The AC-8 Autocannon.
A fully-automatic-capable Anti-Armor and Anti-Personnel Support Weapon.
When requested by the Helldiver, they are sent a Hellpod equipped with the AC-8 Autocannon itself, and its support backpack filled with ten stripper clips, with each clip holding five rounds of ammunition.
Though, the Helldiver of the today will find that the AC-8 is a side-grade to its predecessor, the AC-22 'Dum-Dum'.
The 'Dum-Dum' is a magazine-fed twenty-millimeter autocannon, largely characterized by its much bulkier and heavier profile. Usually reserved for light vehicles or APCs, the brave Helldivers of the First Galactic War sought its use against their enemies as a shoulder-mounted support weapon, bringing Freedom and Peace, twenty-millimeters at a time with explosive results.
Lacking its predecessor's magazine and, thankfully, its bulk, Super Earth engineers decided, in their best judgement, that fielding greater numbers with simpler weapon controls and greater ammunition variety will prove to serve better in Humanity's fight to conquer the stars.
Man-portable, it is a shoulder-mounted support weapon capable of full-auto fire with programmable ammunition, allowing the Helldiver to choose between two options of firepower.
The option of proximity-triggered fragmentation rounds, perfectly suited to shred groups of enemies with piercing shrapnel,
Or the option of Armor-Piercing-High-Explosive-Tracers, for when precision fire is needed to accurately and swiftly eliminate a heavily armored foe.
The versatility of this piece of equipment not only lies in its ammunition, but by its ability to be either crew-served or solo-operated. In its intended purpose of being operated by two Helldivers, the gunner is able to forego the need of picking their shots, as their fellow Diver will ensure that there will be a steady supply of Freedom being loaded into the weapon.
But should it be solo-operated, that does not mean that its efficacy is diminished. The beauty in its ability to be operated by only one Helldiver is that it allows their fellow Divers to be equipped with other support weapons to efficiently dole out Democracy where it is needed.
A truly versatile piece of equipment, its use can be found all across the galaxy. Be it stomping out the bug, or crushing the bot, with its trusted reliability and tested ruggedness, it is a favorite amongst the Helldiver Corps.
The AC-8 Autocannon.
"Anti-Armor & Anti-Personnel Equipment you can trust!" - 'Admiral Defense Contracting'
Within the SCHALE Office
"Yuuka." I called for my new trusty assistant.
Wordlessly, she glanced my way, unamused by the paperwork that we had the unfortunate pleasure of reading and signing off on.
Slowly turning my head her way, I watched briefly as her hands worked swiftly without her attention, filling out portions of the paperwork that didn't need mine, then slipping it into another pile for me to glance over before giving the final touching up.
I dropped my pen and stretched, shifting my armor as I moved. "I didn't become a Helldiver to fight paper." I shook a fist at my writ foes. "If I did, this place would be ablaze right now!"
She gives me a look, her hands still moving. "I understand how you feel Sensei, but if we don't finish these now, it'll be an endless loop of catching up if more paperwork comes by."
I groaned as I looked at the clock on the wall. 11:41 AM. It's only been about two hours since Rin dropped off the paperwork, but it sure felt like an eternity once we were in the thick of it.
I'd much rather be fighting bugs that doing this, but alas, a true Helldiver never shirks their duties, no matter how monotonous it may be.
"Alrighty then." I mutter as I rolled my shoulder and reequipped my weapon of choice, the mighty pen. "If the bug nor bot couldn't stop me, neither will this!"
"Sweet Liberty! We're finally done!" I cheered as I threw my pen at the finally finished stack of documents, with the pen harmlessly bouncing off and clattering to the ground.
Yuuka exhaled in relief while cracking her knuckles. "Good work, Sensei, for someone who complains a lot, you sure do pull through when it matters."
I point a finger at her, a smirk under my helmet. "Hey, if I wanted to fight paper, I would've joined the S.E.A.F Navy."
A smile crosses her as she rolled her eyes. "Now that the paperwork is done, we are officially done for today. With desk work, anyways. What else is there for us on schedule?"
I glance at Arona, who looks over a clipboard before shrugging, followed by a shake of the head. "That was it for today, good work, Yuuka."
She nodded. "Great, is there anything in mind that you want to do then, Sensei?"
I tapped the chin of my helmet. "Hmm..."
Then an idea most ingenious crossed my mind. Quickly hopping out my chair, I garner a startled yelp from Yuuka as I sent the office chair rolling into the wall.
Grabbing the Shittim Chest with one hand, I waved in the direction of Yuuka before setting off for the door. "Great work today, Yuuka! Take the rest of the day off, I'm going to try something out!"
Before she could protest, I had already set off for the elevator, repeatedly pressing the ground floor button.
Within the SCHALE Training Grounds
Just outside the SCHALE building, I found an open area to be the perfect location to test out my theories. I may not be the most well-versed in the classroom, but I have enough experience under my belt to be able to sniff out whether or not something's gone awry.
And wouldn't you know it? I have an extremely glaring something that has most definitely gone awry. And that's the issue of the Super Destroyer.
I haven't had the chance to confirm its existence, but that in of itself is a problem. If it didn't exist, how in Democracy would I be able to call in strategems? So far, I've been able to requisition a resupply, an Orbital Precision Strike, and by Liberty, even an Eagle Fighter.
'Well, just sitting and thinking on it won't get me anywhere.' I thought as I lifted the strategem terminal and a beacon for use.
'Left Down Right Up Left Down Down.' I repeated in my mind as I went through the actions.
With a high-pitched whine, the beacon lit up blue, signifying that a support strategem has been successfully loaded. Giving it a toss, the beacon rolled for a little before stopping, resulting in a bright blue beacon piercing into the sky.
Then I began counting.
'One, two, three, four...' I trailed off in my mind, crossing my fingers in hopes that it works.
'...Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty...'
"Looks like this one's a bust, huh?" I say aloud as I stared at the bright blue light.
Learning my lesson from last time, I waited for the beacon to shut down automatically. Better to sit and wait than to be splattered across the concrete.
Then, to my utmost surprise, the beacon turned off.
Then the deafening rumbling of an all too familiar aerospace craft hovered closer. With a wide smile I turned around to find a sight most beautiful.
A Pelican-Logistical Aerospace Shuttle, with it carrying a payload that would make any Diver cheer. An EXO-45 'Patriot' Exosuit.
Then I shook off the awe and ran towards the Pelican. Waving my arms, I got as close as possible to at least try and get the attention of the shuttle's pilot.
"HEY! OVER HERE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Without a single pause, the Pelican released its cargo, with the Exosuit hitting the concrete with a resounding impact, cracking and displacing the ground beneath it.
Anxiety at an all-time high, I reacted out of instinct and dashed towards the Exosuit, using it as a platform to raise myself up. Grabbing its numerous handles, I hoisted myself up on top before standing up straight on its hull.
Just before the Pelican could turn, I was allowed a few seconds of unimpeded view into the shuttle's cockpit. With joy, I began to cheer as I waved towards the cockpit to catch their attention. But what I saw caused my heart to sink.
Pelicans were always a beautiful sight for sore, war-stricken eyes. Their sleek hulls and propulsion systems cutting through the battlefield as the report of their autocannon drowned out the fascist bug and commie bot. I half expected for the shuttle's pilot to give their trademark callsign and one-liner as it closed in.
Little did I know that Kivotos had more in stock to whittle down what I thought I had a grasp on. Peeking into the cockpit-
It...
It was empty...
The aerospace craft then took off into the sunset, an orange-purple hue painting its hull as it rode off into distance. I watched as its silhouette slowly shrunk before disappearing into obscurity.
Slack-jawed, I raised my hands to remove my helmet, the hermetic seal becoming undone as I lifted and tossed it to the side, the piece of equipment bouncing off the hull of the Exosuit before ultimately plummeting to the ground.
I couldn't find any words nor thoughts to be had as I simply sat down on the hull of the machine, my head hung low, and my spirits shattered.
With that, all my hopes of finding any way home was crushed.
"Sensei?" Arona called out to me, her voice muffled from behind my chestplate.
I paused for a few moments before slowly taking out the data pad housing the little system manager.
"Is... is everything okay?" She asked, concern lacing her voice. "I, uh, I detected a sudden rise in your heart rate, did something happen?"
Wordlessly, I lifted the Shittim Chest to come face to face with her, the little lady pacing the screen as she stared at me with concern.
"Sensei?"
"I..." I began before sniffling. "You think you can keep a secret, Arona?"
She gives me a look of worry before a small smile took its place. "Yes, Sensei. I'm your trusty assistant, after all!"
I then began recounting my life, where I was born, where I lived, where I trained, where I fought... and eventually, where I lost my way. A Helldiver is just that, one who dives straight into the depths of hell to kick the devil straight in the jaw, smiling and cackling the whole process through as they wreaked havoc deep behind enemy lines.
One often forgets to take in account what happens behind their steel-willed facade.
"Sensei..." Arona whispered.
"Funny, isn't it?" I muttered as I sniffled. "One of Super Earth's finest crying up a storm."
"..."
I wiped my eyes. "That Pelican that dropped by... that might've been one of my last hopes of making it home... and when I looked into it, there wasn't a damned pilot!"
"But Sensei!" She exclaimed, her hands held up to her chest. "Don't lose hope!"
I raised my head to meet her eyes.
She nodded vigorously. "I know I'm in no place to tell you what to do, but you're not alone, Sensei!"
I remained silent.
"Within the short time I've worked with you, no matter how little it seemed, I know for certain that you're a good- no, a great person, Allen-Sensei!"
Even beneath all my sadness, I couldn't help but form a small smile.
"And I'm sure many of the students of Kivotos knows that!" She nodded a few times with a glint in her eyes.
"What I'm trying to say is, Sensei, you aren't alone on this! As much as it is a 'Sensei's' job to listen to their student's troubles, it is also our job to help our 'Sensei' out as much as possible, as best as possible!"
I wiped my eyes once more, a smile fully taking place of my frown.
She beamed. "Whenever you can, Allen-Sensei, please don't hesitate to reach out! As you've said numerous times already-"
At her next action, I couldn't help but have a fervor re-awaken within me.
"-Helldivers dive together!" She exclaimed with a perfect salute.
I hopped off the Exosuit and gathered my helmet. As I inspected it, my eyes hovered over the numerous scratches and dents that populated the surface of the Titanium-A alloy, a stern reminder of the hardships I've endured and the battles I've fought. And won.
This obstacle would simply be another trial I would have to face.
"Y'know Arona?" I asked, a vigor re-awakened within me.
"Hehe~." She giggled. "Yes, Sensei?"
A genuine smile crossed me. "Thank you."
"Of cours- wuh!? Eh!? Huh!?" The system manager blushed as she sounded out in confusion.
Donning my helmet, the hermetic seal engaged once more as I looked towards the sky.
"Being all sad and sappy isn't a good fit for a Helldiver." I lifted up the Shittim Chest. "So I would like to thank you for bringing me back down to the ground."
She beamed a smile. "Of course, Sensei! No matter what, I'll always be here to help!"
"Glad to hear it!" I exclaimed before turning towards the machine-of-war. "For now..." I trailed off as I stared at my newly acquired hardware. "What do we do with this?"
Slowly, Arona turned her head to meet the Exosuit.
"Uh..."
"What in Kivotos is that!?" Rin exclaimed after recovering from her shock.
Slowly approaching the Exosuit, she glanced at its armaments, obviously in awe at the multi-barreled gatling gun and fully armed rocket pod.
I scratched the top of my helmet. "That there's an EXO-45 'Patriot' Exosuit. A mobile weapons platform for all sorts of applications."
She slowly turned her head my way, her eyes twitching incessantly at the new problem I've provided for her. It didn't help that this was occurring just shy of midnight, with her on her way home, no less.
"Se-n-se-i?" She stretched out the title, her tone denoting that she was not at all happy. An unfortunate reoccurring theme.
I slightly flinched at her call. "Er... yes, Commander?"
She shook her head. "I'm... I'm not even going to ask." She then pinched the bridge of her nose. "What I am going to say, though, is how do you plan to deal with this."
With her tone, she wasn't asking.
"I, er... do we have any vehicle stowage areas by chance?"
I earn another glare, one of many. "We do."
I flinch again. "Could I trouble you to direct me towards...?"
With a deep sigh, she pulled out her data pad and tapped at it a few times. After putting it away, she gave me a disappointed look.
Then the Shittim Chest vibrated. At the motion, I took it out to see a message notification at the top. Selecting it opened up an application with an eyebrow raising name.
"Momo... talk?" I asked aloud.
Rin nodded. "Indeed, I've sent you a file with the map of the immediate area of SCHALE, including the motor pool for the club's vehicles.
She glanced at the Exosuit. "I suppose this could be added to the list."
As I strode towards the hatch, I hovered a hand above the access lever before looking back. "Do you maybe want to try it out?" I asked as I pointed at the machine.
She gave me a glare. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline, Sensei. I've had enough troubles for today, thank you very much."
I open my mouth to say something, but find the words lost on me as she subsequently turned around and headed back towards the SCHALE building.
"Hey Arona?"
"Yes?" She answered, muffled behind my chestplate.
"Remind me to properly apologize to Rin one of these days."
"...Yes."
Finally pulling on the access handle, the hatch opened up, allowing access into Exosuit's cockpit. Stepping into the cramped space, I pulled the hatch control lever, shutting the door behind me. As it locked into place, I started up its engines and flicked on its fire control systems.
With a low rumble, the Exosuit fully powered to life and reported all systems nominal.
"Alright then, Arona."
"Huh?"
"Ready to rock and roll?"
"Eh!?"
At a rhythmic and mechanical pace, I controlled the Exosuit forward, following the map pulled up on the Shittim Chest.
"Okay, now take a left at this turn."
Arona, in her infinite helpfulness, assisted me in navigating the SCHALE grounds.
"In about fifty meters, you will reach your destination!"
I nodded. "Thanks Arona."
Lo and behold, I reached the fabled motor pool Rin promised. As the Exosuit strode further into the hangar, I eyeballed the various vehicles housed within.
I nodded in approval, though the vehicles are extremely outdated in Super Earth terms, for all intents and purposes, it would serve the people of today extremely well.
With a full complement of helicopters, SCHALE and any of its forces are well equipped to dominate the air should there be a need. Alongside the air force, SCHALE also housed its own tanks. 'Crusaders', the students called them, the hangar currently housed only three of the armored vehicles. Next to them, was a squad of jeeps, five of them to be precise, all well suited for any swift guerilla movement and tactics.
Stomping my way next to the 'Crusaders', I shut down the Exosuit's engines and turned off its fire control systems. With a tug on the hatch lever, the door unlocked and gave way for me to exit.
Lifting up the Shittim Chest, I glanced at the digital clock.
1:36 AM.
Whoops.
"I think we're a bit late for bedtime, Arona." I joked.
Then she yawned. "You would be correct, Sensei."
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
Another day, another dive into work.
Following yesterdays... events, I decided that until I can truly discover whether or not I can make it home, I'll stick around Kivotos to help its people. After all, what kind of Helldiver refuses to assist Humanity where and when they can?
"Ready to tackle the day, Sensei?" Arona asked with a slight yawn in her voice, a byproduct of the very early morning's events.
With a hiss, my helmet once more engaged its seal. "Born *yawn* ready."
Within the SCHALE Office
"You have a letter, Sensei." Rin stated as she handed a small envelope to me.
I accepted the envelope before eyeing the neatly handwritten addresses.
To: Allen-Sensei, Advisor of SCHALE
From: Abydos High School
"Why for me?" I asked.
She shrugged. "That's only for you to know." Then she gestured towards the envelope. "Why don't you take a look?"
Tearing open the envelope, I took out its contents, with it being a simple letter.
To the Advisor of SCHALE,
Hello, my name is Okusora Ayane, a first-year student at Abydos High School. I hope that this letter reaches your hands as we are in dire need of assistance. Local gangs have set their eyes on our school and have been constantly attacking since. I suspect that they are attempting to take over the academy, so we have been doing our best to repel them. This has left us in a critical state of lacking ammunition and supplies.
As such, I have sent this letter as a request for aid. If it isn't too much to ask. Please help us, Sensei.
Finishing the letter, I got to my feet.
'Finally! A proper mission!' I thought as I turned in Rin's direction with a grin, thankfully obscured by my helmet for her sake.
"Commander, it looks like we have a mission to do!"
She gives me an unamused look. "And what would that mean, Sensei?"
I lifted the letter. "I've received a request for assistance from a school that goes by Abydos. From the letter, it seems dire, so I would like to head out as soon as possible."
She nodded after contemplating my words. "I suppose that would fall under the purview of SCHALE's responsibilities." Meeting my eyes, she continued. "If you're set on continuing, how might I help?"
I nodded. "Good deal, for one, how about providing any information on the school itself?"
Lifting up her data pad, she tapped on it a few times before handing it my way. Accepting the device, I glanced over the screen.
'Dossiers.' I thought as I perused the student's information.
"Though..." I began as I looked back up. "Why are there only five students on file?"
She grimaced. "Abydos High School has a history of misfortune, a lack of a student body being one of its many misfortunes."
I slowly nodded as I looked back at the data pad.
As I re-scrolled through their documents, I did my best to memorize their names and faces. Handing back the device, I got to my feet.
"Next on the list would be figuring out their supply issue."
She raised a brow. "Would you like me to provide ammunition and other essential supplies?"
I nodded. "That would be greatly appreciated."
Tapping away on her data pad again, she looked up from it, meeting my eyes.
"And would it be possible for SCHALE to provide a helicopter escort for me?"
She nodded. "That would be possible, yes. When would you like to schedule a flight, Sensei?"
I grinned. "ASAP."
She gave me a look. "ASAP? As in, right now?"
"Indeed!" I raised my voice. "The sooner, the better!"
She rolled her eyes as she presumably inputted my request. "Then, Sensei, the pilot will be awaiting your arrival at the hangar. As soon as you're ready."
Eyes glued to the window, I am once more reminded that these lands are not what I'm familiar with... as a few kilometers back, I could've sworn that we passed snow-covered lands before suddenly crossing into a desert.
Just below us were vast swathes of abandoned buildings and houses, characterized by their disrepair and sand covered everything.
"This is about as close as I can get you, Sensei!" The pilot exclaimed from her comms link.
I nodded before giving her a thumbs up. "That'll do pilot! Set her down here!"
Sliding open the door, I hopped out, subsequently closing the door shut. With a few slaps to the hull, I gave another thumbs up towards the cockpit.
"I'll be heading back to SCHALE, Sensei! Just give me a call and I'll be right back!"
"Roger that, may Liberty guide your safe return, pilot!"
Then she giggled. "Y'know, Sensei? You say some funny things sometimes!"
"Oh?" I smirked.
"Yeah, but I kinda like it! See ya, Sensei!"
As the helicopter gained altitude, I watched it fly back in the direction we came from before fading into the blue sky.
"Arona?" I asked as I tapped my chestplate.
"Yes, Sensei?" She replied, her voice muffled.
"Ready to rock and roll?"
"Always!"
Lifting up my strategem terminal and a beacon, I entered another pattern.
Down.
Left.
Down.
Up.
Up.
Right.