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In the far reaches of outer space, the Diamond of Twilight remained stationed on Zygos, keeping watch of enemy attacks high above the oasis planet. While the Super Destroyer crew was on high alert, some aboard the spaceship were on a different alert—one within the safety of their sleep, such as Otani, who was dreaming about a very important mission. Deep on a rugged moon, the alien super soldier passed through Terminid defenses undetected, and when they least expected it, Otani dropped a 1M bomb and evaded without notice, making a confused cluster of bugs staring at a beam of red light a crater filled with a pool of green blood. He would repeat this move again and again until he was at the entrance of the cave that held the concealed Hive Queen.
Otani Rother Zumangil: Diamond of Twilight, this is Otani reporting in. Bug hives have been destroyed, and the cave has been located—I am now entering the cave to eradicate the Hive Queen.
Democracy Officer: Excellent work, Otani. Now head in and put an end to this slimy infestation. But do be warned, the Queen is unlike any other bug you've seen thus far—be sharp and at the ready.
Otani Rother Zumangil: Affirmative!
(As the psychic went inside the cave, he was surprised to not find any bugs in sight, not even Hive Guards or Warriors. He was puzzled, but he nonetheless had to keep his mind straight on the mission. As he arrived in the center of the cave, he came across a giant hole with no end in sight.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Well now, talk about an entrance.
(He looked down and tried to light it with a ball of energy, but he was caught off guard when the cave was shaking all around, causing him to fall flat on his rear. Before he recovered, he saw a giant dark figure emerge from the hole, with his sidearm at the ready and a ball of lightning in hand. Otani illuminated the figure, which revealed…a humanoid Terminid woman?)
Otani Rother Zumangil: What the hey?
Hive Queen: Who dares disturb my eternal slumber?!
(Otani didn't know what to think; he stared at the segmented humanoid bug with organic armour plating and four arms and legs, and she had a rather curvy abdomen that glowed a soft green.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Uh…that would be me.
Hive Queen: Fool, I've been taking a nap for hundreds of years, and you come along snooping around, dropping asteroids on my home?
(Otani tried his best to keep his composure, but it was hard to do so when the two small mandibles moved along with the lizard-like mouth of the Hive Queen, though that paled from the sight of her head, good god that head of hers. It stretched back in an elongated shape that made Otani blush in embarrassment.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Wait, wait, wait, hold on a minute. You're the Queen?
Hive Queen: Am I the Queen? Well, who else am I supposed to be?
(Otani briefly looked behind him outside where bug corpses littered the surface, then he faced the Queen, repeating the gesture a couple of times just to make sure he wasn't going insane.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Hold the landline! You're telling me that you're the Queen? Like, the queen of all bugs?
Hive Queen: Yes!
Otani Rother Zumangil: Nuh uh, you're playing with me. Ain't no way in high spice are you the queen. I mean, look at you! You look like a xenophile’s wet dream. I mean the arms, the legs, the torso, the freaking head! I didn't mention the…oh my god. Are those tits?
(The Hive Queen looked down at her chest and recognized her prized organs, chuckling in response.)
Hive Queen: Oh, these things? Why, they're my poison glands!
Otani Rother Zumangil: P—poison glands?
Hive Queen: Very much so, sweety!
Otani Rother Zumangil: Sweety? Alright, it's official, my brain has been swapped by a sexual deviant, and now I'm trapped in a sick fantasy!
Hive Queen: Oh, I can make it a sick fantasy all you like…
(The Hive Queen gyrated her torso, making her poison glands jiggle with all their deadly motion, but Otani was not having it.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: That's it, I'm calling in a laser…wait a minute, I don't have an orbital laser on me!
Hive Queen: Don't worry, I can provide all the heat that no space weapons can bring.
Otani Rother Zumangil: Good gravy! Scotty, beam me up!
Democracy Officer: Scotty? The hell are you talking about, diver?
(Otani stared in disappointment, and when he least expected it, he slowly got wrapped in the arms of the Hive Queen, hungry for a taste of lizard.)
Hive Queen: Come to mamma!
Otani Rother Zumangil: Ah! Oh god, her arms are so warm and detailed!
Hive Queen: All the better to rope you in my submission grip, my dear!
(Otani was now smothered by the weight of the poison glands, his cries becoming more and more muffled)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Red alert! Red alert! Her strength is too much for me! Can't…hold back…much…longer!
(Otani was slowly sinking into the bosom of his enemy, becoming more inaudible by the second. As dire as it was, a part of Otani wasn't as worried; in fact, another part of him, outside the dream world, was enjoying it quite well.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Oh, yes! Oh yeah! Bring me in deeper, Madam!
John Renegade Smith: Otani?
Otani Rother Zumangil: Oh, your sweet, sweet poison!
John Renegade Smith: Otani?
Otani Rother Zumangil: Tastes like green apple fruit punch…
John Renegade Smith: Otani!
Otani Rother Zumangil: I…wha?
———
(And just like that, the big alien woke up in his living quarters, jammy whammies in bed with his sheets all over the place, awake at the sight of his squad mate John, who woke him up abruptly.)
John Renegade Smith: Goodness Otani, you were making a lot of strange noises a few seconds ago. You weren't dreaming of anything…undemocratic, were you?
Otani Rother Zumangil: What? Nooo, why would I, the brightest star in this ship, be dreaming of anything undemocratic? I've been dreaming of nothing but the most liberating thoughts imaginable.
John Renegade Smith: Hmmmm, alright then.
Otani Rother Zumangil: Welp, now if you excuse me, I have more bugs to sleep on…I mean, more bugs to count as I sleep on it, Hahaha!
John Renegade Smith: As much as I'd like to see you sleep in peace, we got a mission alert from Super Earth High Command; they're calling us and many other Helldivers on the job to report in immediately.
Otani Rother Zumangil: Oh! Right now?
John Renegade Smith: Unfortunately, now come on, you gotta get dressed. I'll meet you at the bridge.
(John left Otani's room to suit up and meet at the designated area, leaving Otani by himself in his starry room.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Welp, looks like it's off for me to get right to work…
(Otani decided to fall flat on his face on the covers to sleep for another ten minutes before going to the bridge)
———
Super Destroyer PAS: All Helldivers meet at the bridge for mission briefing. I repeat, all Helldivers meet at the bridge for mission briefing.
(As the Helldivers reached the bridge, Democracy Officer Gabriel Martínez, adorning his DP-53 Savior of the Free, smiled as he witnessed John, Molly, and Gerald enter the scene, all locked and ready to go. As they met their officer, they saluted with their fists held firm.)
Gabriel Martínez: At ease, divers.
(Gabriel noticed that Otani was absent from the squad, which is odd considering he was always the first to show up before the others.)
Gabriel Martínez: Where's Otani?
John Renegade Smith: Heh, well, I did tell him that we were to meet here in fifteen minutes, I—
Otani Rother Zumangil: Guessed that I was going to run late?
(The alien cat-walked his way into the bridge, catching the eyes of ship personnel alike.)
John Renegade Smith: Ugh, what did I tell you about reading my mind?
Otani Rother Zumangil: Ease up Johnny, it's not like I do this all the time. Ahem, where was I? Right, sorry about coming in late, officer. I just had a run-in with some nightmares.
Gabriel Martínez: Well, knowing your species, I can only imagine what that must've been like.
Otani Rother Zumangil: Haha, well I'll tell you this much officer, it's not the nightmares you should be worried about with us.
(Otani raised his eyebrows with a questionably familiar gaze that any humanoid would recognize, making Gabriel Martínez wince with concern.)
Gabriel Martínez: Right…well, whatever kind of dreams you have, they can wait either in the bed or the bathroom for all I care—we have a crucial mission on our hands, and the Diamond of Twilight has been called to answer to liberty's aid.
(The Democracy Officer and the Helldivers met at the war table, where the digital intergalactic map zoomed in on the Mirin Sector on planet Oshaune.)
Gabriel Martínez: Research efforts have been hard at work on the planet's major biological lab for four months. Scientists were working on a Mucoplasm breakthrough, which would allow the creation of super-reactive slime molds to cover surfaces, mitigating environmental damage significantly. This was in steady development until a preemptive strike was launched on the facility and its researchers.
Gerald Reese Patton: An underground offensive?
Gabriel Martínez: No, surprisingly. Satellite footage picked up activity of man-made explosions and firefights, leading to suspicion that it could be an insurrectionist effort to halt research.
Molly Thatch Corbin: Bug lovers! I should've known they'd be up to no good.
John Renegade Smith: Was SEAF deployed?
Gabriel Martínez: Yes, twenty-four hours to be exact. But we received no further contact afterwards, leaving Super Earth with the only option best suited for this mission.
Otani Rother Zumangil: Oh, I like the sound of this already!
Molly Thatch Corbin: Right, more fun for us.
Gabriel Martínez: Now hold on, we still don't know what could be lurking down on Oshaune, it's been many years since an invasion has been launched by the Terminids, best you keep a lookout.
Gerald Reese Patton: Gabriel is right, we need to get further reconnaissance of the area before we jump in headfirst into anything, lest we get jumped ourselves.
Gabriel Martínez: Then it seems everything is a go. Clair, initiate FTL to Oshaune.
Clair Julius: On it Officer, setting course to Oshaune.
Super Destroyer PAS: Initiating FTL to the Oshaune system.
(Within a flash, the Diamond of Twilight zipped across spacetime, leading our heroes to their next destination. Upon arrival, Oshaune was in a clear state from Gloom activity, but looks were gravely deceiving.)
Super Destroyer PAS: FTL jump, successfully. Hellpods primed.
Molly Thatch Corbin: Time to kick some abdomen…
Super Destroyer PAS: Initiating orbital thrusters—jump complete.
(As the divers all locked their boots into the Hellpods, they sank into the pods and had their oxygen cords synced to their helmets. A holographic UI popped up for the divers to choose their stratagems for the mission. Once everyone was ready, systems locked into place, and the UI closed out of the console.)
Super Destroyer PAS: Launch Initiated.
(With a few seconds to spare, the Hellpods shoot out of the Super Destroyer and descend deep into the planet's atmosphere, traveling at max velocity towards the Hive World.)
———
(Oshaune, a Hive World shrouded in lethal mystery. Much of the planet's ominous geometric structures had been demolished for the development of research facilities and quarries, but many of their erected monoliths remain outside of Super Earth's borders. Deep in the clouds, the Hellpods hurtled to the planet's surface and made impact on a research site. The divers emerged from their pods, scanning the area around them.)
John Renegade Smith: Hmmm, it's more quiet than normal.
Molly Thatch Corbin: Pfft, I'll say, there's usually more nerds yapping about their petri dishes.
John Renegade Smith: Well, yeah. But this is unlikely for a bug attack, let alone an insurrectionist one.
Gerald Reese Patton: Getting any psychic readings, Otani?
Otani Rother Zumangil: None in mind, unfortunately. They could be buried deep, as to where? Hard to say…
Gerald Reese Patton: Let's call in our gear now before anything shows up.
(The Helldivers called in their stratagems and waited as the Super Destroyer sent their equipment.)
David Duke: Field equipment on its way, ETA ten seconds.
(The equipment dropped in, providing the divers their support weapons and backpacks. Otani, however, was the only one who didn't call in anything, for he was juiced up with enough energy to unleash psychic hell on the enemy.)
John Renegade Smith: Not gonna call in a tesla tower?
Otani Rother Zumangil: Hm? Nah, I got what I need right here.
(Otani flexed his arm before following the squad through the main research building for any sign of survivors. The main gate was busted open, and the inside was greatly destroyed: scientist and SEAF corpses littered the facility, the scientist had bullet and explosion wounds, while the SEAF troopers had huge slashes across their body. Otani squinted at a trooper's corpse next to a scientist and approached them to try reading their deceased minds.)
Molly Thatch Corbin: What did you find?
Otani Rother Zumangil: Trying to see what all happened here.
(Otani started with the scientist, who, upon psychic linkage, opened up memories to moments before the attack on the facility. The scientist was checking the status of vial samples on their latest test applied to protective wear, but before the scientist could sign off, an explosion occurred on the right side, sending him off his feet. The scientist recovered and tried to help out others impacted by the explosion, but an ambush was made by insurrectionists as they shot and killed many scientists in the facility—including the one Otani was observing.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Well, it looks like Gabriel was right. It was an insurrectionist attack, and it looks like they left no one alive too.
John Renegade Smith: What about the troopers?
Otani Rother Zumangil: Let's see…
(Otani now linked with the trooper, and this time he saw SEAF storm the research facility on Assault Pelicans, wiping out any insurrectionists they found. At some point during the operation, the SEAF garrisoned the facility for a time, which was unusual for this particular group of troopers to do. Then out of nowhere, a bug breach was made outside the facility, and a swarm of Terminids had flooded the facility and wiped out the SEAF assault team.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: It looks like they got swarmed by bugs after they cleared the place. But they were here for quite some time, why?
(Otani's ear flickered from a sound he heard east from their position. Making his hunter instincts kick in)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Something is in the storage room.
(The squad rushed towards the storage area and came across a scratched-up door and heard a banging sound inside.)
Gerald Reese Patton: Weapons ready, divers. Otani, open it up.
(Otani used his psychic powers to force the door wide open, and what the divers found inside was a tied and bleeding insurrectionist, using whatever energy he had to get the door open. The man collapsed on the floor, dying from his wounds.)
Dying Insurrectionist: cough cough ughhhh.
John Renegade Smith: An insurrectionist? What was he doing in there?
Molly Thatch Corbin: Alright assbag, tell us why you were here, or I'll give you some bugs you won't forget!
(Molly pointed her shotgun right at the insurrectionist’s face, who seemed not to really give a damn on account of him losing blood.)
Gerald Reese Patton: It's no use, Molly. He's too tired to say anything.
Dying Insurrectionist: First…cough.
Molly Thatch Corbin: First?
Dying Insurrectionist: First strike to put an end to this tyrannical rule. You might've stopped us, but you won't be able to stop the wheeze-cough-cough.
John Renegade Smith: Stop? Stop what?!
Dying Insurrectionist: wheeze Ahahaaaaa…eugh.
(And just like that, the poor bastard collapsed in place, leaving the Helldivers in a state of frustrated confusion.)
Molly Thatch Corbin: What a jack wagon!
John Renegade Smith: Uhhh, does anybody else feel that?
(A rumbling slowly emerged underneath the Helldivers; it felt like an earthquake, but this was something even more deadly.)
Gerald Reese Patton: Everyone, outside now!
(The divers rushed outside the facility and looked over the distance to see three massive bug holes break through the surface, unleashing a whole army of bugs: Scavengers, Warriors, Guards, Chargers, and even Bile Titans emerged from the depths to descend upon the Helldivers. But the heroic defenders of Super Earth were not fazed by the bugs' sheer numbers and prepared for battle.)
———
Gerald Reese Patton: Divers! Initiate Iron Badger!
(Molly and John brought out their stratagem balls and dialed in orbital barrages at the incoming horde.)
John Renegade Smith: Calling in an Orbital Cyclone!
David Duke: Orbital barrage incoming, clear the area.
(The Helldivers unleashed a catastrophic barrage of orbital projectiles on the center of the horde, launching orbitals that spanned in a cycling movement. Bugs were exploding everywhere; some flew high in the air before crashing down with a loud splat. While the orbitals took out a vast majority of the swarm, John and Molly called in sentries to clean out any remaining bugs. The tactic was working effectively as planned, leaving Molly and Gerald to take care of the Bile Titans with their support weapons.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Wait a second, something doesn't feel right.
(Otani looked behind him and sensed a large force closing in on their position. He flew high up to scan the area, and to his shock, he found a stampede of Stalkers and Hunters encroaching on the facility.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Sergeant! We got company coming from the rear, I'll need some turret support here before I go hunting for their burrows!
Gerald Reese Patton: You got it, Otani! Molly, John, we've got some bugs closing in from the south. It shouldn't be too long.
Molly Thatch Corbin: No worries, Sergeant, we got this from here!
(Molly launched a rocket from her recoilless rifle straight at a Bile Titan’s head, killing it instantly. Gerald and Otani rushed to the southern entrance of the facility; Gerald called in two sentries on his left and right to cover him, while he manned an HMG emplacement near the gate, with three guns covering the rear, along with a tesla tower dropped in from Otani for good measure. Gerald and the sentries unleashed chaos amongst the Stalker and Hunter swarm, dropping them dead in their tracks. Meanwhile, Otani flew overhead to find the concealed burrows.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Come on, where are you?
(He searched high and low, but no burrows in sight, that was until he found some peculiar structures. Ones with a few bug holes and stalker lairs in a decent-sized nest, making Otani smile mischievously.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Ah, there you are. Nothing but a little Apep Bomb, won't handle—Look out below!
(Otani spun around in the air before releasing a massive ball of energy down on the bug nest. As a stalker came out of its lair, it looked up to see a giant lightning ball hurtling right at it, and before it knew what was going on, the nest was obliterated in a flash of blue light.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: Oh yeah! Home run, wait a minute…you don't roll balls in baseball.
Gerald Reese Patton: Otani, did you take care of that nest?
Otani Rother Zumangil: That I did, Sergeant!
Gerald Reese Patton: Good, now help me clear out the rest of these bugs, and let's rendezvous with Molly and John.
Otani Rother Zumangil: On it, Sarge!
(Meanwhile, Molly and John were cleaning up the rest of the bug horde—with no other bugs in sight, they decided to go with the nuclear options.)
Molly Thatch Corbin: Alright, John, wanna go with the two 1M and a Hellbomb?
John Renegade Smith: By all means!
Molly Thatch Corbin: Sending in an Eagle!
John Renegade Smith: Make that two.
Eagle 07: Imitating a Bugle Charge
(Two 1M bombs came dropping in from Eagle 07 as they blew up two of the bug holes, caving them immediately. Now all that was left was the third hole.)
John Renegade Smith: Alright, time to—Oh shit!
(John was caught off guard and evaded an oncoming fast recon vehicle driven by Molly, carrying an already-counting Hellbomb.)
Molly Thatch Corbin: Hahaha, alright, you shrimp, have a taste of victory!
(Molly floored it and throttled straight towards the bug hole with only a few seconds left on the bomb to detonate.)
Molly Thatch Corbin: Aaaaaand Dismount!
(Molly ejected herself out of the car and crashed to the ground, sending a car with an armed Hellbomb ticking down to zero right into the depths of bug hell with a big explosion—with the last bug hole cratered, the Helldivers had secured the area.)
Molly Thatch Corbin: Now THAT is what I call daring.
John Renegade Smith: Molly, 1. What drugs are you smoking? And 2. Can I have some?
Molly Thatch Corbin: Ha! The only drugs I take in this magnificent body are soot, lead, and gunpowder!
Gerald Reese Patton: Well done, team. Another day is saved thanks to us!
Otani Rother Zumangil: Is it just me, or does it smell like a barbecue up in here?
(As the Helldivers came together to converse, yet another quake emerged under them, only this time it traveled all the way up to a volcano, which erupted with green lava. But this wasn't from the volcano itself, but a creature that lay dormant within the volcano—a giant flying beast that looked like the mix between a dragon and a wasp. It was a Terminid flying titan, a Dragon Killer Fly! The alien kajiu let out a cosmic roar that shook the valley below, making the Helldivers gawk in horror at the sight of such a behemoth.)
Otani Rother Zumangil: My gods…
*****
Flying high are we from many worlds,
Here to set free humanity from the worst.
We come from the stars wide and far,
Destroying the enemies of democracy.
Though we differ in shape and size,
Our blood still bleeds white, yellow, and blue.
When the time calls, we will rise and protect Super Earth from its demise.
Super Earth, we are here for you. Super Earth, we hope you're there for us, too! — Super Earth Xeno Choir
HELLDIVERS
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STAR PATRIOTS
By Dave Spaceman