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Chapter Text

i needed 10 characters here sorry

Chapter Text

[CLASSIFIED], 2048 - Orbiting aboard the SES Defender of Peace

The last thing he remembered was the cold. The chill that was set deep into his bones, freezing the blood coursing through his veins, methodically shutting down his body bit by bit. The bright lights he could barely make out around him suddenly began to fade, and he had the slightest recollection of being jerked backwards, and rotated away. Then… nothing.

The Helldivers Training Facility (Mars), 9 Feb 2148 | 1230 hours - Orbiting aboard the SES Guardian of Liberty

Helldiver B0034132 groaned as the ice encasing his body receded, leaving his armor slightly frostbitten by otherwise unharmed. He shrugged off the remnants of the cyrostasis induced sleep as he began to remember who exactly he was. That’s right. His name was Fredrick Vandwell, Death Captain and veteran of the Galactic War.

There was a hiss as the seal around the cyropod broke and the door slowly slid away, revealing the bright lights of an unfamiliar Super Destroyer. Death Captain Vandwell stepped warily out, onto the solid metal floor of the ship. A frown creased his forehead as his brain started to catch up. He’d volunteered to be cyrofrozen at the end of the Galactic War in case any of Democracy’s enemies were to rear their ugly heads again, which means…

“Helldiver”, a woman called from the middle of the main hall. She had dark skin and a bald head, a clipboard under her arm and a worried expression adorning her face. The Ship master, he thought as he raised his arm in salute. She saluted back before continuing. “It’s good to have you on board. Democracy Officer Linstrom requires your presence on the bridge. Vandwell thanked her before hurrying though the hall, towards an unfamiliar bridge. Everything had changed in the last 100 years, Instead of a rectangular table sitting between two sets of hellpods either side of the room, a circular, holographic map of Mars sat in front of him, with a short flight of stairs leading up to a raised platform where 4 hellpods sat in front of a one of the most beautiful sights he’d ever beheld.

Outside the Super Destroyer, the Airspace surrounding the Helldiver Training Facility was alive with activity. Rockets, full of sleeping recruits fresh out of training, sped away from the planet, Super Destroyers launched Cadets into training simulations, and all manner of other spacecraft wove through the chaos.

A cough brought his attention back to the Democracy officer, standing to the side of the Galactic War Map. He too had a dark skin tone and a bald head. He had an eye patch over his right eye, and stood tall in his ceremonial armor. Vandwell’s frown deepened as he took in the grave expression adorning the Officer’s face.

“Death Captain.” The Democracy Officer offered him a salute before launching into an explanation. “For a hundreds of years, your sacrifice has enabled our citizens to enjoy a democratic and peaceful life. However, the Terminid scum has breached their farms and are now wreaking fascist tyranny upon the planets of Super Earth.”

Vandwell didn’t move a muscle, but internally, he was furious. He knew Senator Killjoy’s plan to farm the Bugs would end in disaster, and of course, it did. The Democracy Officer took in Vandwell’s unchanged frown and continued. “You have been called to subjugate the Terminid infestation and restore peace and liberty to the Orion sector.”

Vandwell took a moment to absorb this information before nodding to the Democracy Officer to continue. “As a Death Captain, you have been given this mighty vessel, the SES Guardian of Liberty, to command. Your crew will consist of 3 other highly trained members of Super Earth’s finest.” The war table flickered to life as it shifted to display three Super Earth Armed Forces Personnel Files (SEAFP File) side by side. The table zoomed in on the first one as the Democracy Officer continued.

“G2189438, Chief Benjamin Archer, will join your squad as your second in command. He has been an active Helldiver for 5 years, performing peacetime operation to preserve the ideals of the Super Earth Federation. He graduated top of his class and is a highly trained assault infantryman.” Vandwell peered at the image of a man on the table. He had light skin, tanned from year of service for Super Earth, scruffy jet black hair, and piercing blue eyes. His face was set in stone, a straight, no-nonsense face. The readout below read, “6’1’’, 24 YO, Male.”

The table flicked to another SEAFP file as the Democracy Officer continued. “G5267232, Sergeant Madeline Boyd, will join your squad as your heavy weapons and explosives expert.” An image of a woman with tanned skin, short, brown hair and an easy smile appeared on the table, next to readout stating, “5’10’’, 21 YO, Female”

“She has been a serving Helldiver for 2 years, but has been highly praised by her superiors for her outstanding knowledge surrounding explosives.”

Once again, the table shifted, revealing the final SEAFP File, this one with an image of a younger man with pale skin, scruffy blonde hair and a nervous expression. This time, the readout was, “5’9’’, 19 YO, Male”. The Democracy Officer paused to read his notes on the man before he continued. “G5923253, Cadet Theodore Murphy, is a trained battlefield medic, and will be joining your squad as such. He recently graduated from both the Buju Medical Academy and the Helldiver Training Program.”

Vandwell once again nodded as he mentally filed the information away. He was about to ask the Democracy Officer about when they would deploy when the ship’s intercom loudly proclaimed, “Cyropod Rocket docking. Prepare to unload cyropods.”

The Democracy Officer looked at him expectantly. “Your squad will be arriving shortly. Greet them, then report to the bridge. You drop at 1300 hours. Dismissed.”

The Democracy Officer gave him one final salute before striding towards the Ship Master. Vandwell followed him into the main hall, but broke off to greet the 3 Helldivers he would be leading. His mind began methodically sorting through the information he had just received as he stood to attention, waiting. If he had been called to defend democracy, then the situation must be bad. He absentmindedly braced himself, as decades of disciplined training taught him to do, when he heard the intercom crackle.

“Initiating FTL Jump to… the Angel’s Venture system.”

Chapter Text

Angel’s Venture, 9 February 2148 | 1245 hours - Orbiting aboard the SES Guardian of Liberty

The first thing he heard when his regained his senses was a muffled, “FTL Jump complete” that he knew meant the Super Destroyer had left Mars for the front line, most likely Angel’s Venture or Heeth. He’d been studying both before he left the training facility, where he had been teaching some recruits before the Terminids escaped containment.

He frowned. If he wasn’t inside his cyropod, on board a Super Earth ship, he would have spat. The Terminids. Even the taste of the word was foul on his tongue. The fascists would never get away with harming Super Earth’s citizens. Not while she… He pushed the thought away. Escaping containment, he grumbled instead. They should be thankful we didn’t just exterminate them.

The seal of his cyropod hissed, and he shrugged the stiffness out of his shoulders before stepping out into the bright lights of the Super Destroyer he would now call home. He stood to attention and saluted at the person standing before him, wearing an unusual set of armor that he had never seen before.

Of course, he scolded himself. He’s a veteran of the Galactic War.

“Sir!” he shouted, maintaining attention despite his awe.

“At ease, soldier.” The Helldiver’s voice was rough, as if it had seen it’s fair share of combat. He removed his helmet, revealing a weathered by warm expression. He had dark skin, a bald head, and bore a scar running down his right cheek. “You must be Chief Archer.”

G2189438, Chief Benjamin Archer, nodded before removing his helmet too and relaxing his posture. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” he responded.

“The pleasure’s all mine, son,” came back the reply. “My name is Death Captain Vandwell, but you can just call me Cap. Follow me.” He beckoned and began walking towards the armory.

Ben followed as he fought to quash the endless stream off questions threatening to burst forth. He couldn't ask any of them. Not only would it be disrespectful to launch such a barrage of questions, but it could trigger all kinds of half buried memories. Back in the training facilities, some of those who had seen combat liberating separatists had come back, unable to speak about their services to the federation. PTSD, the doctor had called it.

He shook his head, clearing the though (and the questions) from his mind, as DC Vandwell placed his helmet away in the armory before moving towards bridge and the war table. Ben followed suit, but was immediately left speechless as the view outside the ship’s large windows came into view.

The airspace surrounding Angel’s Venture was the busiest he’d ever seen. Super Destroyers were warping in and out in, in between Orbital Barrages, Eagles on their way to deliver democracy and Pelicans transporting battle scared Helldivers from the field of combat. Hellpods screamed past them, hurtling towards the planet at speeds fast enough to make a civilian dizzy. The odd SEAF Personnel Ship rocketed planetside, toward one of the many Command Outposts hastily set up in the wake of the Terminid infestation. The sheer amount of Liberty surrounding the planet was enough to make his mouth water.

“Engaging Orbital Thrusters,” he heard over the PA system. The ship began to move around the planet, repositioning towards their drop point. “Orbit Synchronized.”

His heart sank at the new sight. Night had fallen on this side of the planet, and in the darkness, he could just make out the fires the destruction planetside had brought. A weird color mist, a greenish yellow, floated just above the distant ground, obscuring most details from sight.

Ben’s eyes shifted back to DC Vandwell, who was looking at him with a hard face. He quickly regained control of his own features, setting them too, in stone. ”As you can see, chief,” began DC Vandwell. “the situation planet side is quite grim. The Terminids contained here have broken free from their farms and have been raining terror upon the Citizens of Angle's Venture.”

He moved back toward the main hall as the PA announced that another Helldiver was being unfrozen. “As second in command, these soldiers missions are as much your responsibility as they are mine. If I were to…”

He paused, considering his words. “Perish,” he continued. “In the line of duty, it's up to you to secure the mission’s success and get everyone of that rock.” He jerked his thumb in he general direction of the planet they were orbiting.

Ben nodded in response, face still hard. Death was a part of war. It was something you signed up for, and as a veteran of one of the deadliest wars in history, he would know better than anyone else. But as he stared into the weathered face of his senior office, someone who’d fought more battles than he’d had birthdays, he couldn’t help feel a twinge of pain at the thought of seeing the bright light of freedom leave his features. He shifted slightly, forcing the pain out of his heart. He could tell, even in the brief time he had known the person standing before him, that when death came for DC Vandwell, he would look it in the eye and spit in it’s face.

DC Vandwell briefed him on the situation, but he was already aware of most of the information that came his way. Word got around the training facility when the Bugs first escaped their farms. Reports of increased hostility, charging behemoths and enemies that you couldn't even see had graced the ears of anyone willing to listen, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't the slightest bit daunted. 

The two made their way back to the the cyropod platform as the next cyropod emitted a hiss and the door began to slide away. Vandwell stood to attention, and Ben followed suit a step behind him.

A woman, slightly shorter than him, wearing black armor with red trims and 8 grenades strapped to the front, stepped out of the pod and stood to attention. “Sir!” she said, saluting the both of them.

DC Vandwell saluted back, before delivering the same line he had delivered 5 minutes earlier as Ben had stepped through those doors. “At ease, soldier. My name is Death Captain Vandwell. This here, is Chief Archer. You must be Sergeant Boyd.”

The Helldiver removed her helmet before replying, revealing tanned skin, short, brown hair and a casual smile. “I am indeed, sir.”

DC Vandwell nodded swiftly before continuing. “Welcome aboard the SES Guardian of Liberty, your new home for the foreseeable future.” He checked his hellpad for the time. “Our last crew member should be arriving shortly.”

As he finished that sentence, another announcement came over the PA and the cyropod storage began to whir as the next cyropod was positioned next to the door. There was yet another his as the seals disengaged and the door slid open, revealing a shaken but composed Helldiver. He was the shortest of all of them, and stepped warily out into the the Super Destroyer before taking in his surroundings. As his eyes landed on the three Helldivers in front of him, he seemed to remember himself and snapped to attention. “Sorry sir!” came a squeaky voice. “Didn’t notice you there.”

DC Vandwell’s face cracked into a small grin. “At ease, soldier,” he chuckled before introducing himself and the rest of the squad. “Welcome aboard, Cadet Murphy.”

Ben studied him for a second. He’d read through both Sergeant Boyd’s and Cadet Murphy’s files before he left for the Super Destroyer. Sergeant Boyd was to be the demolitions and heavy weaponry expert of the squad. Her knowledge in the field, he’d read, was as vast as it was useful, and based on the reports of armored bugs he’d seen pour out of the Orion Sector, he was more than happy Command had chosen her to join the SES Guardian of Liberty.

Cadet Murphy, on the other hand, was fresh out of the Helldiver Training Program. Unlike Sergeant Boyd, Ben had seen him around the facility during his time spent training recruits. While not having personally taught the lad, he had observed his, not outstanding, but adequate ability with weapons, his nervous demeanor, and, most importantly, his determination to make it through despite the challenges he faced.

Ben knew that his ability with weapons wasn’t too relevant to the duties he was expected to perform. Before joining the Helldiver Training Program, Cadet Murphy had completed studies at the Buju Medical Academy, on the planet Achernar Secundus, and during his time training, had specialized in Battlefield medicine, which he’d excelled at. Judging by the injuries his peers had sustained during their brief deployments to the front, he was sure that all of them would be in dire need of the young Cadet’s assistance.

Ben turned to Vandwell as the Death Captain gave his final announcement. “We drop at 1300 hours.” Ben checked his hellpad for the time, which displayed in bold characters, 1248. “Make yourselves at home, and meet on the bridge in 12 minutes time. Sergeant Boyd, Cadet Murphy, you are dismissed. Chief Archer, I require your presence for a while longer.”

Both junior Helldivers saluted before making their way to the main hall, where the Ship master greeted them before directing them to the living quarters. DC Vandwell turned to Ben. “Well, Chief? Any thoughts?”

Ben considered the question carefully before replying. “This was my first time meeting Sergeant Boyd, but from what I read in her file, her knowledge surrounding explosives and pyrotechnics will come in critical on the field.” DC Vandwell nodded before he continued. “I have met Cadet Murphy before, when I was training recruits in the Helldiver Training Facility. While I never instructed him myself, I was able to observe that, while he weapon skills and battlefield intuition are nothing to call home about, his determination and medical knowledge more than make up for it. In all honesty, sir, I reckon we’ll be able to give those fascists a real pain in their undemocratic asses.”

DC Vandwell smiled before replying. “Thank you, Chief for the insight. We drop in 10 minutes, go settle into your quarters. Dismissed.”

Ben gave one final salute before leaving for the main hall.

Chapter Text

Angel’s Venture, 9 February 2148 | 1301 hours - Hellpods

It was dark inside his hellpod. A single LED strip barely illuminated the cramped space. He shifted as he checked his AR-23P Liberator Penetrator one last time. He lifted his head and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply, fighting to remain calm.

“Mission Coordinates locked.”

He would never get used to it. The claustrophobia of hellpod, the thought of being launched from a ship kilometers above the surface of the planet with nothing but a sheet of metal shielding him from the elements just beyond the pod’s walls. The thought of slamming into the cold, hard ground below at some of the most insane speeds he’d ever witnessed was enough to make him nauseous.

“Hellpods Primed.”

Ben forced his eyes open, clearing his mind of his worries. He was a soldier, in a war against Democracy’s enemies. He’d been through this many times before, both during training and while he saw combat against dissidents. He was no rookie, and was eager prove himself to DC Vandwell as such.

“Hellpod launch initiated.”

An explosion above him jolted the hellpod downwards with such a force that, if he hadn’t been strapped in, would have caused him to bash his skull against the cold metal ceiling of the tube. His breathing quickened as he was hit with an intense sense of falling.

Breathe, he commanded himself and, thankfully, his body listened, loosening and relaxing, if only slightly. He focused his mind on something other than his descent into the darkness of Angel’s Venture.

“You mission, Helldivers,” the Democracy Officer had said the the assembled squad of armor-clad warriors. “is to reactivate and launch a dormant Intercontinental Ballistic Missile System.” He gestured to the map pointed out the locations of each part of the mission. The mission had four major objectives. They had to retrieve the launch codes for the missile, reroute pumps to fuel it, reactivate a disengaged power supply and, finally, launch the ICBM.

Ben could barely hear the whistle of his hellpod breaching the atmosphere, the insulation protecting him from the harsh elements outside doubling as sound proofing. But right now, he would have been glad for the distraction. He rubbed his temples, eyes closed as he went through the mission plan one more time.

The Super Destroyer’s scanning system had been barely able to pick up the location of a LiDAR station planetside. Capt had decided that they were to activate it first, in order to gain a better understanding of mission area’s layout.

He nodded to himself, as he moved onto processing the weaponry they had chosen for the mission.

Each Helldiver is given authorization for four stratagems in a mission, a primary weapon, a secondary weapon and a throwable, the Helldiver Training Manual read. Along with his AR-23P Liberator Penetrator, P-2 Peacemaker and G-16 Impact Grenades, he’d chosen to bring his trusty MG-43 Machine Gun, the Eagle Cluster Bomb, the A/G-16 Gatling Sentry and the Orbital Airburst Strike.

Death Captain Vandwell had chosen to take the AR-23A Liberator Carbine, the P-4 Senator, the standard G-6 Frag Grenades. For stratagems, he selected the M-105 Stalwart, the Eagle Strafing Run, the A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentry and the A/M-23 EMS Mortar Sentry. As expected, Sergeant Boyd took the FLAM-40 Flamethrower, the Orbital Napalm Barrage, the LIFT-850 Jump Pack and the Eagle Airstrike to rein fire fire and explosions from the sky, along with the SG-255IE Breaker Incendiary, the GP-31 Grenade Pistol and her G-12 High Explosive Grenades.

Finally, Cadet Murphy brought his his standard medical loadout: The B-2 Medical Supply pack, EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank Rockets, the Orbital Precision Strike and another A/MG-43 Machine Gun Sentry, on top of the SMG-37 Defender, P-9 Redeemer and standard G-6 Frag Grenades.

He jolted as his velocity slowed, the rocket boosters on the sides of his hellpod slowing his descent. He bent his knees, ready to spring from the hellpod the moment the roof popped off. Be braced himself for impact as he counted the seconds from when the boosters kicked in. 3… 2… 1…

His hellpod slammed deep into the the grassy tundra that was Angel’s venture, and a mechanism began to lift him to the surface. His eyes darted around, searching the nearby shrubs for threats. Rocks stuck out of the ground at random intervals, and a murky haze bathed him and his surroundings in a green wash.

It was eerily silent, the only sounds, the slight whirring of the hellpod mechanisms lifting his squadmates from their rides planetside. “Clear,” came DC Vandwell’s voice over his helmet’s communications, and a bright blue beam shot up from the ground as he threw down his first stratagem beacon.

Ben and the rest of the crew followed suit, and within seconds, the airspace above them was filled the hellpods, rocketing to meet their marks. There was a definite thunk, as DC Vandwell’s Stalwart landed planet side, followed almost immediately as the rest of the squad’s equipment landed.

Armed with his Machine Gun, he opened the mission map on his hellpad and dropped a marker on the approximate location of the LiDAR Station. He looked to DC Vandwell, who was already surveying the path towards their first objective. He turned back to wait Cadet Murphy to shrug on his Medical Pack. “Alright everyone. We move in formation, with myself at point, Chief Archer and Sergeant Boyd at the flanks, and Doc taking up the rear. Once we get to objective, I’ll take the terminal, Sergeant Boyd will man the radar dish and Chief Archer will be in charge of defenses. Cadet, you are to take orders from him.”

The three junior officers all saluted. “Sir, yes sir.” DC Vandwell smiled, turning back towards the objective marker, bright against the gloom on his HUD.

“Alright then.” he said as he began to jog forward, primary at the ready. “Let’s get to it.”