| “ | Tall, gnarled trees flourish across the surface of this forested world. Sunlight filters past dangling vines, to the saturated undergrowth below. | „ |
| ~ Official Description |
X-45 is one of the five planets that reside within the Ymir Sector. The planet's proximity to Vindemitarix Prime makes it a crucial ace up the sleeve against the Automatons.
During the First Galactic War, this planet hosted a secret weapons research lab that was lost due to unknown reasons. However, in June 2184, in the midst of the Second Galactic War, the Helldivers defended the planet, allowing for the recovery of blueprints for an intergalactic battle station.
Topography[ | ]
The exact circumstances that caused the increase in radiation levels across the planet is currently unknown, with anything from nuclear meltdowns to orbital nuclear bombardment being a plausible explanation.. No human has set foot on the surface of X-45 in over one hundred years, one that is characterized by high heat and humidity and the majority of which is covered by swamps, marshes and bogs -- much of which is still contaminated by radiation.
Yet despite the negative effect of the radiation on human life, many scientists see an overall beneficial effect to the ecosystem. Though the immediate effects of the radiation were negative, the planet has recovered over the past century and today seems to have a healthy environment. The lack of people on the planet has also increased the biodiversity of X-45 since the first galactic war.
X-45 from the galactic map.
History[ | ]
First Galactic War[ | ]
X-45 would be one of the few planets to see action during the First Galactic War. Sometime in 2084, an Advanced Weapons Laboratory would be constructed on the planet, with its research focus being mostly into the construction and maintenance of Interplanetary Battle Stations.
However, misfortune would strike, as X-45's radiation levels skyrocketed due to the ongoing conflict. As such, the planet would be quickly abandoned and quarantined, leaving the laboratory and its valuable materials trapped away from Freedom's reach.
Despite the Cyborg's Rebellion being quashed, Super Earth would not make any attempts in returning to the planet for 100 years.
Second Galactic War[ | ]
X-45 had a strange luck attached to it. Despite the radioactive chaos, neither Super Earth nor any of its enemies would make any move towards the planet during the century after the disaster at the weapons laboratory. However, it would be this luck that saw X-45 ultimately become a beacon of hope in the Ymir Sector.
From the months of March through May and into June of 2184, as the Automatons reclaimed Cyberstan and slowly consumed the sectors surrounding the Valdis Sector, X-45 would slowly see its neighboring planets in the Ymir Sector fall one by one. First Meissa, then Wasat, both in the month of April. Then, after the failure of the Terminid Control System drew away more Helldivers from the Automaton Front, followed Wezen at the start of May and then, in the last week of May, Vega Bay. For a whole month, X-45 stood as the last bastion of Freedom amidst the oppression of the mechanized socialists.
Then, with Operation Emancipator, the Helldivers would free X-45's neighboring planets, with only Meissa remaining reluctant about its return to Managed Democracy. Nevertheless, FTL Supply Lines to X-45 would be restored shortly after the liberation of the previously mentioned planets, fully returning it to Liberty's embrace.
Operation Starslayer[ | ]
On July 3rd, 2184, X-45's luck would be finally put to the test. The long lost Advanced Weapons Lab would be rediscovered on the planet, buried underneath many tons of lightly irradiated, although sufficiently safe, rubble. However, as the radiation levels lowered, Super Earth High Command deemed the recovery of the Lab's research and material valuable enough to issue a Major Order, mandating that Helldivers maintain complete control of X-45 for the entire week, as research and excavation teams rush to recover the lab's work.
After clearing the first layer of rubble covering the Advanced Weapons Lab, it was discovered that the facility was largely intact. High command theorized that that it was possible that other plans, or even caches of still-functional weaponry from the First Galactic War also contained in the lab might still be intact. Sure enough the excavation teams were eventually able to recover an intact cache of a lost Support Weapons: the MLS-4X Commando Rocket Launcher. These weapons were immediately put to use in defense of the planet, which had become desperate after the fall of Aesir Pass.
The defense of the X system was dependant on the Helldiver's ability to defend multiple strategic systems at once. The Ymir sector is deep within Automaton space and was only recently liberated during Operation Valiant Resistance. The planets of the Ymir sector have been constantly assaulted over the course of the Operation Starslayer. Major fighting began on July 3rd. A minor assault into the X system was repulsed. Vega Bay was taken by July 6th, and was used as a secondary direction for the attack.
The automatons frequently used a new tactic of feint attacks to disguise their immediate target. Twice, Wasat was attacked to disrupt Helldiver defenses. First on July 5th, when Automaton forces assaulted Meissa unsuccessfully. The tactic began again on July 8th to attack the X system, but their pityful bluff would once again be called, with the Helldivers managing to succeed in both the defenses of X-45 and Wasat. However, where the Automatons did manage to succeed, they spread reckless, unrestrained cruelty, such as in the massacre of Aesir Pass on July 6th.
With many sacrifices made, the Helldivers have managed to make their valiant stand against the mechanized menace on X-45 excellently, with noble courage and tireless vigor, they bought enough time for the plans for the interplanetary battle station to be received. Whilst the fate of X-45 itself remains unclear, with the plans recovered, the research station has been destroyed. The Automatons will find nothing there but lightly irradiated ash. Furthermore, remaining MLS-4X Commandos have been successfully shipped off-planet, enabling rapid production of the weapon. It will shortly be available for requisition fleetwide.
FTL Lines[ | ]
- Meissa (Established on June 13, 2184)
- Wasat (Re-established on June 13, 2184)
- Vega Bay (Re-established on June 13, 2184)
FTL Timeline[ | ]
- February 8th, 2184: X-45 is connected by FTL to Vega Bay and Wasat.
- May 3rd, 2184: FTL lines to Vega Bay and Wasat are destroyed.
- June 13th, 2184: FTL lines to Vega Bay and Wasat are re-established, plus a new line to Meissa.
Environmental Change History[ | ]
| Patch | Changes |
|---|---|
| 1.000.400 | X-45 is change to a Swamp Biome. |
| 1.000.000 | X-45 is a Ashland Biome. |
Trivia[ | ]
- X-45 is the one of the planet in the Ymir Sector, besides Vega Bay, to not have a name derived from Arabic.
- While it is most likely a coincidence, X-45 is also the name of a piece of an unmanned combat air vehicle made by Boeing Technologies.
- X-45 is one of the only planet on record to have changed appearance without an in-game explanation, as Meridia was explicitly stated to have been terraformed by the Terminids.
- It is also one of the only planet along with Gacrux, Socorro III, Tarsh and Gar Haren to have acquired new FTL Lines, as it was completely detached from all other planets.