| “ | Dense, toxic fumes from deep within the planet's crust seep out of cracks in the earth and coat the ground in a sickly haze. | „ |
| ~ Official Description |
Chort Bay is one of the four planets that reside within the Lacaille Sector.
Topography[]
"Chort" is a Slavic language term for a devil or imp, which given the topography of the planet is appropriate. The planet is covered by a sickly moor, characterized by it's high temperatures and abundant toxic fumes, which seep up from the planets crust.
Acid storms regularly sweep the planets rocky surface, reducing visibility and leaving behind abundant pools of acidic water, which whilst not acidic enough to burn through a 
Helldivers uniform, are unlikely to be safe for human consumption (bottled water is recommended for long deployments). Some hardy plant life does somehow survive on the planet, though certainly not thrive, with only some sparse grasses and shrubbery managing to cling to life.
History[]
Special Military Operations[]
Fighting began on Chort Bay on April 9th when Automaton forces arrived from an unknown location by FTL jump. Chort Bay was initially a frontline planet, but did not see heavy action. The planet was in full Automaton control following the Helldiver retreats later in April, but became a major battleground on April 27th-28th. Helldiver forces assaulted the planet following the liberation of Penta, all part of Operation Legitimate Undertaking. Chort Bay is the gateway to the world Choohe, which is the objective of this offensive. Despite fierce enemy resistance, the barren planet is being retaken very quickly.
Second Galactic War[]
Operation Keough Push[]
| “ | Vertically enhanced Jet Brigade soldiers are produced here. | „ |
~  Jet Brigade Factories Description
|
However, Chort Bay was not fated to last long under Freedom's stewardship. Not only would Operation Legitimate Undertaking fail, but so would the Terminid Control System in the Umlaut Sector, triggering a crisis on the Terminid Front that left the entire Automaton Front almost abandoned and doomed Chort Bay to fall into complete Automaton control. For several months, it remained unshaken and unreachable to the Helldivers as many campaigns and objectives drew resources and manpower away from it. However, Liberty's will was not for Chort Bay to remain under the iron boot forever.
On the midnight of January 30th, 2185, Helldiver Tactical Command identified a large concentration of troops on Menkent that was starting to push the planet's Resistance index suspiciously high. Super Earth High Command would take this information and, following the decryption of captured Automaton intelligence during Operation Jetclipper at Choohe, it was revealed that, amidst the crisis triggered by the return of the 
Illuminate to the galaxy in December 2184, the Automatons had managed to partially reconstruct the 
Jet Brigade for a third time. However, now the Helldivers had identified the planet in which the Jet Brigade was being rebuilt: Chort Bay.
High Command would immediately issue the order to capture Chort Bay by any means necessary, knowing that if they could strike the Automatons now, the Jet Brigade would not be able to attack. On January 31st, Lesath would be captured by the Helldivers, who then immediately proceeded towards Chort Bay. However, having spent almost a full year under Automaton control, Chort Bay was found to be heavily fortified and guarded, with numerous fortresses and orbital defenses polluting its surface. Yet, the Helldivers charged forth, knowing that if they captured Chort Bay, the Jet Brigade would be sufficiently devastated and their mounting offensive would be immediately stopped, especially given the lack of jetpack-equipped infantry that indicated how little the Automatons had managed to reconstruct of their wretched "elite" force.
Chort Bay would be finally captured on the midnight of February 2nd, 2185, returning it to Liberty's domain after almost a full year of horrors under the iron fist of the Automaton Regime. Furthermore with the Jet Brigade Factories destroyed, the Automatons no longer possessed the means to rebuild the aerial marauders that destroyed so many lives. While the factories may one day be rebuilt, it would come at a heavy cost to the Automatons. For now, the citizens of 
Super Earth could rest easy, knowing no jetpack-assisted robots will descend from the skies to murder their families.
However the absence of even a partially rebuilt Jet Brigade still came as a surprise to High Command. After the siege, 
S.E.A.F. units would continue to search the destroyed factories for any trace of information on the Automatons' plans. However unbeknownst to high command, the reason that no elements of the jet brigade had been encountered on the surface of Chort Bay, was because the partially reconstructed Jet Brigade been evacuated prior to landfall to the planet of Menkent -- something that only became clear after command put out the victory announcement...
Operation Shattered Skies[]
Recognizing a higher than usual threat level on Menkent and the threat that even a partially rebuilt Jet Brigade posed, the Helldiver Corps voted to move the DSS to Menkent in the early hours of February 3rd. There, the battlestation was able to confirm the presence of a rebuilt Automaton Jet Brigade. Only then did it become clear that Automatons intended an underhanded surprise attack to cut off the extended forces of the S.E.A.F. on Chort Bay -- effectively pulling a reverse gambit.
But their treachery was thankfully stymied by the natural-born tactical intuition of the Helldivers. Furthermore, with the activation of the station's Zero G Anti-Ship Missile System, the DSS instituted a Blockade that would hold the Jet Brigade for a limited time, enough to augment S.E.A.F. forces on Lesath and thin the ranks of the Jet Brigade itself, but not enough time to fully evacuate the forces still on Chort bay, which would take at least three days. Sure enough, the Jet Brigade would launch their delayed and weakened attack on Lesath on the evening of February 3rd.
The Jet Brigade, though cut off from reinforcements, diminished by the DSS blockade and lacking the element of surprise, remained formidable fighting force (with a Level 42 incursion). The blockade of Menkent bought some time, but more is yet needed whilst the tactical egress of the forces deployed to Chort Bay is finalized. Thus High Command ordered the Helldivers to hold the planet until deployed S.E.A.F. soldiers could withdraw.
Finally on the 8th of February the bulk of deployed S.E.A.F. soldiers on Chort Bay were withdrawn to safety. They owed their lives to the valiant defensive action of the Helldivers, holding against the resurgent Jet Brigade until the last. Now only skeleton forces remain, supporting ongoing Helldiver operations. Chort Bay's fall may be unavoidable. But the Automatons will find no valiant soldiers there to murder; only the ashes of their former Factories. Though this was not a trap -- as previously established -- if it were one, it would have failed. The rebuilt Jet Brigade remains a threat, but until their Factories are rebuilt, any subsequent losses will be permanent. The Automatons may be less aggressive in the deployment of this unit moving forward.
Operation Good Samaritan and Operation Twin Defender[]
After the massive collapse of bot defences on their western flank, the Automatons would launch a vicious set of attacks out West in the span of 12 hours. They would attack Meissa from Matar Bay with a massive 16 battalions, and then the hellish Blistica to the East in the Gellert Sector. Then, in the wee morning hours on Super Earth, the bots of Choohe and Penta dispatched a powerful 18 invasion fleets toward their formal holding of Chort Bay.
On March 2nd 2025, the Illuminate and the Automatons launched a new fresh offensive with the bots sending a mammoth 38 battalions toward Claorell while the squids are inching the Meridian Singularity ever closer to its next victim, Moradesh. With High Command issuing Orders to either protect Claorell or slow Meridia, all 3 prior bot incursions, including Chort Bay, became even more undermanned than they already were and appeared doomed to fall.
By the early morning hours of March 3, Chort Bay had fallen along with Meissa and Blistica in a brutal 36-hour window in which 3 successful Automaton offensives alongside a difficult campaign to defend Claorell have left the Helldivers on the backfoot. In a further ailment to the Helldivers, Chort Bay would have an extremely steep enemy resistance at 3%, limiting any chances at recapturing the planet for now.
FTL Lines[]
- Choohe
- Lesath
- Menkent - Hydra Sector (Established on April 9, 2184)
- Penta
FTL Timeline[]
- February 8th, 2184: Chort Bay is connected by FTL to Choohe, Lesath, Merak and Penta.
- April 9th, 2184: New FTL line to Menkent is established, FTL line to Merak is destroyed.
