“	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

Charbal-VII is one of the five planets that reside within the Andromeda Sector. It, alongside Choepessa IV, was one of the first two planets outside of Cyberstan to receive new Megafactories on March 11th, 2026.

Topography and Astrography

Similar to planets like Chort Bay, the surface of Charbal-VII is covered in dunes of verdant sand, stained yellow from the constant acidic environment. The skies are dense and dark and stained a teal color. Many brown, mushroom shaped mountains and hilly structures cover the landscape, with rough flatter land in between. The lowlands are often filled with acid filled craters and terraced lakes. Some flora exists in the planet in the form of lightly bioluminiscent bulb shrubs and some indistinct shrubberies scattered between the hot springs one can rarely come across on the surface.

Helldivers should be aware of the threats posed by low visibility, acid rain, and potential drowning risks. The periodic periods of acid rain that constantly shower the planet weaken the armor of both friend and foe, which can allow for both increased damage against Automaton hostiles but will also make a Helldiver exponentially more vulnerable to Automaton fusion weaponry.

While initially having no large settlements on its surface aside from small, scattered colonies, the Cyborgs would construct the Class 1 Megafactory Utopia Varen on Charbal-VII by March 11th, 2186. Aside from being one of the first built outside of Cyberstan, this Megafactory would be identified by the Ministry of Intelligence as a major producer of Cyborg combatants, making it a priority target in the fight against mechano-socialism.

Charbal-VII is the seventh planet on its system. Besides Charbal-VII, the Charbal system is comprised of at least 6 other astronomical bodies, among which are 2 small brown rocky exoplanets, which may also be moons orbiting Charbal-VII itself.

The Charbal System serves as a crucial pivot from where the Automatons have launched multiple failed campaigns into the Xzar Sector in hopes of reclaiming their old positions, as it was once theorized to be on the path of Automatons attempting to reach Cyberstan from their former territories in the Severin Sector. Due to its location, the Charbal System serves as a gateway leading into the Xzar Sector, as well as being crucial to controlling access into the Trigon Sector (through Choepessa IV) and the Nanos Sector (through Julheim). Attacks on Charbal-VII are usually early warnings of incoming westward Automaton offensives.

History

Second Galactic War

Automaton Invasion of Cyberstan (April 2184)

Charball-VII was a peaceful planet colony of Super Earth in the Northwestern Galactic Rim. Following its initial settlement during the Great Expansion Era after the end of the First Galactic War, its history would remain devoid of other occasions worthy of mention. However, in April 2184, this peace would be abruptly brought to an end.

Charbal-VII was attacked by small Automaton invasion force on early hours of April 22nd, 2184. Helldivers were by then split between besieged Menkent, Estanu and Choepessa IV together with Liberation of The Wells. With decision being made that Charbal-VII was of low priority, only small detachment of Helldivers stayed and assisted S.E.A.F. forces. Planetary forces were overwhelmed the next day.

Operation Righteous Expunge (July 18th - July 21st)

With the threat of Automatons re-ignited in Valdis Sector, High Command declared that best strategic decision would be to split in two the spread forces of the enemy. Thus, order to liberate Andromeda Sector were given. Charbal-VII was the last planet to be liberated on July 21st, as the defense of Matar Bay and liberation of Charon Prime took priority. The liberation was swift, since the cut-off Automatons did not had any means to recapture lost ground, giving all the planets in encirclement a "decay" rate of 0%. This also opened a path to the final target of this operation - Choepessa IV.

Operation Tormenta de Fuego (March 18th - March 23rd, 2185)

For the following year, Charbal-VII was left unmolested, as Automatons set their sights further north. This changed on March 21st, when the freshly introduced Incineration Corps invaded the planet from neighboring Charon Prime. With most of Helldiver forces stationed above Julheim, fighting for gambit opportunity, Charbal-VII was left with minimal defense. Planet was declared lost on evening of the following day, and remained occupied for the rest of Meridia Crisis and Siege of Super Earth.

Operation Trooper Deatomization (August 6th - 12th)

Charbal would remain occupied for the next several months, during which Federation would focus on stabilizing itself after the siege of Super Earth. On the 6th of August, the Helldivers were tasked with both securing a buffer zone for their new Super Secure City on Emeria, and brutal destruction of lowly Automaton troops using Railcannon Strike.

However on the 7th of August, attention was brought to Charbal, after messages intercepted by the Ministry of Intelligence confirmed the presence of an secure Automatons database on the planet. This presented a rare opportunity to uncover enemy plans and critical data, such as upcoming enemy troop movements. As such High Command would inform Helldivers -- the majority of whom were locked in battle on the surface of Julheim at the time -- whom they trusted to make the most strategically logical choice.

Around 30% of the active Helldiver Corps deployed forward onto Charbal along with the Democracy Space Station. Unfortunately, this force would prove insufficient for the task at hand. By the time the liberation of the world was considered at 40% complete, the Ministry of Intelligence confirmed that the Automatons had figured out what the Helldivers were trying to do and shut down the Database. Now, not only were the liberation campaigns of Julheim and Bekvam III behind schedule, but the Helldivers had failed to gain critical intel that would have likely informed them of upcoming Automaton offensives. Now, whatever vile plans the bots have for the near future are shrouded in mystery.

Operation Cyber Assault

On August 21st, 2185, Charbal-VII was used by Automatons as a staging ground for a massive Automaton offensive in multiple directions. With S.E.A.F. divisions withdrawn to defend against the Terminids and the Helldivers spread thin by that same Terminid outbreak, found themselves in predicament. However were the Automatons thought they had the Federation in checkmate, High Command saw an opportunity for a major gambit: the defenses on Charbal-VII were relatively light (0.5) and if the planet was liberated, the Automaton offensives against Mort, Charon Prime and Julheim would be paralyzed.

High Command would send a strategic advisory advising Helldivers not to defend Charon Prime, Julheim or Mort directly, but instead go after the planet which the Automatons had originated from. It would take time for this information to filter down the chain of command, and for the Helldiver Corps to mass enough forces on Charbel-VII to make an honest effort at liberating the world, time which Charon Prime did not have. Despite vicious fighting throughout August 21st and into the 22nd, Charon Prime eventually fell to the socialist tide.

Charon Prime was lost, however despite this, the arrival of the Democracy Space Station and the activation of its Heavy Ordnance Distribution would turn decisively the tide. Fighting into the evening of August 22nd, by the early morning of the 23rd, Charbal-VII would be liberated and with it the Automaton forces on Julheim and Mort cut off from supply. The Automatons were forced to abandon their assaults and retreat into Automaton space.

However despite successfully rescuing the otherwise doomed defenses of Julheim and Mort, netting Super Earth an otherwise glorious victory over the self-actuated aggressors, the Helldivers couldn't celebrate just yet, as the Illuminate had begun their own invasion of Super Earth space.

Operation Heatshield

In the last hours remaining until the end of the deadline for the execution of the Major Order, the Helldivers achieved all their tasks, repelling a brutal assault by Predator Strain Terminids and dragonroachs on Hellmire during prolonged and intense battle. After the transfer of the Democracy Space Station to the orbit of Oshaune, about 40% of the Helldivers involved were concentrated there, which gave hope to another enemy of the Super Earth, hiding after a series of defeats – the Automatons. Hoping to carry out a quick occupation of Charbal VII, the socialist murderers dispatched 12 invasion fleets, which began invading the planet at 09:49 SEST. The S.E.A.F. forces stationed there and the leadership of the civil administration immediately sent an alarm, and thousands of Super Destroyers with Helldivers on board immediately moved to help. Within a few hours, Super Earth had the upper hand on the battlefield, and soon the Automatons were defeated.

Operation Kalium

Charbal-VII would remain unbothered for the rest of October and November following its small bout during Operation Righteous Reclamation. Despite the proximity of Automatons on Charon Prime, the Bots would never make an attempt on Charbal-VII as they instead would be occupied trying and failing to reclaim their lost eastern holdings and getting pushed out of the Marspira Sector.

However, once December came, the self-actuated aggressors would go on the offensive once more. Following the discovery of their illegal mining ventures on the Magma planets, the Automatons' secret industrial assets were soon being rightfully repossessed by the Helldivers. With Fury's liberation, the Automatons saw the writing on the wall for the rest of their volcanic holdings. On December 7th, they deployed the Incineration Corps to protect their 2 remaining industrial holdings on Mox and K. However, following a failed attempt at cutting the Helldivers off by capturing Varylia 5 and the subsequent liberation of K, the Automatons then began to take an alternative approach. They withdrew the remaining elements of the Incineration Corps from Mox and instead rerouted them towards Charon Prime and then launched an invasion of Charbal-VII on the early hours of December 14th.

Despite Charbal-VII's importance on the Automaton front, the liberation of Mox was imperative, which alongside the discovery of Hive World Omicron and surging Terminid outbreaks shortly after left almost no manpower available to aid in Charbal-VII's defense.

Operation Lawful Closure

In the early months of 2186, Charbal-VII was mostly neglected, especially due to Operation Valid Pretext and the botched assault on Cyberstan, during which the Cyborgs revealed themselves to Super Earth. In March of 2186, the Cyborgs chose Charbal-VII and Choepessa IV as the first planets outside of Cyberstan to have Megafactories constructed on their surface, with the Class 1 Megafactory Utopia Varen being completed on Charbal-VII by March 11th.

On that day, Super Earth High Command discovered Utopia Varen and Evolution Plats on Choepessa IV and ordered both planets to be liberated. While the Helldiver Corps initially chose to focus on Choepessa IV, liberating Evolution Plats the day after the Major Order was issued and later the planet on March 14th, Charbal-VII's time would soon come. High Command identified Utopia Varen to be a significant Cyborg production hub, similar to the Class 3 Megafactory Ursoot Nine on Cyberstan itself. It held large amounts of organic material and cybernetic components within its bio-furnaces: the ingredients for the un-Democratic recipe of the Cyborgs. If the Helldivers could liberate it, this surplus war materiel would be decommissioned and the Cyborg kill count requirement for the Major Order would be lowered by 25,000,000.

The Helldivers fully liberated the planet on March 16th. While the target kill count for the Radicals had already been met, the loss of Utopia Varen reduced the Agitator kill count from 113,000,000 to 88,000,000. This still did not change the ultimate outcome, as the Helldivers just barely fell short of target numbers for Agitators when the Major Order ended on the same day. As a result, High Command would declare the major order a failure, as the Cyborg demilitarization target was not technically reached.

Despite this, the operation was widely considered a major success by the Helldiver Corps. Both Charbal-VII and Choepessa IV had been liberated, the former of which resulted in the Automatons on K and Fury being surrounded. Additionally, while the number of required Agitators killed fell short by around 3-4 million, the number of Radicals liquidated far exceeded the initial target, making up for the shortfall—at least in terms of biomass. As such, the operation can be considered a strategic and tactical success.

Operation Circuit Breaker

TLDR: Attacked by Incineration Corps on April 21st. Defense failed by April 22nd due to focus on Curia agains Cyborgs. Resistance bumped up to 3% after loss.

FTL Lines

• Charon Prime
• Choepessa IV - Trigon Sector
• Julheim - Nanos Sector
• Mort - Xzar Sector

FTL Timeline

• February 8th, 2184: Charbal-VII is connected by FTL to Charon Prime.
• April 20th, 2184: New FTL lines to Choepessa IV and Mort are established.
• February 25th, 2185: New FTL line to Julheim is established.

Trivia

• Utopia Varen can be separated into two words from English and Swedish. "Utopia" is defined in English as an imagined community, society, or place that possesses highly desirable or near-perfect qualities for its inhabitants. "Varen" translates from Swedish as "item", so the full translation would be "Utopia Item". This could be referring to the fact that the Megafactory is what the Cyborgs have imagined as the perfect settlement but is corporeal and real, and represents a motivational figurehead for them and their cause.
• During Operation Circuit Breaker in April 2186, Utopia Varen was removed from the planet.