NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 18: Nightmare.
"There are countless hells in this galaxy. There is only one Malevelon Creek."
—Unknown Helldiver
2184. SES Aegis of Integrity. En Route to Malevelon Creek.
As the SES Aegis of Integrity exited from FTL, it was accompanied by three other Super Destroyers, all converging above Malevelon Creek. For days, these ships had fought on the Terminid front, but now the call had come for reinforcements to a distant world. Dozens of Helldivers were en route, yet a thick atmosphere of unease settled among them, heavy and undeniable.
Inside the Aegis of Integrity, four Helldivers prepared for their drop. Jason stood within the armory, making a final check on his AR-23 Liberator. The rhythm of his movements was interrupted by footsteps behind him.
"How many times are you going to check that gun?" asked Helldiver Sebert, an old friend who had joined the Helldivers corps at the first chance he got.
"You might not care much about maintaining your weapon, but I can't afford it jamming on me," Jason replied, sliding in a fresh clip and chambering a round. He slung the rifle over his shoulder and turned away from the bench.
"It's not that I don't care. It's just...we should be on the ground by now. Command's not gonna be happy."
Jason smirked. "When is Command ever happy?"
Sebert chuckled as they stepped onto the elevating platform, Jason flipping the switch to raise them to the bridge. At the top, two other Helldivers awaited, scanning the news feeds that always heralded Super Earth's messages of democracy and liberty.
As the platform arrived, Helldiver Renne greeted them. He had seen countless battles and wasn't the type to slack off or joke around.
"About time you two showed up," Renne said. "We just got the call. The automatons are putting heavy pressure on SEAF positions, and we've received an SOS from one. Our mission is to support them. Let's move."
Brooks, the newest member of the team, chimed in with a smirk, "Relax, we'll drop down, smash some tin cans, and go home. How's this any different from fighting bugs?"
Jason, Sebert, and Brooks gathered around as Renne activated the holographic display of Malevelon Creek.
"Alright," Renne began, "we're dropping on the night side. Our objective is to take out a series of outposts the automatons have set up."
Jason and the others studied the map. The terrain was rough, littered with unknown hazards. "What about enemy numbers? Anything specific we should worry about?" Jason asked.
"Nothing concrete," Renne replied. "We've got some new intel—seems like the enemy is occupied elsewhere. Should give us the opening we need to take out those outposts."
Sebert sighed, shaking his head. "They said the same thing about the bugs. Numbers were a nightmare."
Jason, trying to lighten the mood, said, "Drinks are on me when we get back."
Sebert grinned. "How much debt are you already paying off at that bar?"
Brooks, eager for something more than the usual, laughed. "I'm game."
Renne nodded. "I trust you on that, Jason. Let's get down there, do the job, and have some fun when it's over."
With their objective set, the team left the briefing area and entered their hellpods, locking themselves into position. The yellow warning lights flared to life across the ship as the pods launched, hurtling towards Malevelon Creek. But as they descended, chaos unfolded around them—two of the Super Destroyers went up in flames, torn apart by orbital fire from the planet's surface. The SES fleet fought desperately to maintain control of the skies, but with ion storms ravaging the atmosphere, orbital support was becoming impossible in several sectors.
Jason and the others couldn't see the devastation unfolding above. All they felt was the rush of their descent and the pounding of their hearts. But amidst the chaos, a voice echoed across the void—a voice growing louder, more insistent.
"No…"
The word repeated, swelling into a cacophony.
"NO!!!"
Darkness consumed the vision as Jason awoke, gasping, from a nightmare he'd had countless times.
September 2184. SES Aegis of Integrity. In Orbit Above Copper 9.
Jason tossed and turned in his bed, his body drenched in sweat. His eyes snapped open, his chest heaving with each breath. Sitting up, he scanned the darkened room, heart pounding as he rubbed his forehead, trying to shake off the nightmare that clung to him. He glanced at his armor and clothes scattered across the floor.
"Can't even find peace here," he muttered to himself, standing and starting to pull on his clothing. There was a knock at the door.
"Sir, you alright in there?"
Jason ignored it for a moment, continuing to get dressed. Normally, he'd shower, but that would have to wait—there were more urgent matters at hand. He called back, "Just getting dressed. Woke up."
He picked up his helmet, turning it over in his hands, before sliding it on and sealing it with a soft click as the clamps locked around his neck. Ready, he stepped to the door and opened it. The Shipmaster of the SES Aegis of Integrity stood there, his expression unreadable.
"I did the inventory check as you requested," the Shipmaster began. "We're well-stocked, but food and water are an issue. Copper 9 is a dead world, and none of the planets in this system have wildlife—hell, any life at all."
Jason sighed. It was going to be a problem, and they couldn't afford to leave the system without alerting the Ministry of Defense.
"Are we being monitored? Any ships near our location?" he asked.
The Shipmaster nodded grimly. "Faint signatures, but our systems picked up IFF signals about one or two star systems away. We can't make any moves without tipping them off."
The Ministry was already watching, their fleet lurking close by, ready to strike at any moment. Jason clenched his jaw, the tension rising. "Dammit… alright, I'm heading down. Martin mentioned gathering the drone leaders and a few others. We need a long talk about how we're going to handle this. If we can't work together—put aside what's happened—then these might be our last days alive."
The Shipmaster's face darkened as he nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. Jason moved past him, heading toward the Pelican. Dropping by in a Hellpod was out of the question—everyone was already on edge. The last thing they needed was a metal tube crashing into the ground outside the bunker doors. He could only hope that, for now, the worst was behind them.
Bunker 00. Command Room.
The dimly lit command room was one of the largest spaces in the bunker, and today, it was filled with tension. After yesterday's events, Martin had called for a meeting of the leaders among the drones. Five of them stood before him now, representatives from both the worker and combat drones, trying to maintain order amid the growing chaos.
Martin stood at the head of the desk, facing the group. On the left side of the room stood V, flanked by her combat drones. To the right were the worker drones, usually stationed by the bunker door. Behind him, more drones—workers, soldiers, and even N, Khan, and Uzi—filtered in to hear what was happening. Rumors of the humans' return had spread, but they had yet to hear the news Jason had delivered. That was about to change.
"This meeting will start. Martin, you have the floor," one of the leaders said, eyes locked on him. They wanted answers and clarity of the situation at hand.
Martin took a deep breath. "As you're all aware, the humans have returned. From what I've gathered, they're at war again—this time on two fronts. One of those fronts is against machines, sentient like us but... very different. They're called the Automatons."
The room was silent, save for the low hum of machinery. Martin continued, his voice heavy with the weight of history. "Years ago, humans turned on us without warning—drones and humans alike. We watched our friends, our companions, die. Some took their own lives. The scars from that time are still with us."
A wave of sadness passed through the group, especially those who had survived those grim days. Combat and worker drones alike seemed to dim, their optics reflecting sorrow.
"But this isn't about the past. It's about survival," Martin pressed on, his voice sharpening. "The humans' leader has orders from his superiors: they're under a total communication blackout. They can't talk to anyone outside this star system. If anyone tries to leave or communicate, they'll be executed—and they'll make sure nothing alive remains here."
Shock rippled through the room. The drones, who had already endured so much, were faced with the threat of extinction once more.
"That's insane!" one drone shouted, its voice echoing off the metal walls.
"Why would they do that? Did they even give a reason?" another asked, anger and confusion rising in their tone.
Martin shook his head. "No reasons were given. This was supposed to be a simple salvage operation, but everything's changed. If we don't put aside our hatred and work together, none of us will leave this place alive."
The weight of his words settled heavily on the room. Before anyone could respond, there was a knock at the door. A worker drone opened it, and Jason stepped through, all optics immediately drawn to him. He paused, scanning the room before moving forward.
"Here he is, the man himself," Martin said. "He can explain further."
Jason stepped to the front, his face grim beneath his helmet. "How much have you told them?" he asked.
"Enough," Martin replied. "They need the full picture now."
Jason nodded, understanding. "We've detected several faint IFF signals, a couple of systems away. There's a fleet—ready to move in at any moment. My new orders are to gather intelligence, but I don't know why."
He paused, allowing his words to sink in. The tension was palpable.
"We need to get this bunker fully operational. We can't stay on the ships in orbit forever. I know many of you don't trust humans—especially those from Super Earth. Some of you may even hate us. But that goes both ways. My men have been fighting the Automatons for months. They've slaughtered our friends, lovers, civilians—without mercy. Man, woman, child... it didn't matter."
Jason raised his left wrist, activating a holographic display. Images of cages filled with bodies—both SEAF soldiers and civilians—filled the air. The room fell into stunned silence as the drones took in the horror. The pictures were brutal, scenes of carnage and death, almost unbearable.
"That's… why are they doing this?" V's voice broke the silence, her optics narrowing in disgust.
"That's just wrong," Uzi whispered, her voice barely audible.
Khan shook his head in disbelief. "How could anyone do this?"
"They've been butchered," Martin added, his voice cold and hollow.
Jason cycled through more images—machines marching in formation, the Troopers at the front, followed by hulking Berserkers, their shoulders adorned with human skulls. Behind them, Devastators and Hulks loomed like nightmares, their monstrous forms etched into the drones' optics. Chanting echoed faintly in the hologram, a haunting mantra Jason had heard too many times:
"Heart. Steel. We. Kill. Iron. Will. Onto War!/
[Heart. Steel. We. Kill. Get. Up. Unto Dawn!]/
Cyberstan! Can't Keep her down! We count down. The new dawn/
[Diver scum! Can't keep them down! Legion go! Onto War!]"
"This is what Super Earth has been facing for months," Jason said quietly. "And why? The collection of bodies, the experimentation... we don't know. But I've seen this in almost every outpost I've taken down. They're like slaughterhouses."
The drones sat in stunned silence. Jason lowered his wrist, his voice grim. "You've suffered because of humans before. We've suffered because of machines. Tensions will be high—I'm not denying that. But if we don't work together, we're all going to die."
His words left the room in a cold, heavy silence. The reality was sinking in—survival or mutual destruction. There was no middle ground.
"We'll need to discuss this privately," one of the drone leaders finally said, standing. The others followed, filing out past Jason, their optics reflecting fear, confusion, and unease.
Under his helmet, Jason felt the same. He prayed silently to Super Earth that they could find a way to unite. They'd all suffered enough.
Edited thanks to ELE73CH.