Automatons

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Automaton Legion
Anthem:	Automaton Marching
Automaton galactic territorial control on March 2nd, 2185
Capital	Cyberstan
Government	Socialist Dictatorship
Historical era	First Incursions into the Severin Sector - February 8th, 2184 Defeat of the Automaton Vanguard - April 7th, 2184 The Reclamation - April 9th, 2184 Escalation of Freedom - August 6th, 2184 Apparition of the Jet Brigade - October 18th, 2184 Apparition of the Incineration Corps - March 18th, 2185
Area	~10,000 ly
Population	Automatons

“	The Automatons are mindless, bloodthirsty robots, coded for nothing but murder and socialist violence. Their origins are a mystery, but their unthinking hatred of Freedom makes them a threat to all citizens of Super Earth.	„
	~ Helldivers 2 PlayStation Store Page

The Automatons, sometimes referred to as the Automaton Legion and self-denominated as both The Collective of Cyberstan and The Automaton Collective (Automaton Language: Automatiska Kollektivet, or 01000001 01110101 01110100 01101111 01101101 01100001 01110100 01101001 01110011 01101011 01100001 00100000 01001011 01101111 01101100 01101100 01100101 01101011 01110100 01101001 01110110 01100101 01110100), are one of the enemy factions in the Second Galactic War, having control over 22 planets.

Like their progenitors, the Cyborgs of the First Galactic War, the Automatons are described as "Socialist" and use the Red Star as their emblem.

Galactic Geography

The Automatons occupy eight Sectors: Valdis, Lacaille, Hydra, Trigon, Tanis, Andromeda, Ymir, Nanos, and Gellert. They have also previously occupied six other Sectors, which are the Severin, Xzar, Theseus, Marspira, and Talus Sectors.

The Automatons reside on the Western side of the Galaxy, having reached as far as Tibit and Demiurg. For three months the Legion held an impenetrable fortress in the Severin Sector, but in only a few weeks the Automatons were pushed out of Federation space back to where they came from. Then, a mere 3 days after their eradication at Malevelon Creek, the Automatons invaded the Valdis Sector and the rest of the north-western galactic rim, establishing their base of power at Cyberstan, the old homeworld of the Cyborgs. This attack has since been referred to as "The Reclamation", as this was the name that it was referred to within intercepted Automaton signals.

From April to August, the Automatons expanded their odious fief, spanning a vast expanse that stretched from Merga IV to Vandalon IV at the height of their power. However, this overextension was soon turned around, as the Helldivers severed the Automaton dominion in half during Operation Andromeda.

Through the end of 2184, the bots resided in a slim corridor of space, flanked by the SEAF itching for a fight. They tried to solve this issue and learn from their mistakes; instead of marching West to heavily defended positions, they moved their attention East to sectors untouched by the war. These attempts have proven futile, as they are pushed into a small pathetic corner of Freedom-hating space, their hour of judgement only delayed by the resilient plague that are the Terminids and the unthinkable resurgence of the previously thought-to-be eradicated Illuminate.

Into early 2185, the Automatons have managed to take significant ground from SEAF forces through their major offensive beginning in March. They now have full control of much of the Northwestern galactic rim while also making significant gains in the Andromeda, Nanos and Trigon Sectors.

History

The Cyborgs are imprisoned on their homeworld of Cyberstan in 2084.

“	History Matters! After the First Galactic War, Super Earth kindly allowed the Cyborg Secessionists to live, giving them stable work deep within the mines of Cyberstan. But, twisted by their implants, the Cyborgs sought their revenge by creating the Automaton Legion.	„
	~ Broadcast Announcer

Origin of the Automaton Legion

The origins of the Automatons are very vague, and it is not clear when exactly they were created. However, thanks to a decrypted message from the Cyborg Nation announcing the "Independence of Cyberstan", we know that the Automatons are descendants of the Cyborgs, created to continue fighting against Super Earth and one day liberate the Cyborgs from their unwarranted enslavement on Cyberstan.

“

We, the collective from Cyberstan, unanimously assert our independence from Super Earth. We have the right to defend our home from the brainwashed Helldivers. Our children, the automaton will not suffer as we have under the oppression of Super Earth!

„

• 
  Automaton propaganda claiming to have "obliterated inequality".

Like the Cyborgs, the Automatons are a "Socialist" society, opposing the "Capitalism" of Super Earth. Unlike the Cyborgs, however, they are entirely mechanical beings, no longer requiring traitors from Super Earth or corpses of fallen Helldivers to create new troops. Automatons all have similar characteristics, such as dark metallic bodies, digitigrade legs, skull-like heads, armour plates, and a pair of red glowing eyes.

Incursions into the Severin Sector

“	Flag-forsaken bots. They just won't accept Freedom, no matter how hard we give it to them.	„
	~ Service Technician

A Trooper, two Berserkers and an Assault Raider in front of an Automaton Fabricator.

In early 2184, alongside the Terminid outbreaks in the East, Automaton forces made several incursions into the Severin Sector. Maia, Durgen and Tibit were captured first as well as Malevelon Creek and Ubanea. Only on February 8th would the first official footage of Automatons be released by the Ministry of Truth. Now in a two front war, Super Earth made the decision to mass mobilise the Helldivers at a scale not seen since the First Galactic War. After the first phase of Operation Valiant Enclosure was completed, the Automatons launched a surprise attack into several developed worlds in the Xzar and Trigon Sectors.

Operation Swift Disassembly

The Western Front had had little activity during Operation Valiant Encloser with only minor engagements in the Xzar Sector. After the conclusion of Operation Guardian on March 26th, interrogated bots started referencing an Automaton plan called "The Reclamation". In response to this news, Super Earth High Command issued Operation Swift Disassembly, a massive multiphase offensive to rid the galaxy of the Automaton Legion. The first phase was to disrupt communications by decommissioning a long-range communication array built by the Automatons on Troost. The Helldivers immediately deployed to Ustotu to break the line and reach Troost. Ustotu was liberated within a day of the order being given, and the Helldivers continued their momentum onto Vandalon IV, which would be freed not long after. Troost would be liberated on March 29th and the long-range communication array would be decommissioned. After Troost's liberation it was discovered that the long-range communication array was transmitting outside the Galactic Frontier to something out of sight.

Phase 2 of the Operation was focused on Tibit and its significant producer of "illegal Automaton combatants". Helldivers deployed to Ubanea to gain FTL access to Tibit, but this would be stopped in its tracks by an Automaton attack on Draupnir, which threatened to jeopardise the entire operation. Faced with the threat of encirclement, the Helldivers created a plan to combat the Automatons' efforts. A majorty of Helldivers would deploy to Ubanea and complete its liberation while a skeleton crew would defend Draupnir long enough for Ubanea's liberation. This would later be known as the ill fated Ubanea Gambit. The Helldivers fought valiantly on both worlds, but it was not enough to sway the tide of battle. Draupnir would fall to the Automatons, cutting off access to Ubanea, and the Ubanea Gambit would be remembered as a tragedy by all Super Earth citizens. This would not deter the Helldivers, though, as Draupnir would be liberated followed by Ubanea whose liberation had not even reached zero yet. With only hours left on the order, Helldivers deployed onto Tibit in a last ditch attempt at success, but the efforts would be in vain as the order ultimately failed.

An image of what was thought to be "the last Automaton" ^Fan-Made

With this burden on the SEAF's shoulders, High Command decided to lift morale by ordering the complete liberation of Malevelon Creek, which had seen 60 days of constant fighting. Within mere hours of the order being issued, the Creek's liberation was finally achieved. The President of Super Earth issued a decree declaring that April 3rd shall become known as Malevelon Creek Memorial Day to remember the twenty five million Helldivers who gave their lives for the Creek. With morale as high as ever, High Command issued an order to defend the newly liberated territory. This was easily completed, even with a surprise attack on Vandalon IV. Finally, on April 9th, 2184, the final phase of Operation Swift Disassembly was issued: all worlds controlled by the Automaton Legion were to be liberated in an all out offensive to rid the galaxy of them and finally end the war.

First to return to Liberty's arms was Maia. Tibit was finally liberated, avenging the Ubanea Gambit and now only Durgen remained. ~350,000 Helldivers deployed at once to the planet's surface. The Automaton Legion's rein of terror was only hours away from annihilation, and by day's end, Durgen was finally free. Two months of tyranny in the west had finally come to an end. Freedom reigned supreme as the Super Earth Flag flew over the crumbling remains of the Automaton stronghold of Durgen. Now only the Terminid front stood against freedom.

The Reclamation

“	What Automatons we have faced thus far were but a component of their grand apparatus. A great invasion fleet has invaded the defenceless mining colony of Cyberstan in a craven attack, and now casts its shadow upon the rest of the Federation.	„
	~ Democracy Officer

Automaton warships in orbit over Cyberstan

At 11:41 am SEST on April 9th, 2184, Super Earth High Command delivered a High Priority Broadcast ordering all units to LIBCON 1 as a massive Automaton invasion fleet had FTL jumped to the Valdis Sector. Within hours the entire Valdis Sector was under the Legion's control. The SEAF was in crisis, and all Helldivers were ordered to the defense immediately. Within a day, the Automatons had reached Vernen Wells, within a stone's throw away from the Marspira Sector. After four straight days of constant Automaton attacks, the line stablised, allowing for a small SEAF counteroffensive and the establishment of the Menkent Line. The Line only lasted for three days, though, as another massive Automaton offensive smashed through the SEAF line into the Xzar and Trigon Sector. With defeats mounting, the SEAF launched Operation Legitimate Undertaking, a massive attack into Automaton space. However, the operation was terminated after the failure of the Terminid Control System.

Operation Swift Disassembly - Mission Accomplished		The Automaton main fleet returning during the Reclamation.		Celebrations are cancelled, all Helldivers report to your stations!

Neglection of the Automaton Front and June "Counterattacks"

Through out May all attention was on the Meridia Supercolony. This left the bots unchecked for a long period of time, allowing them to spread into the Ymir Sector and Aesir Pass. After the destruction of Meridia, the SEAF turned all attention to the situation in the West, where a Data Centre codenamed Database One was discovered on Wasat, a planet recently invaded by the Automatons. After four days of fighting, Wasat was liberated, but Ustotu was taken by the Bots, which marked the beginning of the Ymir Encirclement. The captured database revealed plans for the terraforming of Cyberstan, detailed records of the impact of the Terminid Supercolony, and keywords referring to "Vessel 00", "Nucleus" and "The Final Collective". Another offensive was launched towards Marfark and Vernen Wels where civilians were trapped. However, only Vernen Wells ended up being liberated. In late June, the bots began to make incursions into the Xzar Sector. Super Earth High Command issued Operation Xzar Lockdown, ordering the Helldivers to defend the Sector at all costs. At first, the Operation was successful, but the Bots put most of their focus in the Trigon Sector instead, allowing for sweeping gains and eventually reaching to within two FTL lines of Malevelon Creek. The losses in the Trigon Sector were staggering, the entire Sector under the Socialist Automaton thumb.

July Campaigns and the Matar Bay Encirclement

Operation Starslayer

Following the conclusion of Operation Xzar Lockdown, the SEAF were focused on the Terminid Front. On July 3rd, the radiation levels on X-45 were found to be at completely safe levels for SEAF operations. This prompted the SEAF forces to attempt the excavation and recovery of the Advanced Weapons Lab from the First Galactic War, as well as plans for an Interplanetary Battle Station. Unfortunately, the Automaton forces became aware of X-45's importance to the SEAF and launched an all out attack on the planet. The Bots had two avenues of attack, one through Meissa and another through Wezen and Vega Bay. Still, even while completely encircled, the SEAF forces in the Ymir Sector stood strong, seeing the liberation of Meissa and several successful defences of X-45. During these skirmishes, however, SEAF forces were unable to maintain control of Wezen and Vega Bay. Undaunted, the SEAF forces took this time to amass on Aesir Pass, preparing for a push through the Automaton lines into the Andromeda Sector to re-connect with the Ymir Encirclement. Regrettably, an Automaton attack on the planet postponed these plans for an all out attack on the Automaton lines, and Aesir Pass fell to the Bots, leaving SEAF forces with little hope of establishing the strategically important connections that would have cut off the Automaton forces in the Ymir Sector. On July 9th, 2184, Operation Starslayer was declared a success, and the plans for the interplanetary battle station were recovered. Along with it, the plans for the MLS-4X Commando were also recovered and successfully shipped off-world for mass production, enabling its fleetwide deployment.

Operation Andromeda and Righteous Expunge

Matar Bay Encirclement on July 18th

After this, the SEAF started the first trial of the Terminid Research Initiative to test how to best kill a bug. After this, on July 11th, Super Earth High Command issued Operation Andromeda, a massive attack into Automaton territory to cut them in half. The offensive as focused on the thinnest part of the line at Matar Bay. First, Aesir Pass was taken back after the disaster a week before, then Matar Bay. The only connection from the Andromeda Sector to Cyberstan fell to the SEAF. Marfark was liberated on the 16th, finally re-connecting the forces trapped in the Ymir Sector to the rest of the galaxy after one month and six days. The last planet in the order was Martale, which had not seen a single Helldiver since the ill-fated Martale Gambit in April, but now was the time to rectify those mistakes and avenge the fallen of Martale. The liberation of Martale marked the end of Operation Andromeda and the successful fracturing of the Automatons' Domain. The Automaton Forces after the Operation were in disarray, the SEAF saw an opportunity to liberate the territory lost to the Automatons in Operation Enduring Bulwark and fully liberate the Andromeda Sector for the first time. Charon Prime fell first then Charbal-VII, and at the same time as this, the Automatons from Cyberstan tried to reconnect with the trapped forces by attacking Matar Bay and Aesir Pass. Only Aesir Pass would fall to the Bots. This distraction postponed efforts on Choepessa IV to an extent that the Helldivers were faced with Choepessa IV at 67% liberated with only 8 hours left on the Major Order. The Helldivers always succeed in their missions, though, and Choepessa IV was liberated with only minutes to spare.

Operation Liberty Crush

The Helldivers had turned their attention East to complete Operation Glorious Xenocide, a second Terminid Research Initiative, but on July 27th the Automatons started to deploy Orbital Cannons to planets in the Encirclement. High Command ordered the destruction of these Orbital Cannons and the liberation of Wezen, Vega Bay, Wasat, Ustotu, and Varylia 5. All planets except Wezen were liberated during the operation. Fortunately, Wezen would be liberated two days after the end of the operation. Only Troost and Vandalon IV remained in the Encirclement, the final strongholds that the machines refused to give up, even creating new units solely dedicated to saving those planets from inevitable destruction.

Escalation of Freedom

Isolated pockets of Automaton resistance in the Trigon Sector.

After the massive offensive that was Operation Liberty Crush, the Automatons had consolidated an iron stronghold around Cyberstan, allowing them to construct new units to deploy onto the field to turn the tide of the war. Troost and Vandalon IV were still isolated by two Sectors of space from the nearest Automaton forces, allowing an easy win for the SEAF. On August 10th, 2184, Operation Lighthouse was launched, calling for the Liberation of Troost and Vandalon IV and end of the Matar Bay Encirclement. On August 12th, Vandalon IV was liberated, and on August 14th, Troost was liberated as well, finally crushing the last remaining pockets of resistance in the Encirclement. Seeing the demise of their comrades on Troost, the main Automaton force invaded the Marspira Sector on August 11th. Super Earth High Command issued Operation People's Shield, the liberation of the Marspira Sector. The operation would end with a Super Earth Victory, but the invasion of Tarsh and continued occupation of the Sector says other wise.

Operation Leap Forward and the Democracy Space Station

Following their defeat at Tarsh, the Automatons would begin refocusing their strength on other sectors in order to acquire needed materials for their projects. For this purpose, in the months of September to November 2184, the Automatons would take the war towards the Tanis and Talus Sectors, in search of metals required for the creation of a new task force. However, this campaign would quickly be rebuked by the Helldivers, as they managed to deny them of said minerals and mining facilities in the battles of Imber and Claorell. However, having gained a foothold at Clasa, the Automatons would manage to scavenge metals and jet packs from fallen Helldivers and would create a new force: The Jet Brigade.

This brigade would be first assembled in Choohe on October 13th, a long-time Automaton stronghold from the initial Reclamation, and would go on to temporarily reclaim Matar Bay and Martale before they were defeated and dismantled at Marfark. However, this defeat would only worsen their resolve, as the Automatons had learned of the existence of Super Earth's newest weapons project: the Democracy Space Station.

Acknowledging the risk that such a superweapon posed to their existence, the Automatons attempted to mount an offensive in order to pinpoint the Democracy Space Station and destroy it. However, shortly before they could mount their offensive, the Automatons lost their precious forward base at the Battle of Lesath, which nominally separated them from their tenures in the Tanis Sector, as now Vog-Sojoth had no means of reconnecting to the Automaton Supply lines.

After collecting enough metals from throughout their fief, the Automatons assembled the Jet Brigade for a second time at Vernen Wells and, on November 10th, invaded and captured Tarsh once more, destroying the DSS Logistics Hub and learning of the location of the DSS. Then, on November 11th, the Automatons captured Mastia after 48 hours of continuous combat. Then finally, on November 12th, the Automatons took advantage of the chaos created by a disaster at the Terminid Research Preserve on Acamar IV and launched an assault onto Gaellivare. The Jet Brigade would fight hard, posing a formidable challenge. Yet, their struggles would be rendered futile when, at 21:37 SEST - EST, the Democracy Space Station would be successfully activated after receiving a starting infusion of E-710 harvested by the Helldivers.

While the bots managed to capture Gaellivare, they had been dealt devastating losses throughout their campaign and now had to contend with Super Earth's second strongest weapon after General Brasch. The Democracy Space Station rained planetary bombardments on their forces at Mastia and sent armies of Eagle Storms on them at Gaellivare. The Jet Brigade would manage to escape to Imber, only to be left entrapped as the Helldivers liberated Gaellivare.

On November 20th, the Helldivers would effectively expunge the Jet Brigade off the galaxy for a second time, ending the Automaton advance once more.

Return of the Illuminate and Operation Keough Push

Following the dismantling of the Jet Brigade for the second time, the Helldivers would be tasked with liberating Choohe within a designated timeframe to pinpoint where precisely the Jet Brigade's central production planet was. The Helldivers would liberate the planet but beyond the deadline, meaning they could not find any information on the nefarious Jet Brigade, who remain at large with the Automatons possessing the means to produce another Brigade.

Following the victory of the Helldivers across the northern galactic fringe of the Gellert Sector in which they liberated Blistica, Mintoria, and Zzaniah Prime, Liberty began to shine brightly on the Automaton front despite the setback of Choohe's delayed liberation. However, an event long unthinkable would occur in December that would change the course of the war forever.

On December 12th, 2184, an old foe that Super Earth had long thought they defeated resurfaced in the most violent, shocking, and unfathomable way possible. The Illuminate, an advanced race of squid-like alien humanoids who were thought eradicated by Super Earth in the First Galactic War made a completely unforeseen and unexpected return at Calypso in the galactic south. It was the single largest invasion fleet seen to date in the Second Galactic War, as they sent 96 invasion fleets toward the planet- larger than the previous largest invasion fleet when the Automatons sent a mammoth 58 battalions toward Tarsh in November 2184.

Super Earth would immediately abandon all previous orders on both SEAF East and SEAF West with all Helldivers in active service and the reserve ordered to deploy to Calypso immediately and use all necessary force to repel this vile act by the squids. After 3 days of gruesome, violent, bloody fighting, Calypso's defense would come to a dramatic end at around 3 AM SEST on December 16, 2184 when the Helldivers somehow successfully repelled this Illuminate threat with just 8 minutes left before the planet's defenses would collapse. The over 38 million Helldiver deaths would be avenged, and the Illuminate were sent on the run by Super Earth's elite fighting force.

Minutes after the stunning victory at Calypso, the Automatons sent 12 invasion fleets toward Shelt from Mastia in tandem with the Terminids assaulting Gar Haren. All Helldivers would immediately split between defending both planets, and with both defense campaigns on the verge of victory by the next day, the Illuminate would once again resurface at Genesis Prime and Mog. Once again, Super Earth issued a new Order with all Helldivers ordered to converge on the galactic south to repel the numerous hit-and-run raids by the Illuminate, causing both Shelt and Gar Haren to fall. Shelt would ultimately be re-liberated relatively soon after it fell, leaving most of the damage mitigated.

Into January 2185, the Automaton front had been relatively and strangely quiet, with the Automatons opting to gather their forces for future offensives rather than launching a high amount of invasions in this time. Simultaneously, too few Helldivers had been stationed on Automaton worlds to make any serious liberation efforts, causing the Western Front to be at what essentially amounts to a stalemate.

Some territorial change occurred during this time; the Helldivers, under orders from High Command to secure Mastia to construct a new Centre for Civilian Surveillance and Safety, liberated both Tarsh and Mastia while also holding Gaellivare from the invading Automatons. However, the bots used the SEAF West paralysis caused by the Illuminate to gain their own territory. They first captured the strategic frigid world of Lesath on December 27, 2184, with most of the Helldiver Corps concerned with a massive Illuminate assault at Julheim.

The robots' victory at Lesath reconnected much of the bot front back to Cyberstan including the previously encircled Tanis Sector. Then, on January 1st, 2185, with Super Earth ringing in the new year with hopes of peace and prosperity, the Automatons would invade Choohe and successfully capture it by the next day. These two Automaton victories granted them full control of the Lacaille Sector once more, strengthening the Automaton network. Then, on January 8, 2185, with the Automatons of Martale besieged for 3 weeks and pathetically pleading for aid, the bots at Choohe heeded the vile request, launching an assault of neighboring Matar Bay to reconnect Martale to the Automaton network. This invasion would be successful, with the Automatons capturing Matar Bay and undoing all the progress made by the Helldivers on Martale, which was at 81% liberation progress.

Since these territorial changes, the Automaton front has remained at a complete standstill since January 9th, with the Helldivers forced to turn East to contain multiple massive outbreaks by the Terminids across the Umlaut Sector, Orion Sector, and the previously untouched Farsight Sector, and then forced to repel more Illuminate raids across the galactic South.

Taking advantage of Super Earth's increased attention towards both the Illuminate and Terminids, the Automatons launched an attack on Charon Prime and Bekvam III with the intent to reach Duma Tyr and Julheim on February 25th, 2185. Super Earth ordered the Helldivers to stage a defense, but informed them that they likely only had the resources to save one world. While Duma Tyr was home to millions of innocent civilians and critical to the ongoing development of MD-8 Gas Mines, High Command received a transmission from Julheim reporting that thousands of civilians were trapped under the ruins of the Good Citizen Andrew's School for Moderately Feeble Young Adults, and that if Julheim were to fall the young adults would perish.

The Helldivers would valiantly engage the Automaton downpour on Bekvam III, but would slowly become overwhelmed until, all of a sudden, all Automaton forces immediately lost their capacity to retaliate. Automaton capabilities suffered a catastrophic collapse due to a routine operating system update and, as a result, the Helldivers miraculously saved Bekvam III and completely undid the Automaton offensive, thanks to a stroke of Liberty's favor.

Appearance of The Incineration Corps

Operation Tormenta de Fuego

The massive blunder immediately paved the way for the Automatons to redress their defeat. They would return to their prior tactic of small, surgical raids while the Helldivers were diverted away to deal with both the Illuminate and the Terminids. In that short window, the Automatons managed to re-enter theYmir and Gellert sectors, taking over Meissa and Blistica while also regaining control of Chort Bay. On March 3rd, the Automatons launched an assault onto Claorell while the Helldivers were occupied with the Illuminate raids at the southern sectors. While they managed to take Claorell by the next day, they would be dislodged on March 6th. They then continued their campaign in the Ymir Sector, launching a powerful assault on Wasat which proved successful.

Even still, this small window of control would seemingly bolster the Automatons enough for them to recover their previous capabilities and prepare a new offensive. On March 20th, as the Helldivers were occupied collecting resources for the launch of the Penrose Energy Siphon, the Automatons would launch a massive offensive spearheaded by their newest creation: The Incineration Corps, a horrid new strike force equipped with incendiary weapons and munitions, their sole command being to burn Freedom to ashes.

Miscommunication and several coordination blunders would prevent the Helldivers from engaging the massive waves of attacks that beset the Western sectors and, 10 days later, not only had the Helldivers failed to launch the Penrose Energy Siphon, but now the Automatons had pushed all the way to the Xzar Sector, taking Mort and opening new attack lanes into the Theseus Sector through Dolph, which had been disconnected once Julheim was liberated following the failure of the operation. SEAF West had virtually collapsed, as the Automatons stomped through the Nanos, Ymir, Andromeda, and Trigon Sectors in brutal fashion. The Automaton front, once again, was in crisis.

Operation Martyr's Calling

The ongoing offensive required Super Earth's immediate attention. With Malevelon Creek Memorial Day approaching, the Automatons were looking to retake Malevelon Creek once again, now instead being seemingly driven purely by their own spite and resentment over their prior defeat in April of 2184. The Helldivers knew very well that defeat would mean the single greatest desecration of their fallen brethren, the famous Creekers who gave their lives to liberate Malevelon Creek. As such, they immediately mounted a defensive line from Vandalon IV to Dolph, spanning Ingmar and Pöpli IX.

First, the Automatons attempted a pincer attack, taking Ingmar and then sending a double assault on March 31st towards Pöpli and Vandalon IV. In a masterful gambit, the Helldivers would quickly retake Ingmar, collapsing the assault at Vandalon IV, then move to defend Pöpli IX against the incoming attack. Once Pöpli was defended, Dolph's garrison collapsed and would be liberated once the Democracy Space Station deployed on its surface.

The Automatons sent strikes onto Julheim, Bekvam III and Martale later in the day, once again led by The Incineration Corps. By April 1st, the Automatons would take all 3 planets and, feeling confident, would reveal that they had now rebuilt the Jet Brigade at Aurora Bay. However, all this would achieve would be to pave the way for the single biggest battle of the Automaton Front up to that point. By April 2nd, the Helldivers had been holding their line without much issue. The Automatons, seeing that Malevelon Creek Memorial was just around the corner, decided to concentrate the Jet Brigade at Mort before then sending it and 40 battalions to capture the planet. Yet, on April 2nd, with only an hour left before the Automatons took the planet, the Helldivers would relocate the DSS onto Pöpli and activate the Eagle Storm, pinning the Jet Brigade in place and, most importantly, allowing the Helldivers an additional 24 hours of defense.

The Automatons felt their success turning against them and would throw everything at their disposal to try and overcome the Helldivers. They immediately pulled their forces onto Pöpli, even convering the Incineration Corps onto the planet. They even began targetting resupply ships. Yet, despite all the hurdles and tribulations, the Helldivers would come out victorious.

The disastrous defeat at Pöpli IX immediately ended the Automaton offensive, as not only had their 2 elite divisions been completely decimated, but they had also exhausted their garrisons at Mort, Troost, Ustotu, Varylia 5, Choepessa IV, Julheim, Bekvam III and Charbal-VII.

Over the following days, the Automatons would be flushed out of the Xzar and Nanos Sectors and, once more, rebuked and forced to withdraw in defeat.

Factions

Automatons

The Automatons are robots that were created by the Cyborgs from the First Galactic War. They are known to spread havoc and destruction in their wake, purging freedom wherever they go.

List of Automaton Units

Trooper	Commissar	Scout Strider	Berserker
Devastator	Hulk	Tank	Dropship
Gunship	Factory Strider

List of Automaton Structures

Automaton Fabricator	Cannon Tower	Detector Tower	Command Bunker
Stratagem Jammer	Mortar Emplacement	Gunship Facility	Anti-Air Emplacement
Automaton Orbital Cannon	Enemy Bio-Processors

Jet Brigade

Jet Brigade
Date	18 October 2184 - 20 November 2184
Status	Destroyed
Faction	Automatons
Planet	Menkent

“	The Automatons have deployed a new series of specialised models on this planet. These upgraded bots utilise stolen Jump Pack technology, heartlessly pillaged from the bodies of fallen Helldivers and reverse-engineered into something nearly unrecogniseable.	„
	~ Jet Brigade Description

The Jet Brigade is a division consisting of Automatons with stolen Jetpack technology. Automatons with Jetpacks have been a part of Automaton infantry since the beginning but have been slowly dialed back since until they were basically nonexistent, only to reappear in mass on October 18th, 2184. They were built in secret on Chort Bay for a long time, with the Automaton's search for titanium likely relating to them. The materials to build the Jet Brigade were ever taken from Imber or Claorell before they were liberated.

The main differentiator between the Jet Brigade and regular Automatons is their heavy use of jetpacks, unique chrome finish, and their Commanders, which are variants of the Marauder equipped with machine guns instead of laser pistols. While they are fragile, with their bulky backpack exploding after a well placed shot and having the same amount of armor as the Troopers, they are still very dangerous. Reports from the field indicate they are able to gun down SEAF and Helldivers with a handful of shots and are impervious to suppressive fire while also capable of calling for reinforcements.

The Jet Brigade is also capable of launching attacks on worlds controlled by Super Earth without needing to originate the attack from a neighboring world. This rules out retaking a lesser-defended origin of attack rather than dealing directly with the attacking force, or effectively using the Democracy Space Station's Orbital Blockade. As exampled on Menkent, the DSS remains able to provide support, but cannot halt the Jet Brigade's efforts.

History

The Jet Brigade had been built on Chort Bay for a long time, but needed titanium to build their alloy, so the Automaton launched attacks towards Imber where a large repository of titanium was located. After days of fighting Operation Titanium Belt would ultimately end with a Helldiver victory, but the Automatons were able to attack Imber twice during the operation giving the Automatons 51 hours on Imber to possibly extract some titanium from the planet.

After this setback the Automaton decided to move their efforts to find the critical resources needed for the Jet Brigade to Claorell when it was fully lost on September 25th, where they began deep-mantle mining operations on the planet to use extreme heat and pressure near the planet's core to create an extremely strong and ductile chromium-cobalt-nickel alloy. These activities were crushed on October 4th when Operation Freedom's Forge was issued to the Helldivers, liberating Claorell on the 8th with the mines being repurposed for the Democracy Space Station. The Automatons launched another attack on Claorell to try and retake the mines but were repelled. In total the Automatons spent 13 days on Claorell to create the chromium-cobalt-nickel alloy, this is the most likely candidate to how the Jet Brigade got its alloy.

On October 13th Enemy Resistance on Choohe started to rise. This was the staging ground for the Jet Brigade who would now strike into Super Earth territory. Over the next 4 days the Enemy Resistance on Choohe reached 5.00%, and then the Brigade would aspire on the galactic map on Choohe, 1 and 1/2 hours later the brigade invaded Matar Bay which would fall with high casualties on both sides. Next they invaded Martale with a slightly smaller forces but they also won this battle. Next Marfark was invaded, now with a much smaller force the Jet Brigade would finally be defeated on Marfark retreating to recover from its losses.

After the attacks into the Andromeda Sector a high-security database was established by the Automatons on Matar Bay containing Key intel about the Jet Brigade including about the location of its fabricators. High Command became aware of this when confidential data recovered from Automaton Strongholds were decrypted and identified the database. This was one of the objectives of Operation Adamant Resolve on October 30th. Matar Bay was liberated, revealing it to contain valuable intel on the location of the Jet Brigade's Staging Ground and that the Jet Brigade was swiftly recovering.

That Swift Recovery would come on November 10th when they began to amass on Vernen Wells, Enemy Resistance went up to 5.00% and then they were spotted just as construction of the DSS had stopped, and 6 hours after being first spotted, they invaded Tarsh. The battle for the Logistics Hub lasted a gruelling 24 hours but the Jet Brigade got there victory, destroying the DSS Logistics Hub and giving the Automatons the exact location of the DSS on Gaellivare. 9 hours later Mastia was under attack, but at the same time the DSS came online and 3 hours later Mastia fell. Now the Jet Brigade had reached Gaellivare were the DSS was stationed, the battle of Gaellivare was a spectral to behold, the DSS and Jet Brigade Destroyers both in orbit around one planet fighting for supremacy. But on the 15th, Helldivers voted to move the DSS out of danger and to Mastia were the Mastia Gambit would be attempted, but after a day to would return to Gaellivare and the Jet Brigade.

After days of fighting Operation Spark of Liberty was declared a success at the cost of Gaellivare, but the Jet Brigade still remained on the planet intel the 18th when the Jet Brigade would invade Imber to return to Automaton space, little did they know this move would seal there fate as with the help of the DSS Gaellivare was liberated, trapping the Jet Brigade on Imber, an ironic location due to it being the original objective of the Automatons during Operation Titanium Belt. On the November 20th, 2184 Imber was liberated, crushing the Jet Brigade in freedoms hands. But the Automatons still posseted the means of creating a new Jet Brigade and it would only be a matter of time.

The Automaton intel from Matar Bay had been decrypted revealing Choohe to be the staging ground for Jet Brigade, High Command ordered that Choohe be liberated and the collection of 150,000,000 Automaton that might have operated along with the Jet Brigade. Operation Jetclipper was declared a failure as Choohe still stud in Automaton hands, intel the next day, but 89,601,000 drives had been salvaged from the operation which were interrogated for the location of the Jet Brigade Fabricators. In the New Year of 2185, Intel from the Staging Grounds on Choohe has finally been deciphered, revealing the Jet Brigade Fabricators to be on Chort Bay, after blitzing through Lesath the Helldivers deployed 30 thousand strong to the planets surface to end the Jet Brigade once and for all.

Long-range imagery of Chort Bay was able to confirm the presence of Jet Brigade factories on its surface. However, no jetpack-augmented units were spotted on the planet. For this reason, High Command entertained the possibility that the Automatons had not yet managed to rebuild their force in any significant capacity. Unbeknownst to High Command, the reason that no elements of the Jet Brigade were spotted on the surface of Chort Bay was because the partially reconstructed Jet Brigade moved to Menkent from the 28th of January to the 1st of February.

In all likelihood, the sudden the sudden jump in resistance on the nightfall of February 1st was the last elements of the reconstructed Jet Brigade arriving on Menkent. Whether this was some sort of planned evacuation or part of preparations for a future offensive is unknown, although what is clear is that the threat that the Jet Brigade poses has not yet passed. However, with their factories on Chort Bay destroyed, the Brigade is left without its means of reinforcement.

However, they were not finished. In the chaos caused by The Incineration Corps, the Jet Brigade resurfaced with new factories on Aurora Bay to attack Mavelon Creek. Time will tell if the Helldivers are ready to wipe out this threat once more.

Timeline

• October 13th, 2184: Jet Brigade starts to amass on Choohe, Enemy Resistance on Choohe rises from 2.50% to 3.00%.
• October 14th, 2184: Enemy Resistance on Choohe rises from 3.00% to 3.50%.
• October 16th, 2184: Enemy Resistance on Choohe rises from 3.50% to 4.00%, Enemy Resistance on Choohe rises from 4.00% to 4.50%.
• October 17th, 2184: Enemy Resistance on Choohe rises from 4.50% to 5.00%.
• October 18th, 2184: Jet Brigade appears on Choohe, Jet Brigade invades Matar Bay, Enemy Resistance on Choohe decreases from 5.00% to 2.00%.
• October 19th, 2184: Matar Bay falls to the Jet Brigade, Jet Brigade invades Martale.
• October 20th, 2184: Martale falls to the Jet Brigade.
• October 21st, 2184: Jet Brigade invades Marfark.
• October 22nd, 2184: Marfark is defended from the Jet Brigade, Jet Brigade disappear from the Galactic Map.
• November 10th, 2184: Jet Brigade starts to amass on Vernen Wells, Enemy Resistance on Vernen Wells rises from 3.00% to 4.00%.
• November 11th, 2184: Jet Brigade appears on Vernen Wells, Enemy Resistance on Vernen Wells rises from 4.00% to 5.00%, Jet Brigade invades Tarsh.
• November 12th, 2184: Tarsh falls to the Jet Brigade, Enemy Resistance on Vernen Wells decreases from 5.00% to 1.50%.
• November 13th, 2184: Jet Brigade invades Mastia.
• November 14th, 2184: Mastia falls to the Jet Brigade, Jet Brigade invades Gaellivare.
• November 17th, 2184: Gaellivare falls to the Jet Brigade.
• November 18th, 2184: Jet Brigade invades Imber.
• November 19th, 2184: Imber falls to the Jet Brigade, the Jet Brigade is encircled.
• November 20th, 2184: Jet Brigade is destroyed and disappear from the Galactic Map.
• January 27th, 2185: Jet Brigade starts to amass on Menkent, Enemy Resistance on Menkent rises from 1.50% to 2.50%.
• January 28th, 2185: Enemy Resistance on Menkent rises from 2.50% to 3.00%.
• January 29th, 2185: Enemy Resistance on Menkent rises from 3.00% to 3.50%.
• January 30th, 2185: Enemy Resistance on Menkent rises from 3.50% to 4.00%.
• February 1st, 2185: Enemy Resistance on Menkent rises from 4.00% to 5.00%.
• February 2nd, 2185: Jet Brigade appears on Menkent.
• February 2rd, 2185: Jet Brigade invades Lesath.
• February 5th, 2185: Jet Brigade is destroyed on Lesath.
• April 1st, 2185: Enemy resistance on Aurora Bay rises from 1.50% to 5.00%. Jet Brigade Factories appear on Aurora Bay.
• April 1st, 2185: Jet Brigade appears on Mort. Subsequently launches attack on Pöpli IX.
• April 2nd, 2185: Jet Brigade and The Incineration Corps converge on Pöpli IX.

The Incineration Corps

The Incineration Corps
Date	18 March 2185 - present
Faction	Automatons
Planet	Julheim

“	An Automaton unit equipped with flame throwers and incendiary ammunition is active on this planet. These wanton arsonists will not rest until they have razed all that humankind holds dear.	„
	~ The Incineration Corps Description

The Incineration Corps are a new type of Automaton force that appeared across several systems on March 18th, 2185. They are equipped with incendiary munitions and have a unique phosphorus white and red paintjob, with a red rack-toothed flame as their ensign.

As of the time of writing, there are four unique Incinerator units:

Pyro Troopers

Light units equipped with backpack-fed flamethrowers and incendiary grenades. Like Jet Brigade Raiders, their backpacks may burst when damaged.

Incendiary MG Devastator

Medium units with ballistic shields and semi-automatic laser cannon. Like Helldiver laser weaponry, laser bolts will set targets on fire.

Conflagration Devastator

Medium units with ballistic shields and semi-automatic incendiary shotgun. A single hit from a shotgun blast can kill even those wearing Inflammable heavy armor at close range.

Hulk Firebomber

Heavy units armed with incendiary grenade launchers and flamethrowers. They use indirect fire at longer ranges, lobbing grenades over cover, and direct fire just beyond range of their flamethrowers.

Their comrades generally use standard Automaton fusion weapons with some differences:

• Troopers can throw incendiary grenades. Their slow throw speed offers less time to return the grenade once landed, but the grenades are more easily caught mid-flight. Automaton incendiary grenades have a seemingly larger radius of effect than those provided to Helldivers.
• Troopers use shoulder-mounted fusion cannons rather than rocket launchers.

Timeline

• March 18th, 2185: The Incineration Corps invades Martale and Bekvam III.
• March 19th, 2185: Bekvam III falls to The Incineration Corps, Martale is defended from The Incineration Corps.
• March 20th, 2185: Martale is defended from The Incineration Corps, The Incineration Corps invades Julheim.
• March 21th, 2185: Julheim falls to The Incineration Corps.
• March 24th, 2185: The Incineration Corps are defeated at Julheim.
• March 30th, 2185: The Incineration Corps re-appear at Martale and Bekvam III.
• March 31st, 2185: Martale and Bekvam III fall to the Incineration Corps. Incineration Corps concentrate on Bekvam III.
• April 1st, 2185: The Incineration Corps appear at Julheim.
• April 2nd, 2185: The Incineration Corps moves from Julheim to Mort.
• April 2nd, 2185: The Incineration Corps and the Jet Brigade converge at Pöpli IX.

Tactics

Various types of Automatons.

Battling Automatons requires Helldivers to adopt a drastically different approach compared to battling the Terminids. Rather than relying on melee tactics like their bug-like counterparts, they are instead equipped with a vast array of projectile weaponry. Thus, Helldivers need to find a good balance between offense and defense, seeking cover whenever possible and focusing on rapidly disassembling the Automaton's heavy hitters before they can unleash their devastating attacks.

While many Automaton models are well armored, their general humanoid structures possess a very notable weakness in their heads. Precise shots to the head, even on heavier enemies like Devastators, can concuss and destroy them with ease. Larger enemies have vents, generally located on their back. They can be preferable to other weak points due to their larger area and bright orange glow, making them easier to hit when your foe is facing away from you.

Automatons can be rapidly deployed in large numbers via Dropships, which are called in with signal flares by the general infantry units when alerted of a Helldiver's presence. If reinforcements are called, Helldivers can disrupt their deployment by shooting the dropship's thruster with heavy anti-armor weapon such as the Recoilless Rifle, Expendable Anti-Tank, Quasar Cannon or Anti-Materiel Rifle. It should be noted that this may not kill or even damage all of the bots on board the dropship. All Helldivers are therefore recommended to exercise caution near recently liberated Automaton dropships, and prioritize bringing down dropships with smaller automaton units more likely to be killed by the explosion, or ships that will fall and crush more bots below if shot down.

Automatons can also be produced at outposts and objective areas via Fabricators set up in said locations. Destroying the Fabricators can be done in a similar fashion to demolishing bug hives, by serving a fresh hot cup of liber-tea in the form of a grenade down their exhaust vents, or simply leveling the entire area using Eagle strikes or orbital bombardments. Be warned that a Fabricator will explode rather violently when destroyed, so Helldivers are to keep their distances or stay close to the ground when making their deliveries.

Automaton Outposts are defended by a majority of Troopers patrolling and manning machine gun emplacements, along with a wide variety of larger units such as Scout Striders and Devastators, while large outposts can even include Hulks, Annihilator Tanks and Factory Striders. Therefore, it's advised to approach heavy outposts utilizing stealth as much as possible before delivering as much simultaneous and overwhelming democratic force as possible. On higher difficulties, outposts may be guarded by Cannon Towers which are only vulnerable from behind, and largely brush off small-arms fire.

Automaton "Language"

“	01000001. 01001000. [Binary: "AH"] That was the first intercepted bot message. Our analysts think it means "kill all humans".	„
	~ Ship Master

The Automaton language seen in Bot propaganda.

Scribbled onto almost all structures, as well as on propaganda, it can be easily noticed that the Automatons utilize their own unique language. It is unknown if this language was developed by the Automatons themselves or if it originates from their predecessors, the Cyborgs.

After some months of training, SEAF Super Earth Special Forces (SESF) Cryptologists have managed to decipher most of the alphabet utilized by the devious machines.

Cheat-sheet for translating Automaton scriptures, procured from classified SESF channels. Translations are 99.99% accurate ^{FAN Made}

It appears the Automatons, or the Cyborgs, hijacked an ancient language of Super Earth known as "Swedish" and adapted it into their own alphabet in order to deceive Super Earth surveillance. Whether this also applies to their "spoken" language isn't clear, if their bursts of binary static can even be considered speech to begin with. What is certain is that, much like Swedish, the Automaton language is written from top to bottom and is read from left to right.

Besides this fabricated language, the Automatons utilize standard terrestrial binary for their military communications, since the Automatons are unfeeling machines which rely on a computer to think.

Stealth Tactics

• Any Trooper variant can be stealthily eliminated with two melee strikes, taking Troopers out with melee does not make noise and will not alert nearby Automaton, granted you are out of their line of sight.
  • The Elite Trooper variants can be taken out the same way, just with three melee strikes instead.
• When spotted by any Automaton the player has a chance to dive, crouch or move behind any cover for a couple seconds. This will not alert Automatons into calling for Dropships, but they will usually investigate the area the player was spotted so the player must move to stay hidden.
• If Automaton are taken out from a distance any remaining Automaton will investigate the area the Automaton was killed before searching in the direction the gunfire came from. This can be used to bait Automaton out of cover, but they will spot the player eventually by tracking the gunfire.
• For some reason, Impact grenades do not alarm Automaton if the explosion is out of their line of sight.

Notes

• The Automatons are reminiscent of Terminators from the Terminator franchise, relying on heavy armor, heavy firepower, powerful air support, mechanized vehicles, and overwhelming numbers. Operating as a slow-moving, largely mechanized force, they are also similar to different droids and other units from the Star Wars universe (the Devastators reminding Helldivers of B2 Super Battle Droids used by the Separatists; the different Striders behaving much like the AT-ST and AT-AT walkers used by the Galactic Empire).
• Automatons are shown to engage in a limited degree of psychological warfare, such as decorating certain makes and models of themselves with human skulls, as well as using body armor of fallen Helldivers to make decoy dummies to defend their outposts from snipers.
  • Cages with dead civilians can be seen on some bases, indicating the Automatons can take human subjects alive.
  • Many dead civilians can be seen in piles on some Automaton bases, along with open-air dissection tables with robotic laser cutter arms. Large numbers of dismembered human bodies, who all appear to be missing their heads, or mostly-intact bodies with stitches on top of their heads have also been seen, implying an Automaton has surgically removed the head and brain from the body.
• There are many instances of many Automaton variants exhibiting complex speech, with sentences, war cries, and even what some Helldivers report to be laughter.
  • Automatons are known to have some sort of marching cadence, which is sometimes chanted by patrolling Automaton squads.
    • While the exact lyrics of the marching cadence is up for debate, most agree that it mentions Cyberstan, the home planet of the Cyborgs, and that the planet is referred to as a "her."
    • In each instance of the marching cadence, the main lines are spoken by a single Automaton, often a Commissar leading the patrol, while backing vocals are spoken by other Automatons in the group. This further strengthens the theory of human consciousness being present in Automatons, since it's unlikely the Automatons would be capable of such a structure if they were simply robots.
  • Automatons will often blurt out some words in English in between bursts of binary squabbling. The following words and sentences can be identified, although these might also be a product of apophenia:
    • "Helldiver"
    • "Diver scum"
    • "Scum"
    • "Cyberstan"
    • "Super Earth will burn"
    • "You can't run" (Berserkers/Melee Troopers)
    • "Cover me!" (Berserkers)
    • "Come back! Come back here!" (Berserkers)
    • "Divers are dead" (Trooper/Commissar)
    • "Kill them all!" (Berserker)
    • "Alarm!" (Berserker. Likely made off of a reused Cyborg sound file from Helldivers 1)
    • "Berserker coming through!"
    • "Spill their guts!" (Berserker)
    • "It's irky" (Devastator)
    • "Earth" (Devastator)
    • "Keep it still" (Devastator)
    • "Father..." (Devastator)
    • "Indeed." (Devastator)
    • "Copy That" (Devastator)
    • "Keep breathing" (Devastator)
    • "Indispensable" (Devastator)
• The Automatons were seemingly eliminated on April 7th, 2184 but came back in a surprise attack on April 9th, which resulted in the loss of Cyberstan.
• During Operation Swift Disassembly, it was mentioned that the bots showed "sorrow" over the "murder of in-development bots". This can imply that Automatons become aware even before coming out of their Fabricators. Paired with the implications of the Automatons possibly removing brains off their human victims, this may indicate that the Automatons are closer to the Simulacra from the Titanfall universe (trans-humanist robotic vessels for human consciousnesses) than they are to being fully-independent robots, or to the Cybermen from Doctor Who, in particular later iterations after the 2005 revival which surgically removed the head and brainstem of victims and sealed them inside a metal exoskeleton, both of which thusly meaning that the common Automatons faced were originally... human.
  • The implication could also be that the Automatons also consist of transhumanized Cyborgs (and sympathizers) who have transplanted their brains into an Automaton body.

Early Concept Art

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