Democry

Chapter 1

“HAVE A TASTE OF DEMOCRACY!” Helldiver N1 roared at the top of his lungs as he tossed an orbital rail cannon strike stratagem into the chaotic battlefield. Before he could savor the moment, a massive force flung him backward.

Crashing onto the hardwood-like surface of the acrid desert planet, he looked up just in time to see the Terminid-like beast obliterated by the rail cannon's devastating orbital shot. The impact struck like a thunderclap, sending guts and purple ichor flying everywhere, painting the battlefield in alien gore.

“I NEED STIMS!” N2 screamed over the radio, his manic laughter echoing like that of a democracy-saving madman. Armed with his overused flamethrower, its scorched-black barrel a testament to countless battles, he ignited the swarm of purple bugs closing in. They screeched in agony as they were engulfed in flames, their smoldering carcasses collapsing into heaps.

“Calling in resupply!” N3 announced calmly, throwing a supply beacon into the fray before diving behind a rock to dodge incoming bug fire. As she steadied herself, she raised her railgun, charging it to dangerous levels. With a deafening *CRACK*, she unleashed the shot. The projectile tore through the Tyranid swarm, a streak of gore spraying in its wake.

“Calling an orbital!” N4 said with unsettling composure. Almost immediately, a massive yellow-orange beam descended from the sky, superheating the sand into glass and disintegrating any bug caught in its path. Laughing maniacally, N4 took potshots at the remaining bugs, aiming for the weak spots between their plates.

As the resupply pod landed, N2 sprinted to it, grabbing a package and hurling an eagle cluster bomb into the oncoming swarm. The roar of engines overhead signaled the approach of the strike craft, which released its payload in a series of deafening explosions. The bugs were obliterated, shredded into fragments. “LIBERTY NEVER SLEEPS!” N2 bellowed, injecting himself with a stim before being swarmed by tiny aliens, their claws tearing at him as he tried to fight them off.

“Calling in a sentry!” N1 shouted, realizing how overwhelmed they were. A pod crashed down, deploying a minigun turret that whirred to life with a deafening roar. Its hail of bullets tore apart the swarm, the gunfire clattering against the sentry's metallic housing as it relentlessly mowed down the horde.

“Calling reinforcements!” N3 said, marking the map for additional troops. Another pod descended, this time deploying an autocannon turret that crushed a bug beneath it on impact. The turret spun, unleashing heavy rounds that echoed across the battlefield. Every shot ripped through the alien swarm, spraying ichor and shattered chitin in all directions. The smaller bugs exploded into unrecognizable fragments, their remains littering the cratered battlefield.

N1 led the charge toward the objective, his boots crunching against the blood-soaked sand. N3 and N2 followed close behind. He glanced back just in time to see N4 cleaved in half by a massive alien blade, his titanium armor offering no protection. Blood sprayed in a crimson arc, painting the ground.

“Calling an Eagle!” N2 shouted. The stratagem landed near the Carnifex, just as an Eagle-class bomber roared overhead, flames bursting from its jets. The massive bomb it dropped punched through the Carnifex's armored shell, embedding itself in the softer tissue beneath before detonating. The explosion reduced the massive alien to a mess of twitching limbs and shattered carapace.

N1 sprinted toward the objective, his blood-soaked boots slipping in the sand. Almost stumbling, he steadied himself and threw a reinforcement beacon forward, hoping to replace N4. As the squad fought their way to extraction, Command’s flat voice came through the comms: “You are in range of enemy artillery.”

“Calling a support weapon!” the new N4 shouted. A pod landed, and he hefted a heavy machine gun, opening fire on the swarm. The rounds tore through the bugs, each shot a declaration of resistance. “GET SOME! GET SOME!” N4 screamed, unleashing a torrent of bullets before an alien blast ripped through his armor, spraying his insides across the battlefield.

“Calling reinforcements!” N1 barked, throwing another beacon as he was swarmed. Alien claws tore into him, breaking bones and shattering armor. Grenades from N2 and N3 scattered the horde, their explosions sending bug fragments flying.

“Democracy never rests!” N3 growled, struggling to her feet after being hurled across the battlefield. Injecting herself with a stim, she ran toward the fight. The new N4 slammed into the ground moments later, emerging from his drop pod and bolting toward N3. Behind him, N1 and N2 fought their way toward the objective, leaving destruction in their wake.

Finally, N1 reached the lever. Just as a massive bug charged, he yanked it down, completing the objective. The force of the charge sent him flying across the desert, crashing hard into the sand. Dazed, he stabbed himself with a stim and rolled out of the way of a second charge. He sprinted to the extraction point, where his squadmates waited aboard the Pelican.

Breathing heavily, N1 climbed aboard as the engines roared to life, lifting them away from the battlefield. The mission was over—another victory for democracy