that?' I questioned as I tried the screen once more, though to no avail.

Then the pod began vibrating once more.

I look down at the pod in concern as I began feeling it shake as if entering atmosphere. The screen then flickered to life again, causing me to recoil in surprise at each new development.

To my startling realization, it's a live feed of outside the pod, giving me relief that I'm somehow no longer within a black hole.

Then I start questioning why I'm no longer in a black hole, but now steadily approaching what looks like urban cityscape.

I shake the thoughts, looks like Lady Liberty deemed it wasn't my time to die yet. Steeling myself, I watched the screen as I rapidly approached the urban landscape, my drop steadily closing in on a street next to a large office building.

"...So, what're we looking at?" Hayase questioned, staring at the passerby's as they walked towards their destination.

The Acting President nodded slowly. "Just... reminiscing. Of a better time." She spoke in a somber tone.

Hayase grimaced, she found it tough to give a snarky remark given the Acting President's tone, but she still had problems back home that required a response.

"When will we be able to talk face to face with the President? I understand that matters are difficult here at the Council, but any further delays to a response will be detrimental." Hanekawa spoke up, her arms crossed, though with difficulty as her bosom proved to be a large obstacle for the action.

The Acting President glanced to her sides, meeting the eyes of the representatives. Finally, with a sigh, she decided that it would be best to let them know.

"Unfortunately... none of you will be able to meet with the President." She finally said.

They all groan, understandably, as they've been hearing the same response, simply gilded differently every time they asked. The three girls walked back, forcing the Acting President to turn around away from the window.

"Hayase-san, Hanekawa-san, Hinomiya-san." The Acting President calmly said.

Confused at their names suddenly being dropped, they glanced at each other before looking back at her.

"The truth is... she's missing."

They all went slack jawed.

She held her head low, of course they'd act that way, the only person with the power to fix all of this was gone, and not a single trace of her or where she might have gone to be found.

"I understand that you all may be deeply shocked, but that is the truth." She huffed. "Honestly, we have searched high and low, but-" She cut herself off as she looked back up at the girls.

She raised a brow as she was confused as to why they still had their mouths open.

'Surely the President being missing isn't THAT much of a shock, is it?' She questioned.

She's about to speak up before realizing that they weren't looking in shock at her, but rather at something out the window. Turning around, she gazed out the window.

Then she dropped a jaw of her own.

Outside the window was a rapidly approaching object, whatever it is, was burning as it pierced the air, leaving behind fire as the friction from its speed burnt its exterior.

"Is that a meteor!?" Hayase yelled as she pointed at the object.

Hinomiya pushed up her glasses as she stared at the object in awe. "I've never seen one enter Kivotos like this..."

"Is it... approaching us?" Hanekawa asked in some fear as the "meteor" grew in size as it blazed through the air.

Narrowing her eyes, the Acting President leaned in closer to get a better view.

Then her eyes went wide.

"Everyone, get back from the windows!" She yelled as she turned around and ran deeper into the lobby.

The girls didn't argue, instead heeding her words and running too. Ducking behind a couch, collectively they braced for impact.

They didn't have to wait long, as they felt the impact of the "meteor" hitting the ground at a high velocity, shaking the ground and shattering the nearby windows upon the devastating impact.

Confusingly, they swear they could've heard a seal popping, followed by the sounds of something metal hitting and rattling to the ground.

Then, in a booming voice emanating from the point of impact-

"Democracy Has Arrived!"

Engaging the air brakes, I took control of the Hellpod's steering controls and angled my vector towards the tall office building.

Wherever I was, assumedly one of Super Earth's colonies, getting in contact with my Super Destroyer, or better yet, S.E.A.F Command was my first course of action.

With my course set, I braced for impact.

THOOMP

As the Hellpod adjusted to absorb much of the impact, I shake off what little daze I accrued before looking up, grabbing at the hatch release lever.

With a pull, the steel lid popped off, revealing a bright blue sky... with a multitude of haloes populating it. I stared at the sight for a few seconds before shaking my head.

'On a mission.' I reminded myself as I reached for my weapon rack, grabbing my P-19 'Redeemer' machine pistol and holstering it, as well as my SG-225 'Breaker' shotgun and attaching it to my chest plate's sling.

Pressing the button that activated the pod's elevator, I'm slowly raised up and out of the pod, the restraints simultaneously unlocking my feet.

Lifting up my shotgun, I can't help but say-

"Democracy has arrived!"

I step off the Hellpod and begin scanning my surroundings. Taking note of the buildings, they aren't too far off from Super Earth's designs. A little bit on the older side, given the use of bricks and mortar rather than pre-fabricated building hulls and 3D printed concrete walls, but definitely human.

As it should be.

Out of habit, I grab a stratagem beacon from its holding while lifting up the strategem command terminal fitted to my left wrist to begin calling down supplies.

'Down Down Up Right.' I thought to myself as I entered the pattern. 'Supplies, can never have too much of it.'

I hoisted the beacon, readying it to be tossed before realizing that it is indeed glowing. I lowered the beacon and stared at it, the initially unlit ball now glowing bright blue, signifying that it is loaded with a support strategem.

I wasn't surprised that it was working as intended, I was surprised that it even works, given that I should be Liberty knows where in the galaxy.

Curiously, I tossed the beacon, the ball rolling a little before coming to a stop, a bright blue pillar of light shooting from it.

I followed the light all the way up to the sky. Usually, it takes around eight or so seconds for the resupply drop pod to come down, so I take a few steps back, in case that it does come down.

'One, two, three...' I counted off in my head as I continued staring into the sky.

'...Nine, ten, eleven...' I grimaced. Looks like I was on my own.

I looked back down at the beacon, the ball still shining its blue pillar of light. Walking towards it, I move to pick it up and turn it off, before it shut down on its own.

My eyes go wide as I hear an all too familiar sound.

A Hellpod.

I dove forward, narrowly avoiding being splattered across the asphalt as the Hellpod pierced the ground. Picking myself up off the ground, I stared at the pod as the steel plate seal launched upward, the elevator revealing four yellow boxes, each containing a fresh supply of ammunition, stimulants, grenades and additional beacons for use.

I realize that if additional Hellpods are being launched, that means there's a Super Destroyer.

Lifting my right wrist, I accessed the communication unit to try and hail the Super Destroyer that may or may not be in orbit.

"This is Sergeant Allen Hicks of the SES Hammer of Democracy, do you read me?" I say frantically into my comms unit.

PSSSSSSSSSSSSH

I'm met with static.

So I try again.

"I repeat. This is Sergeant Allen Hicks of the Super Earth Armed Forces, current Helldiver heading the SES Hammer Of Democracy, how copy?"

PSSSSSSSSSSSSH

I place a hand to the top of my helmet. It's either my comms is busted, theirs is, or there's something going on.

Right now, I'm banking on the first two.

"Hands where I can see them!" A female voice yells out, presumably at me.

I turn in their direction to see four girls, each holding guns with their barrels trained on me.

"Don't do anything funny!" The purple haired girl yelled, her submachine gun, I assume given the short barrel and skinny magazine, having the business end of it pointed at me.

Barring the, to me at least, odd choice in clothing, what threw me off was what hovered above their heads.

They have haloes.

'Am I in Super Heaven?'