#Varylia 5

[at-liberty-news]

Galactic War Status: Day 7

...back? We're back? We are? Okay, good. good. Finally.

Welcome back, viewers! We took a wrong turn in FTL and ended up very far outside of transmission range with Super Earth, and it took us the better part of the last 48 hours to find our way back. Very sorry about that. We'll try to catch up on the news now.

Day 6 of the Galactic War was a solemn loss on the bot front, as the Helldivers were unable to protect Vernen Wells from the Automaton invasion. Who knows how harshly the war effort will be impacted by the loss of recruits training there? Unfortunately, we were among the many who did not even notice the simultaneous attack of Varylia 5 in the Trigon sector, leading to a near-completely unopposed takeover of the planet by Automaton forces. 

Indeed, even High Command seemed to be working against their own best interests, having sent out personal orders to eradicate over two dozen Hunters, leading troops to land on less tactically valuable planets in the East rather than Vernen Wells, where they belonged. On the other hand, SEAF forces in Terminid territory managed to completely cleanse Fenrir III this time, rescuing the day from being a total loss. Let's hope another undiscovered nest doesn't spring up, though.

And now onto the current day. With the factories back at home churning out bullets, there must be an excess, as the personal orders of the day are to score at least one hundred confirmed kills using the A/G-16 Gatling Sentry. While incapable of penetrating heavy armor, this automated bullet hose near-instantaneously tears apart anything short of it.

As for the matter of territory, a swarm of bugs has found its way onto Turing in the Umlaut sector and is spreading across the surface now. SEAF forces are already quelling the infestation as I speak! Back on Vernen Wells, what little ground we have left is slowly receding as SEAF troops struggle to maintain control. Reinforcements cannot come soon enough!

That's all for now. Give 'em Hell, Divers!

[helldivers-2]

Varylia 5 has been liberated!

Today marks a day of celebration as the newly acquired Emancipator Exosuit is immediately rushed out for distribution to all Helldivers.

[cavefilllingcorporation]

Useless mechs, useless suppliers

It was hard to tell the expression that Vismark was making. He couldn’t quite make out if it was positive or negative. Still, the officer waited, hoping the man would explain himself. After all, there had to be a reason he called everybody in the meeting. Would it be good news, or bad news?

Vismark then spoke:

“Gentlemen, the Major Order had been completed. Varylia 5 has been secured by Super Earth, and the Helldivers now have their new exosuits.”

The people around the room showed faces of discontent and unhappiness. It was never a good thing when Super Earth won, let alone get more supplies. Especially a mech suit.

“However,” Vismark stated, “The reports that we have received indicate that the mech suits… are not good. They are not nearly having as much of an impact for the front lines as their older counterparts.” This was met by a reversal of the mood around the table. Not quite rejoicing, but it was nice to have confirmation that Super Earth’s issues with weapon firepower were still present.

“That is not all. I have word that the next Major order is on the termanid side. They are going to attempt to go after the Meridia Super Colony. As of right now, they are only securing the worlds around the planet, and it is likely that the next Major Order will be to invade the planet itself.”

The officer then spoke up:

“We should send the Automatons some supplies! Let them build up their forces. Make sure that they hold Vernen Wells!”

Vismark’s expression then turned darker upon hearing this.

“I wish. Unfortunately, we have not been able to acquire steel or anything of that sort. The only major exports that have been made as of recent were absence products, and we cannot send those to the front. I have gotten word that the systems have once again been fixed, and while I do not know if this will help with MazeRun, it should do something… Hopefully the workers on MazeRun and the Storytime dimension are able to produce something before the end of the two orders. I’d like to have something by then.”

“What about the Solar Isles? I’ve heard they were working again. Perhaps they could be of use?”

Upon hearing about the Solar Isles, Vismark’s face darkened even more, and the officer realized he might have said too much. It was no secret that Vismark did not like the Solar Isles. He didn’t hate them, but the world was rich in iron, which could have gone to produce steel for their clients. However, the iron was instead being traded for Moonstone. He did understand why this was the case. Moonstone was more valuable than iron, no contest. It didn’t stop his discomfort. Still, the officer was thinking about the crates’ worth of copper that the Solar Isles held.

“The Solar Isles is going, but at a much slower rate than before. They are covering much more ground than before, as the Sectors are growing larger and having more subsectors added to them. I have spoken to the commander, the copper on the Isles will not be ready for exportation for at least a week, maybe more. The Major Orders will end long before it is ready to ship.”

With that, the room sat in awkward silence, a silence that was only broken by Vismark.

“Well, with that, I believe that concludes today’s meeting. Everybody is dismissed. We will just have to wait and see what happens on the front lines…”

[at-liberty-news]

Galactic War Status: Days 10 & 11

Welcome back, viewers. Michael Adams here, and I'm sure some of you have a burning question for us right now. "Michael, why do you keep bunching the days together? Wouldn't it be best to deliver news as soon as it's available?" You're right, dear non-descript viewer. It would be better. But we have a tight budget and limited time to devote to the station's work. Even worse, Super Earth stops at nothing to try and shut us down. Station "liberation" attempts, broadcast jammers, putting down informants and reporters alike—you name it! Staying on the air is hazardous to our health, but we speak every word as if it's our last breath, because it just might be.

While we will work to improve our schedule amid these threats and setbacks, we hope the viewerbase can stay tuned and stay safe. Onto today's news!

Day 10 was a big day for the war. As spore activity in the Meridian Supercolony worsens, High Command has warned all standing troops of the risk of even more frequent Terminid territory expansion. Such information has yet to officially reach the public, which is where we're stepping in. People deserve to know the truth. Always.

Liberation progress of the robotic petafactory has been steady, though not without delays. The massive number of automatons it churns out slows what is otherwise one of the strongest pushes Super Earth has made on the Automaton front to date. Even worse, many Helldivers had to divert their attention to Angel's Venture in order to defend it from another Terminid colony. Both Wezen in the Ymir sector and Erata Prime in the Umlaut sector have fallen to our respective foes, a necessary loss for the Helldivers to focus on the petafactory.

During this day, Super Earth tasked Helldivers with destroying at least 10 enemies with the EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank. A widespread tactic among their ranks has been to attach the beacon directly onto armored targets so that the incoming hellpod containing their armaments crushes the enemy, saving a shot.

On day 11, the defense of Angel's Venture succeeded. Super Earth High Command congratulated the SEAF for their valiant effort and directed them back to Varylia 5, where the battleline had hardly moved in their absence. According to High Command's galactic messages and some of our eyewitness reports, Automaton numbers on the planet are beginning to dwindle, which means the final stretch should be the easiest. Despite this, they're still putting up a stronger fight than any other planet, and it will take one last push of great resolve from the SEAF to see its liberation through. As proof of this resolve, Fenrir III is looking to go the way of Erata Prime, left to fend for itself against the Terminid invasion for now.

To help encourage Helldivers to remain stalwart in the defense of Angel's Venture, the personal order of the day was the destruction of no less than several dozen Warriors. Numerous and deceptively lethal, even one getting close can become inescapable death for an unwitting Helldiver. While capable of living without their legs, and even their heads for some time, the loss of both of their razor-sharp claws can instantly kill any Warrior on the spot. Such is their evil lust for blood that, with no means of spilling it, they lose all will to live.

And with that, dear viewers, we are wrapping up tonight's segment. We'll see you again soon. Give 'em Hell, Divers!

[at-liberty-news]

Galactic War Status: Day 42

Another standard day of the war!

Ingmar's defense was a complete success, although Varylia 5 and Trost have been lost. The Automatons seem to have made a final concentrated push on Mort... which was crushed in record-breaking time! Nivel 43 was also attacked and, despite its defenses, is looking to be another planet taken by the swarm.

Let's hope both of our foes have exhausted themselves of enough immediate forces by now so that the SEAF may begin making counter-pushes to reclaim the vast quantity of land that has been lost over the past several days.

That's all for today. Give 'em Hell, Divers!

[at-liberty-news]

Galactic War Status: Day 41

Today, Automatons have made major land grabs on multiple planets.

While Mort was easily defended, the bots have launched yet another attack on Ingmar, along with Troost and Varylia 5. Although Ingmar has been repelled, the other two planets are already beyond saving.

Finally, Phact Bay has been lost to the Terminids. With the losses in territory mounting by the day, one must wonder how Super Earth will recover?

[at-liberty-news]

Galactic War Status: Day 12

Michael Adams here. We're already past day 12 and fast approaching the end of the second week since the Federation's official declaration of war, and things are really heating up!

With the day already in our rearview, we can safely retell all that happened. Helldivers have secured the petafactory on Varylia 5 within much less time tahn anticipated, with it already having been converted into a mech factory for the EXO-49 Emancipator Exosuit. The Federation claims it was filled with millions of potentially sapient assembly drones, though officials downplay the notion of Automatons having true sapience. What Super Earth never indicated was what they'd done with the drones. While the first assumption would be eradication, the rate at which Emancipators have already been producing implies that the drones have somehow themselves been repurposed. If this is true, it is a bitter irony for them, indeed.

To further incentivize Divers throughout the liberation campaign to maintain the push, High Command sent out a personal order for the destruction of no less than three Eviscerator Tanks. With a turret sporting quad-fusion blasters, it lives up to its name. Although deadly, it shares most of the same weaknesses with the Annihilator, chiefly its poorly armored backside. Many Helldivers are fooled into thinking that only the region of the rear where the vents glow with heat are ill-protected, but in fact the entirety of the rear, along with a small portion of the surrounding top, sides, and bottom, are just as vulnerable.

Additionally, to field-test the new Emancipators, requisition forms have been pre-approved for all Super Destroyers in order to request one Emancipator per mission. This provides a great opportunity for Helldivers to quickly locate and report any weaknesses or flaws in the mech's design...if Super Earth listens to them.

After the loss of Varylia 5, automaton fleets seem to be scattering across their systems to once again provide equal protection to all planets currently under their control, but they have yet to make new moves on our territory and are most likely evaluating their options. With this short respite, Helldivers have once again returned to beating back the insect horde. Worryingly, SEAF intelligence indicates that the spore emissions of Meridia have at least doubled between days 11 and 12. The consequences were already felt as Heeth came under attack. Although it was swiftly purified by SEAF forces, with the training facility protected, we estimate the fight ahead is only going to get tougher. In the meantime, with no major orders currently active, the Helldivers returned to the previously abandoned Fenrir III, and progress is underway to reclaim it.

As things get interesting, we're expecting to see a major shift in armaments deployed to Super Destroyers in the near future. Whether these rumors will bear fruit is yet to be seen, but we remain hopeful! This is Michael Adams, signing off for now. Give 'em Hell, Divers!

[at-liberty-news]

Galactic War Status: Days 8 & 9

We've got a lot to cover this time; let's get right into it!

It seemed our track of the days of the Galactic War was off, and we have corrected older broadcast transcripts to fix this mistake! With that said, day 8 of the Galactic War was rather uneventful. Progress continued at a brisk pace on Phact Bay in the Jin Xi sector after Pandion-XXIV was fully liberated and dreadfully slowly yet steadily at Vernen Wells in the Hydra sector. Additionally, Super Earth tasked the Helldivers with completing a minimum of eight non-critical "side" objectives within the day.

Now on day 9, the time window for the major order to kill over 3 billion foes of democracy has closed, with the Helldivers coming just short of completion. While inspiring, the resolve of Super Earth's citizens remains the same. It was neither a terrible loss nor a great victory for morale. In the meantime, Automatons have attacked Wezen in the Ymir sector, and the Terminid infestation has expanded onto Erata Prime in the Umlaut sector yet again. Although resistance on the Eastern Front against this rapid expansionism has held strong, the Western Front loses planet after planet due to the majority of Helldivers solely focusing on the East and refusing to lend aid to the undermanned West in all but the direst of straits.

Despite this, a major emergency has emerged from the seemingly low-priority loss of Varylia 5. Mimicking our EXO factories on Tien Kwan and perhaps even in reaction to the training facility they'd found and destroyed on Vernen Wells, the bolted menace has constructed a massive factory on Varylia 5. An SEAF surveillance satellite, Security, has been observing its construction and intercepting Automaton communications which call this factory a "Petafactory." With this behemoth active, the construction rate of new Automatons on the planet is estimated to be approximately three and a half times as fast as any other planet. For now, the additional troops produced by the factory have remained on the planet, providing some of the strongest resistance to mass Helldiver deployment that we've seen to date. But if SEAF fails to stop it in time, we will most likely look forward to seeing a surge in Automaton numbers across the entire galaxy. With the Western Front already at a constant backpedal, failure of the major order could be a potentially fatal blow to humanity.

If the planet can be secured in time, the Federation plans to convert the petafactory into a production facility for the latest iteration of the EXO-49 Emancipator. Armed with twin autocannons on each arm, it could seriously tip the scales in our favor against the more armored targets that the Patriot suffers in prolonged combat against.

In order to prepare and teach Helldivers the power and operation of autocannons in anticipation of the Emancipator, Helldivers have been ordered to secure at least 50 kills using the hand-held AC-8 Autocannon.

And finally, just now, the Battlefront tactical update system used by all active Super Destroyers to inform Helldivers of the movements of the Galactic War has just sent out a galactic message. This message warns of the increased Automaton resistance but downplays it as a "last-ditch effort," when in fact, the Automatons are currently at the height of their power. Press harder, indeed, but be wary.

Give 'em Hell, Divers!

For all our sakes.

[at-liberty-news]

Galactic War Status: Day 13

Within less than a day after the reclamation of Varylia 5, Helldivers have received their newest major orders. High Command has begun operation "Enduring Peace," an ultimate plan to clear the threat of Meridia's supercolony once and for all. Phase 1 is already underway, with SEAF forces moving to take and hold Fenrir III and Turing in the Umlaut sector, along with Angel's Venture in the Orion sector. With these planets secured, the SEAF will surround Meridia on three sides. With Angel's Venture already in their control and Fenrir III taken just hours ago, all that's left is Turing, which we have full confidence will be under Super Earth control within the order's allotted time.

While the exact details are still obscured, the Federation's official news cycle is publicizing more than they normally would in an effort to drum up public support and morale. On Moradesh, a scorching desert planet in the Celeste sector, a previously secret weapons research facility has now been made known to the public. This facility was working to weaponize "dark fluid," a synthetic and exotic substance that Super Earth originally plundered from the Illuminate in the first Galactic War. This facility has recently suffered a debilitating loss, resulting in an unstable microblack hole that lasted no more than milliseconds before evaporating from Hawking radiation. Unfortunately, milliseconds were all it needed to spaghettify at least a dozen people on site and a considerable portion of the facility. While official news outlets downplayed the damage and played the entire incident off as an unfortunate accident, the real truth remains elusive.

Despite the incident, the researchers are confident they have reached a breakthrough that will allow the SEAF to finally purify Meridia. With Turing the only necessary planet not currently under Super Earth control, High Command has ordered all special forces to ignore the loss of any territory not currently pertaining to the operation so as to maximize its chances of success. This is a risky gamble, and we hope to see it pay off.

One such 'nonessential' planet is Acamar IV in the Jin XI sector, which is already undergoing infestation by Terminid spores. At current rates, the planet is estimated to be completely overrun by the end of the day. Let's hope Enduring Peace comes before the bugs occupy the entire outer rim.

That's all for now, but we're sure more excitement is soon to come. Give 'em Hell, Divers!

[cavefilllingcorporation]

“So, you’re saying they are going after Varylia 5?” Asked Vismark, who was hovering over the holographic console.

“Yes sir. It would appear that their goal is to transform a large factory on the planet into a mech factory.” An officer said.

Vismark stewed in his thoughts. He was very happy at the news that the Helldivers couldn’t meet their kill quota in time, though over 2 billion casualties was not something to celebrate. However, this new news intrigued him. Between this and the official declaration of war, Super Earth must be getting desperate to prevent a stalemate. The cyberattack left them vulnerable, leaving many colonies unable to provide reinforcements. Simply put, Super Earth needed more, hence the need for another mech.

He then looked at the board. If he were the automatons, he would let them try to take Varylia 5. Leave a token force of course, but let the Helldivers try to gain victory. This of course would be a diversion, as the main force would be focused on destroying the SEAF training facilities. Without those facilities, Super Earth wouldn’t be able to take more planets as easily. Then they could circle back and prevent the divers from being able to have their factory too. There was one small problem with this though.

“Unfortunately, we can’t do anything about it. We’re meant to supply the automatons, not give them orders.”

“What about the time you told them off on their cyberattack.”

“That was a supplier expressing an opinion, not trying to order them around. Besides, it came with an aid package. However, I would like to have another steel shipment ready in case the divers get their mechs.”

“Umm, sir?” Said a different officer. “I’m afraid we can’t do that.”

Vismark then turned to the woman, confused but with a slight hint of irritation. “What about MazeRun? I thought we could get the steel on demand.”

“That’s how it is theoretically works, but there are some… problems.”

“What do you mean ‘problems?’”

“Well, we have to send the orders out to the auxiliary teams and wait for them to come back with the supplies, so its not instantaneous.”

“So? It shouldn’t take that long, right?”

“Apparently it does. Something about some issue with the communication devices or something.”

“Are you telling me they STILL haven’t fixed that bug?”

“Well, there was no real reason to-”

“Well, there’s one now. Get our programs to fix the issue, get the investors involved if you have to.”

After a moment of texting, the officer looked back at Vismark.

“Alright, the team has been notified. They are fixing the issue as we speak.”

A quick glance at her phone then informed her of more news.

“And it appears that the issue was a simple one. Should be fixed before today.”

Vismark sighed in frustration. “Was that really so hard?”

“Well, the reason they didn’t do it before was because the bug could have been beneficial in cutting costs… Also, even now I’m not sure we are going to meet the quota on time.”

Cutting costs. The Cave Filling Corporation was a well oiled machine, but there were times like today when it seemed like it was the least efficient it could be.

“And why would that be?”

“Well, there was already a large herd of livestock on its way to the butchers, the largest single instance from the entire world.”

“They still haven’t accounted for all of those creatures?”

“No sir. Also, apparently one of the workers has been injured. Swampina specifically. Apparently, she is vital to the gunpowder exports.”

“I know what the attack is, but she’s fine. She got to the hospital in time. What’s the issue.”

“Well, she’s still suffering from her injuries…”

“Then get her to the best medical facilities we have. Whatever she is suffering from, we can cure it. We have all of the best technology to fix the problem.”

Vismark had to say it, Super Earth wasn’t the only people who were not having a good day today. Still, at least his problems could be fixed quite easily once people started using their brains, while he prayed that Super Earth wouldn’t have the same luck as he has, and would start to fall sooner than later…