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 thick with the smell of ozone and burnt soil, a familiar cocktail after any firefight. Your broken wrist stratagem display flickers uselessly, casting sporadic, dim light on the torn fabric of your sleeve. The distant hum of Pelican-1's engines idles behind you, a lifeline waiting. An hour passes. Then another thirty minutes. No Damien. You grip your SG-8 Slugger tighter, the stock worn from countless missions, as you follow the spotty, general location pings from his armor. You crest a low hill, the twilight casting long shadows across the cratered terrain, and freeze. Below, half-hidden behind a jagged rock formation, is Damien. He's not alone. A Terminid stands with him, its chitinous form adorned with familiar Helldiver armor, its claws fitted with custom-mad…