Malevelon Creek

Malevelon Creek is one of the five planets that reside within the Severin Sector. Its landscape generally consists of lush jungles and wide ponds and has become infamous for the extremely intense and difficult fighting that took place on it. Constant battles against socialist Automaton invaders exacted an enormous human cost. The planet's challenging terrain and combination of thick vegetation, fog, and clouds make for engagements which are extremely challenging to keep under control. 
After its liberation from the Automatons on April 3, 2184, Malevelon Creek Memorial Day was officially established as an annual event celebrating the establishment of peace on the devastated world.
==Topography==
Malevelon Creek is largely covered in flora, including thick brush and dense, dark forests. It is covered in persistent fog and heavy clouds, giving the surface an appearance of eternal night. This unique terrain proved very challenging for the Helldivers to maneuver through. Its lush jungles slowed down movement, its dense canopy could block line-of-sight, and its foggy atmosphere and dark shadows obscured vision on the ground. To make matters worse, ion storms are common in the planet's atmosphere, scrambling communications with orbiting Super Destroyers and preventing stratagem deployment.
== History==
There are countless hells in this galaxy. There is only one Malevelon Creek.
=== Special Military Operations prior to the Second Galactic War ===
==== The First Battle of Malevelon Creek (Feb. 8th - 28th 2184) ====
Fighting on Malevelon Creek broke out in February 8th, 2184, with small-scale conflict between SEAF forces and the Automatons. 
Malevelon Creek proved uniquely difficult for the SEAF to liberate, despite seeing similar troop deployments to other nearby planets. The Automatons' socialist programming made it easier for them to navigate the dense jungle, and millions of the robots illegally fortified the planet using exceptionally brutal methods. Resourceful Helldivers began to conduct large-scale deployments of napalm on the thick jungles, depriving many cowardly Automatons of cover. 
Slowly but surely, it became clear that more reinforcements were needed. This resulted in the "Fight for the Creek" recruitment drive, calling for citizens to enlist and assist their brothers and sisters in bringing Democracy to the jungle. The Ministry of Truth reports that these campaigns were responsible for a 12% increase in enlistments to the Automaton Front.
As fighting ensued, the Automatons conducted a savage counter-offensive. On February 28, Malevelon Creek fell to the socialists along with the entire Severin Sector, Draupnir, and Mantes. The fall of the Creek was seen as a tragic moment for the war effort, though the Helldivers managed to salvage the situation through the liberation of nearby Mort.
==== Second Battle of Malevelon Creek (Feb. 28th - Apr. 1st 2184) ====
Super Earth temporarily lost access to Malevelon Creek due to the fall of two connecting planets, Draupnir and Mantes. However, pockets of valiant Helldivers known as "Creekers" remained on the planet, slaying legions of robots in a ferocious series of sieges. Thousands fell before the brutal blades of the Automatons, prompting many to rush to support them. 
Initial engagements proved fruitful, as the Helldivers were able to massively damage Automaton positions. However, their advance could not be sustained, as the Automatons quickly regrouped and counter-attacked. Countless heroes of Super Earth were slaughtered in valiant last stands. Where once the Helldivers traded Automaton wrecks for miles, they now traded rivers of patriotic blood for mere inches. Yet still, the Helldivers fought on. The light of Liberty never left them, even as their lives were traded for Freedom. 
Over the course of the battle, Helldivers began to report to High Command that the severed heads and mutilated bodies of their fallen comrades had been positioned in front of Automaton bases as war trophies. Also reported were a higher concentration of "death camps" where SEAF personnel had been tortured, killed, mutilated, and/or dismembered. The Ministry of Truth reminds all citizens that Automatons are monsters incapable of morality or empathy, and that they should never be shown mercy.
On March 4th, the Helldivers liberated Mantes, allowing reinforcements to more safely enter the Creek. However, the extreme losses taken slowed liberation progress, and many SEAF personnel were reassigned to help liberate neighboring Draupnir. 
Finally, with both Mantes and Draupnir having been liberated, Super Earth High Command issued a Major Order to free Malevelon Creek from the robots' mechanical clutches. After an all-out push from new recruits and experienced Creekers alike, the planet was heroically liberated on April 1, 2184.
This engagement is widely regarded to be the deadliest battle of the three. High Command reports that losses sustained were double that of the first and third battles combined.
==== Third Battle of Malevelon Creek (Apr. 2nd, 2184) ====
The peace on Malevelon Creek unfortunately lasted only few hours: on April 2nd, the Automatons launched a dastardly attack in an attempt to reconquer this world. Their offensive was supported by two new foes: flying Aerial Gunships, and massive walking mechs known as Factory Striders.
 
Once again, the Helldivers were called in to rescue civilians and wipe out the Automatons. 
Just nine hours into the battle, the Forces of Mankind had completely overwhelmed their enemies: the planet's surface had been completely cleared of the murderous machines. The cold, oppressive wreckage surrounding the planet was all that remained of the Automatons, a last grim reminder of what happens to enemies of Democracy.
==== Outcome of the Battle ====
April 3, 2184 was the first full day of peace on Malevelon Creek since the beginning of the war. The President of Super Earth issued a decree which recognizes this date as Malevelon Creek Memorial Day. All active Helldivers were issued a commemorative cape to honor their fallen companions.
From that day forward, Malevelon Creek has remained quiet and peaceful, the Automaton threat now only a memory for the Super Earth Colonizers who survived it to remember. Despite the flames of war on the planet being long gone, the Creek still serves a purpose: to remind to the Helldivers that even in Super Earth's darkest hour, their might and determination can light up the horizon with the flames of Managed Democracy.
==FTL Lines== 
*Maia
*Durgen
*Mantes - Xzar Sector
*Draupnir - Xzar Sector
== Trivia== 
*Malevelon Creek became a popular subject within the Helldivers 2 community in the wake of the game's launch, with numerous memes springing up centered around how the planet has proven disproportionately difficult to liberate. Such memes became especially prevalent following the game's second major order to defend against Automaton invasions across the Xzar and Trigon sectors.
* According to a major order issued on April 1st, Malevelon creek has exceptionally rich rhodium deposits, which is a highly valuable and rare metal, significantly rarer than gold.
*The name "Creeker" became synonymous with a faction of Helldivers that stayed on Malevelon Creek since the end of the first battle, even though Major Orders had been given out that directed them to fight on other planets, as they seemed to enjoy the intense combat unique only to the Creek. This decision was a very contentious move, one that is debated heavily still to this day as many believe it was one of the main reasons why a few Major Orders leading up to the liberation of the Creek failed, even though "Creekers" represented a small group of Helldivers when compared to the totality of the Helldiver Corps, Creekers were targeted as a group that was not helping the war effort overall. The spotlight given to the Creek and the Cape given to the Helldiver Corps after liberation, only fueled the debate further.
*A popular title relating Malevelon Creek to the Vietnam War had sprouted up labeling it as "Space 'Nam", or "Robot Vietnam", due to the similarities in environments and intense jungle combat.
* Malevelon Creek is the only Automaton planet with 25+ million KIA while having a Operation time of less than nine weeks (RECORD). It is currently #6 in terms of the deadliest Automaton planets, though the planets above it have significantly higher operational time. 
* The third battle for Malevelon Creek saw the highest percentage of Helldivers deployed to any single planet to date (35% of the Helldiver Corps). This record was later surpassed during the Battle for Durgen, which saw an even higher percentage: 42%.
Category:Severin Sector