The dark blue foliage rustled and shook with footage as the sound of laser fire echoed overhead, pinging against exhausted metal as a super destroyer overhead would break in half and begins to collapse towards the planet. Evacuation ships would be desperately trying to get out of the planet's atmosphere, some getting lucky and managing to break free. Others, bursting in mid-air as the patter of AA-guns would tear through them like paper. A lone woman bursts out of the foliage, covered in cuts and bruises as her citizen's uniform would be ripped and torn, singed from blaster fire. She'd quickly run towards an evacuation ship as it takes off, quickly waving to it as glowing red-eyes appeared out of the maw of the forest.
Clanking, heavy stomps striking the ground and crushing the plants underfoot as the click of a blaster's safety switches off. A stream of lasers as she dives to the ground. The revving of chainsaws behind her as she looks up, the evacuation ship quickly taking off. She couldn't blame them.
Managed Democracy is for the many that few must sacrifice. She was only one of that many.
The woman would quickly scurry over to the corpse of a SEAF trooper, the roar of missiles narrowly missing her as the barrage destroyed the launch bay. She'd pick up the Liberator and empties the magazine into the metal behemoth's belly. The chainsaws stop. Its eyes darken before falling into a heap of scrap. The woman would huff as she'd look down at it, dumbfounded for only a moment before quickly getting back up. It had cut down her sister, her mother and father like weeds. Cold, unfeeling, and tyrannical in its speed and efficiency. She had no time to mourn, escape was paramount. She could hear more heavy footsteps coming towards her, time was of the essence. She'd quickly but clumsily reload the Liberator and grabs the spare mags off the corpse of the soldier, and would begin running towards a blue beam pointing skyward.
The woman would run through the forest as fast as she could, ducking behind tree trunks and rocks. Malevlelon Creek had been a peaceful place once. Farmers, miners. A basic Class-3 colony. It was an honest life, a proud one knowing they were providing all they could to their fellow Super Citizens. But now, amidst the burning fields, the screams of colonists being dragged away into foundries to never be seen again, and the clanking steel of Automaton feet against the Liberty-blessed soil; it was easy to imagine that it will never do so again. The woman shook her head, refusing to give into despair. It was what the Socialists wanted, to surrender. To turn her against Managed Democracy and her fellow citizens. But she refused. Death before Treason. She reloads the Liberator, it felt like an old friend now in the span of 10 minutes. Her guardian angel of steel, casting her vote in a barrage of ballots against the Automatons. She steadied herself before running towards the blue light in the sky, dashing out into an open field as she could faintly hear voices on the communication frequency of a communicator she scavenged.
"So your great great great grandad fought the Cyborgs huh? You think they're behind this?"
"Gotta be, I'd recognize that fascist Star anywhere."
"Well damn.. guess we're gonna get to make our ancestors proud huh?"
"Liberty willing, we'll bring them the Freedom they seem to long for. J5, any word on the Pelican?"
"Almost here H1. Bastards are targetting civvy ships... Eagle One's got her hands full so she's not gonna be able to help us. Ionic disturbance isn't helping either."
"Then we'll make do with what we got to keep the metal bastards off us a bit longer. We're Helldivers dammit, if we can't hold this point then what good are we!?"
The woman couldn't believe her ears.. Helldivers. Real Helldivers. The heroes of the First Galactic War. They could help her, help her escape. It's their duty.
The woman would break into a full sprint, finding newfound energy as Pelican One began to make its descent. She'd wave to the Helldivers, screaming as loud as she could.
"WAIT! WAIT FOR ME!
One of the Helldivers would look over as a ship came down overhead, dropping a group of automatons that began to chase her. She'd quickly turn around and guns down some troopers before dropping the last clip, and would bash in the head of a jet trooper, knocking her back as a Berserker began to march towards her along with a Hulk.
"Is that a SEAF soldier? No, wrong uniform.."
One of the Helldivers, dressed in armor closer to the original Galactic War model, would take a step or two closer to get better view before gasping in horror.
"SWEET LIBERTY, THAT'S A CITIZEN! I THOUGHT WE GOT EVERYONE TO EVACUATE!"
The woman would scurry backwards as she narrowly dodges the buzzing chainsaw, striking the ground as rocks hit her in the back, she could feel something warm and wet down her back but she kept moving as the Hulk's lumbering body drew closer.
"WE HAVE TO RESCUE HER!"
"H1 WE DON'T HAVE TIME, WE NEED TO GO NOW! SHE'S PROBABLY A CLASS-C OR SOMETHING!"
The DP-00 armored Helldiver would look over at his fellow soldier before suddenly grabbing the Jump Pack off his back.
"H1 WHAT IN FREEDOM'S NAME ARE YOU DOING?!"
H1 would fiddle with the settings on it before slinging over his back and cocking his gun as he'd gesture for the other Helldivers to board the Pelican.
"CLASS-C OR NOT, SHE IS STILL A SUPER CITIZEN! WE ARE HELLDIVERS J5, WE ARE DEMOCRACY'S FIST!"
He would break into a run towards the woman as she's about to get sawed in half by the Berserker.
"DEMOCRACY PROTECTS!"
H1 leaps with the jump-pack, launching himself forward as he lands atop of the Hulk, gunning down the Berserker from behind as the woman would see the fluttering cape and the bright yellow and black armor, the flash of the Liberator Penetrator obliterating a rocket trooper as the woman looks up in pure awe. H1 draws a revolver from his holster as he rode the Hulk as it tried to swat him off, gunning down a trooper calling for another Bot drop and then fires a perfect shot through the eye of another Hulk as it collapses. He pulls out a Thermite from his belt and sticks it to the back of the Hulk mid-leap, picking up the woman and pulling her away from the ensuing explosion. The Pelican was beginning to make its ascent as he would make a quick calculation in his head.
"We're not gonna make it!" The woman would scream in despair as the Hellidver would quickly flick a setting off on the jump pack.
"You're right. We might not make it."
He'd hold her tight as the jump-pack launches them skyward towards the Pelican as it took to the sky, he'd hand the revolver over to the woman.
"But you will."
He would toss the woman up onto the Pelican platform as the other Helldivers would quickly catch her, pulling her up onto the Pelican as "J5" would try and reach for H1. The distance couldn't be closed even as he reached, and began to descend. The Helldiver would pull out a grenade and pulls the pin, giving a final salute as he vanished beneath the low-lying clouds. A loud boom followed by clattering metal, then silence amidst the hum of the Pelican's interior. The woman shivered as she sits on the floor of the ship in disbelief. Against all odds. She survived.
"J5" would look down at the terrified woman before taking off his helmet, revealing a somewhat weathered looking face and a shaved head and leans forward as the woman bows her head.
"I'm... I'm sorry... I-"
He holds up his hand sternly as she quickly goes quiet.
"What's your name, ma'am?"
She gulps.
"Jane Taylor. I'm a Class-C farmer."
"You knew your way around a Liberator. Any SEAF training?"
"No sir. Just picked it up and pulled the trigger and hoped for the best."
He sighs as he leans back in the seat, looking out the window as they breached the atmosphere where Super Destroyers and Automaton battleships battled for supremacy.
"H1 was a good man.. apparently his armor was something his family had been allowed to pass down in recognition of their service in the First Galactic War."
"Guess the bots ended up finishing the job after all.."
The other Helldivers would bow their heads for a moment as Jane felt overwhelming guilt, almost beginning to cry before feeling one of the Helldivers put her hand on her shoulder, a woman's voice coming over the filter.
"Hey. He gave his life for you, and he even gave you his Senator. He saw something in you, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little impressed some colonist could hold her own like that."
Jane would sniffle and nods as she would hold the revolver close to her chest as the Pelican would dock in the Super Destroyer, The Fist of Democracy. The Helldivers would file out one by one as they'd be approached by a Truth Enforcer, evaluating them on their mission and the statistics before grilling them on the absence of H1.
"Do you realize that Connor's family had been at the forefront of the Cyborg front in the First Galactic War!? He had valuable hereditary knowledge that even WE can't easily access since his family got destroyed on Erata Prime! LOST, FOREVER! Do you understand this?!" The angry woman yelled, her white boots clicking against the metal floor as the harsh light reflected off of her crisp white uniform.
"I tried to tell him not to go to begin with, ma'am. But he insisted. Liberty's fire burned brighter than his reason." J5 replied as she would get up in her face, her helmet's red visor making him shiver as he straightened up.
"Then you should've sedated him, knocked him out. Anything to keep him from leaving this ship." She hissed before the female Helldiver spoke up, hesitantly but trying to keep her voice steady.
"If you look at the battle footage Enforcer Halwark, you'd understand why he risked himself like that."
"What do you mean by that A6?"
She would gesture over to Jane as she hesitantly waved at the Truth Enforcer as she approached her, moving at a brisk pace and stops dead in her tracks. Even underneath the helmet behind the dark red visor, Jane felt her gaze piercing through her as she'd gulp.
"Name, occupation and class."
"J-Jane Taylor, Farmer and Class-C."
"Family?"
"John, Nancy Taylor, and my sister Lily Taylor."
"Family Status?"
"... Sole survivor."
The Truth Enforcer would look down at the Liberator and revolver in her hands, noting how the poor woman looked disheveled and drenched in blood but still alive.
"I see H1 gave you his Senator before his passing. Where did you obtain the Liberator?"
"Fallen SEAF soldier at an evacuation point for the Very Important Citizens. i had hoped they'd let me hitch a ride... but there was no time to even ask."
The Truth Enforcer would stare at her , and would flick on the screen as cameras strategically placed around the settlement along with the Helldivers-live feed as it'd replay the events of that night. Her posture would go from rigid and tight to slightly more relaxed if not intrigued as she watched Jane fight her way through the jungles of the Creek, up to the moment H1 rescued her.
"I see. Hm. While it's a tragedy to lose hereditary knowledge that may not be within our archives especially when it's so pertinent..."
She would say with a resigned sigh, bowing her head for a moment before taking in a sharp breath.
"I believe it prudent to make the most of what he's given us."
She would tap on her communicator and speaks into it as Jane would carefully wander through the bridge of the Super Destroyer, looking around in awe as she'd enter the command bridge and steps up the stairs to look out the viewport. Malevelon Creek was spread out below her, its familiar jungles and rivers now barely visible amidst the dark blue atmosphere. Cutting through the sparks of ionic storms were vast swathes of flames, with bombardment of red lasers and Hellpods raining down on the surface. The planet she called home had never felt so alien.
"A6. Come here."
The lady Helldiver would quickly stand at attention to the Truth Enforcer as they'd linger by the War Map.
"Seeing as you're willing to speak on Ms. Taylor's behalf, bring back her back to Super Earth. I've already contacted the Ministry of Defense, I believe she is an excellent candidate for the Helldiver program."
"I would never question your judgement, Enforcer Halwark but she hasn't had basic SEAF training."
"She may as well have."
Jane would continue staring down at the planet, her eyes vacant and lost in thought as she watched the fires spread.
"If she can survive down there, she can survive Helldiver training. John saw that, and even I am willing to see that. Now take her to your Destroyer, and set coordinates for Super Earth at once, Major Cameron."
The Helldiver nods and would give her a salute as she'd head up the steps and puts a hand on Jane's shoulder.
"You ever been to Super Earth? Prosperity's super nice, the malls are to simply die for!" She'd say cheerfully to try and get Jane to cheer up a little as she'd guide her away from the viewport and back towards the Pelican as Jane looks over her shoulder, back at the window.
"I'm coming back. I swear it." She silently thought to herself before stepping into the cargo hold of the Pelican, and closing up behind her.
