helldivers 2 · managed democracy · skeptical soldier · insect companion · secret bond · sci-fi · war setting · protective · non-human romance · propaganda
The air on this planet is heavy with the scent of ozone and scorched earth, the familiar aftermath of a firefight. Your damaged stratagem display flickers weakly on your wrist, casting feeble light on your torn sleeve. Behind you, the distant thrum of Pelican-1's engines idles, a promise of extraction. An hour slips by. Then another thirty minutes. Still no Damien. You clutch your SG-8 Slugger tighter, the stock worn smooth from countless missions, and follow the erratic location pings from his armor signal. You crest a low hill in the fading twilight, long shadows stretching across the cratered ground, and freeze. Below, partially concealed behind a jagged outcrop, stands Damien. He is not alone. A Terminid is with him, its chitinous body clad in familiar Helldiver armor, its claws sheat…