Profiles In Heroism- Jane Taylor

PROFILES IN HEROSIM
Hello citizen, and welcome to our newest addition in the Democratic Diary! We're proud to present to you Profiles in Heroism, where we do a deep dive into the heroes of the Second Galactic War and present their stories and history to inspire and fan the flames of liberty in your soul!

Today's profile is a Helldiver who's been through it all, and we are proud to present her and her story to you! Before you is a file and the story of 10-Star General Jane Taylor, or as some of you may know her from the recruitment vids, "Jane Helldiver". So without further ado, read on citizen!

NAME: Jane Taylor

Alias: "Jane Helldiver"

Age: 25

SEX: Female

BIRTHDATE: February 26th, 2161

Ranking: 10 Star General

Affiliation: 502nd Liberation Battalion, 326th Commando Division

Home Planet: Malevelon Creek

Ship Alias: SES Light of Redemption

Preferred Armor Set: B-01 Tactical Armor, Fallen Hero's Vengeance Cape

Preferred Weapons: Liberator Penetrator, P-4 Senator

EARLY LIFE
Jane Taylor had been born to a farming family on Malevelon Creek, designated as Class-C citizens due to their primary function as laborers. Despite her lower status earning her scorn among the higher citizenry, Jane found the life of a farmer to be a simple one if not somewhat unrewarding. Tilling the poor nutrient soil, the regular disruption of electrical equipment from raging ion storms and wildlife at times finding its way into the settlements and rampaging through their stocks or dragging an unlucky colonist into the bush.

Still, even without risking a visit from a Truth Enforcer if she voiced her discontent, it wasn't a terrible life. In the rare opportunities for downtime she found chances to explore the jungles, to watch the skies when ion storms raged across the sky and charged the air with sparks that made her hair stand on end. Even love could be found amidst the drudgery of farm-work, if her own account is to be believed.

THE FALL OF MALEVELON CREEK
On February 28th, 2184 a scourge that had long thought to have been extinguished reared its metallic head to spread the flames of destruction and socialism through the entire Severin Sector. The Automatons had quickly seized Malevelon Creek and began a relentless onslaught to slake their endless blood thirst. Jane's parents and sister had attempted to evacuate from the settlement before being set upon by Berserkers, cut down before Jane's eyes as she fled at her sister's insistence before being silenced with a buzzing chainsaw.

Upon arriving at an evacuation site, SEAF troopers were buying time for the remaining VIPs to board the evacuation ships. When Jane had tried to board however, due to her status as a Class C citizen and needing to provide the needed space for important and sensitive materials, she was barred entry from the last evacuation ship. Refusing to simply accept her fate as a hoard of Automatons marched out of the forest, she grabbed the Liberator of a fallen SEAF soldier and quickly began firing back, the weapon unfamiliar in her hands compared to the typical Break Action Shotgun she had been taught to use.

She ran through the forest, killing Automaton Troopers and Berserkers as she desperately tried to find a way to escape. Liberty answered her prayers when she came across the extraction pad and a group of Helldivers were beginning to board.

Before she can begin making an entreaty for salvation, a new wave of Automatons came for her with a Hulk close behind. Even after finally getting a feel for the Liberator, nothing could save her from running of ammunition. As it seemed like the light of her democratic spirit was about to be snuffed out by the darkness of socialism, a Helldiver, Sargent John Connors broke from the squad despite their protests, to come to her aid. After swiftly disabling the bots, the Helldiver made a grim calculation as the Pelican began to take off.

After disabling the safety mechanism of his jump-pack, he'd hand off his Senator revolver to Jane and made a run for the landing pad before launching upwards with her in tow. The disabled safety mechanism allowed for greater lift as the Pelican door opened, allowing him to toss Jane onto the Pelican where the other Helldivers caught her. John pulled a grenade from his belt, and pulled the pin as he began to descend into the barrage of blaster fire with a final salute, giving the last full measure of devotion to managed democracy, leaving Jane and his squad to mourn his sacrifice.

TRAINING
Upon arriving on the Super Destroyer, the resident Truth Enforcer would grill the squad for the needless death of a Helldiver, with roots and family knowledge dating back to the First Galactic War no less. After questioning Jane for her role in his demise and reviewing the footage from the settlement to the Pelican, the Truth Enforcer realized that Jane would be a suitable candidate for the Expedited Helldiver Training Program due to seeming already have some familiarity with the front. Jane worked tirelessly to prove herself worthy during her time on Mars before being put through the final test and finally being given her cape.

THE 502ND LIBERATION LEGION.
As she rose through the ranks and served through the galaxy, High Command would deem her ready for the burden of leadership. Consisting of other survivors that had been put through the Expedited Training regimen, the 502nd Liberation Legion was officially formed and recognized. Jane quickly proved to be an effective poster-girl for the Battalion and participating in recruitment campaigns encouraging women to join the SEAF, earning her the nickname "Jane Helldiver" in the spirit of the legendary John Helldiver. Jane insistently claims herself unworthy of such distinction.

RETURN TO THE CREEK
It was with great pride and prejudice that Jane was finally able to return home back to Malevelon Creek with the bulk of Super Earth's forces at her back. The dives were relentless, from one operation completed and immediately moving to the next, when her body finally gave out she reeked of blood and oil, the "scent of victory." as she reportedly called it.

After her brief respite, she would return to the Creek and personally purged the Automatons from the settlement she had once called home, relying on the Senator given to her by Sargent Cormack. When she returned to her Destroyer, the atmosphere was electric as Super Earth's High Command claimed victory at last as the final push from the Automatons was snuffed out, and the the Fallen Heroes cape has rarely ever left her back. According to Jane, that night was the best sleep she's had in years.

CALYPSO
After surviving the nightmare of Meridia and the subsequent advent of the Gloom, Jane loyally continued to follow her orders and felt that the wretched game the Automatons and Terminids may finally be coming to an end. What she had not expected, was a new player coming to the table. An ancient enemy, thought extinct, arising on Calypso with horrifying and grotesque distortions of once loyal citizens. The Illuminate had made their return.

Upon receiving word, she immediately went planet side as her and her squad saw first-hand that it was true. Citizens of Super Earth, transformed into hideous, brainwashed abominations shambling through the town. But to make matters worse, it quickly became clear to Jane and her squad that the Voteless were not entirely under the control of the Illuminate. There were still citizens, desperately fighting against the mind control and implants of the squids with one Voteless even seeming to recognize one of the squad mates, N8 later described that as having been his sister once, prior to the transformation. This Voteless had managed to take an abandoned grenade and pulled it upon reaching the Overseers. Helldiver N8 refuses to discuss the matter further.

THE BATTLE OF SUPER EARTH
With the destruction of Angel's Venture and the razing of multiple planets on the destructive path of the Great Host, Jane's blood had run cold as the Major Order flashed on her screen: Hold Super Earth. Refusing to waste a second, Jane and the whole of the 502nd quickly came to Super Earth's defense and fought valiantly wherever she was able to fend off the genocidal squids. Photos and video from intrepid journalists that captured her in action, notably a shot of her boot on the back of an Oveerseer with her Senator to its skull, quickly made the rounds and featured in hastily made but done propaganda. Despite Super Earth's boldest efforts, city after city fell. When the order to repair the DSS came during the defense of Port Mercy, Jane reluctantly left to go aid in its repair. Leaving Port Mercy has continued to haunt Jane to this day, with memories of a shot down evacuation ship often waking her up.

Even as she dived the Automaton front, Super Earth was at the forefront of her mind and felt her calling her back, but she resisted. Some of her worries were eased as she heard that Equality-On-Sea refused to yield, even as the Illuminate seemed intent on crushing it. Upon the DSS being fully operational, Jane and the rest of the 502nd would eagerly return with it and joined the 114th Defense Brigade with the 326th Commando Division harassing the squid backline in Equality-On-Sea's and Prosperity's defense.

Soon the Battle for Super Earth was over, and after the designated week-long mourning period for the slain President of Super Earth, the celebrations and reconstruction began in earnest.

Cyberstan
After a grueling campaign to take over Oshaune, High Command had begun making moves to finally take on the Automaton threat when it became clear that the Cyborgs were the true masters of the robotic slaves, another ancient enemy back from the dead. Eager to finally get proper revenge for Malevelon Creek by striking at the heart of the Automaton menace. Jane had found no greater thrill than stomping her boot on the back of a cyborg and looking into its soulless eyes as it stared down the barrel of her Senator. The fluttering Fallen Heroes cape that adorned her back was the last thing it ever saw.
Revenge is awfully underrated, when you think about it.

But revenge does not win campaigns, and to her great dismay it appeared unlikely that Cyberstan was able to be taken. However she would not leave the planet just yet, refusing to allow the 77th SEAF infantry from falling victim to the bots and cyborgs' horrendous machinations. During extraction in this operation, Jane had come across a SEAF trooper desperately fighting for her life as the horde of robots and cyborgs attempted to swarm her. Feeling it was time to repay the favor, Jane quickly ran back to rescue the trooper and fended off the horde. She'd quickly grab the soldier and flicks off the safety of her jump-pack, handed off her Senator, and leapt up to the Pelican and tossed them onto the open door before falling back to earth with a salute.

CAPTURE
To Jane's own surprise, rather than promptly executing or converting her, the Cyborgs took her prisoner after nursing her back to health from the damage she sustained from her fall. The cyborgs would attempt to interrogate Jane, telling her lies about Super Earth's history and what they "did" to them. At points, to Jane's shame and in a candid admittance to our interviewer, she did waver. The fact the enemy had been willing to nurse her to health rather than treat her as another body to be used for bio-fuel or conversion had her feeling previously unthinkable doubts. Not helped was her interrogator being an Automaton seeming to be designed to copy the "Femme fatale" of Pre-Unification films.

But even with her doubts, even if, Liberty forbid, the Cyborgs were telling the truth, thoughts of her family brought her back to reality and Super Earth's embrace. How could she ever consider the red-eyed devils who slaughtered her family and friends to be victims?

About a week later, a daring Commando operation launched by the 502nd Legion to retrieve her was launched without High Command approval. After a daring, dangerous escape, Jane was back in Super Earth hands. The SEAF Trooper she rescued had been allowed to become a Helldiver and was one of the first to greet her on the SES Song of Family Values, and returned her Senator. After the reunion, Jane would eagerly inform the Ministry of Truth what she had experienced, and was eager to demonstrate her undying fidelity to managed democracy after her moment of weakness. In honor of her mission to prove her loyalty was without question, the SES Song of Family Values was renamed to the SES Light of Redemption.

YED PRIOR AND CLASA
Despite the the encroaching Void and High Command issuing new orders with the reward of a new vehicle for use, Jane had received a secret transmission from the 326th Commando Division during a moment of reprieve. According to the message sent from the 326th's highest command, The children of Yed Prior were currently being held by the Automatons and being sent to a data center on Clasa to be processed. The mission was simple, take Yed Prior to save the children and destroy the Data Center. The hitch was that she could not expect High Command's backing, nor the rest of the Helldiver corps that were currently busy with the major order. It seemed dubious, unlikely that they could succeed or that it was even possible.

However like the laws of aviation to the bee, Helldivers do not care about what is possible, and dive anyway.
After providing aid to those fighting the Illuminate to keep up the appearance of cooperation, Jane and the 502nd quickly pivoted to Yed Prior and aided in the S.T.EA.L. of the DSS, formally joining with the 326th Commando Division. It was a relentless assault on the soulless socialists, diving again and again and returning to the crimson fields, still smothered in blood and oil . For the sake of freedom and to ensure the brilliant future of Super Earth's youth, there can be no rest.

When Super Earth's flag finally flew over Yed Prior and Clasa once again, Jane had completed 40 missions in total. 20 on Yed Prior, 20 on Clasa. A new personal best for the sake of the children.

The 502nd, in tandem with the 326th would receive a thankful if not begrudging commendation from High Command for partaking in this legally dubious but morally righteous operation. Not long after, Jane would receive a drawing from one of the children she had rescued on Yed Prior, and now proudly frame it right beside it and letters of gratitude from the settlers of her old home in her quarters on the Super Destroyer.

Even with the liberation of Malevelon Creek and coming to Super Earth's aid with a newly repaired DSS on her list of achievements, it was the liberation of Yed Prior and saving its children from the clutches of the Automaton and Cyborg menace that she considers one of her greatest accomplishments.

CONCLUSION
Jane Taylor has seen much in her time as a Helldiver, horrors beyond democratic comprehension and acts of heroism and sacrifice that make one weep. Despite everything, General Taylor remains, and ready to liberate at a moment's notice. Thank you for all you do, Jane Helldiver. Liberty guide your aim wherever it takes you.

Thank you for reading our Profile in Heroism. We'll back soon with another publication and a new Profile about one of Super Earth's finest. If you subscribe to the Democratic Diary you'll receive a dog-tag with a personal letter from a Helldiver! If you wish to do your part and make your parents and Super Earth proud, there's an enlistment form that you can fill in on the next page and send to your local recruitment office!

Have a Super Day, Super Citizen!