| “ | Submerged in eternal winter, this world's frosty peaks glimmer in the light of its too-distant star. | „ |
| ~ Official Description |
New Stockholm is one of the five planets that reside within the Hanzo Sector. Although covered in large glaciers and rivers of thick ice, the planet is also highly populated, as can be expected of a planet given the former name of Prosperity City.
New Stockholm is also famous as the namesake of the New Stockholm treaty on prisoners of war, which gives all enemy combatants the right to a swift and merciful execution.
Topography and Astrography
A Super Destroyer Squadron in orbit over New Stockholm.
Similar to planets like Mog and Alathfar XI, New Stockholm is an arctic world with a climate fairly similar to its namesake, the former name of Prosperity City. The planet is covered in vast polar deserts rarely, if ever, broken up by frozen lakes and massive ice cliffs, fjords and mountains. The planet's low temperatures can reduce the firerate of weapons, while also making weapons reliant on heat sinks accumulate less heat over time and lose heat more rapidly. Additionally, the planet is swept by regular blizzards, which highly reduce visibility for both friendlies and enemies and also significantly hinder mobility.
The Frozen Valleys of New Stockholm.
The only notable form of xenoflora found on New Stockholm, although not exclusive to this system, are plants that will be colloquially referred to as "space artichokes". Space artichokes are, as the name might imply, plants with a striking resemblance to terrestrial artichokes that glow with a bright cyan hue and, when touched or disturbed in any way, violently explode. This explosion only delivers a minor amount of damage (up to around 5% of a Helldiver's HP) but will apply a stun effect similar to that of an Orbital EMS Strike. Additionally, the explosion will leave behind a cloud of residue that will apply this stun effect onto any entity that comes into contact with it. This cloud of residue vanishes after approximately 15 seconds, though it may last longer if multiple space artichokes explode close to one another.
New Stockholm is not home to any Mega Cities or any notable facilities, however its surface is still dotted by a vast collection of scattered urbanized settlements that house its millions of inhabitants, sheltering from the constant cold and snowstorms that regularly sweep through the planet. These settlements are protected by multiple 
S.E.A.F. Surface-to-Air Missile Batteries and Artillery Cannons, both embedded into the cities as well as built in close proximity, that can prove useful to any Helldivers that can commandeer them during their mission.
The New Stockholm System is a binary star system containing a red giant and a blue giant. Besides planet New Stockholm itself, its ring system and orbiting white moon, the New Stockholm System contains at least 3 other astronomical bodies, which are a gas giant, its own orbiting white, rocky moon and another unknown planet. Additionally, an orange nebula can be seen from New Stockholm's orbit.
The New Stockholm System is located in the very center of the Hanzo Sector, itself located in the very center of the Illuminate Front. However, despite its position, it does not provide much of a strategic advantage beyond serving as a stepping stone before reaching planets like nearby Alamak VII or Alairt III. Regardless, this planet must be defended from any would-be alien invaders.
History
Second Galactic War
Return of the Illuminate
Following the attack on Genesis Prime and Mog, it became painfully clear to the whole Federation that the no-longer-eradicated illuminate were not backing down and indeed expanding their front of attack. Whilst the S.E.A.F. and 
Helldiver Corps fought the squids on the emerging battlefronts on Valmox and Kerth Secundus, 
Ministry of Defense Strategists attempted to analyze the 
Illuminate attack pattern, in order to provide insight into their malevolent plans and figure out where they would attack next.
After several days, the analysts concluded with a high degree of certainty that the illuminates next attack would be on New Stockholm. Preparations for invasion began immediately, which included a planet wide evacuation put into effect order to prevent any more citizens from having their votes stolen for them. Meanwhile army reserves were called up and New Stockholm's major urban centers fortified, with the S.E.A.F. ready to make the squids bleed for every inch of ground on the jewel of the Hanzo Sector...
... or they would have, had the Illuminate actually bothered to show up. Instead, the Squ'ith attacked Andar and Acubens Prime, both in sectors to the east and west of the Hanzo sector. Naturally this was a considerable embarrassment for the Strategists of the Ministry of Defense, with their attack pattern analysis methodology requiring redress. The process has since been placed under review until further notice.
Ironically enough, since this blunder in troop analysis, the Illuminate would never even go on to attack New Stockholm for the entirety of their raid campaign, with the Helldivers never having to set foot on the planet once all the way through April 2185.
Operation Ashes of Remembrance
Rebuilding of Remembrance was deemed a priority target for High Command, therefore, New Stockholm was designated as one of the systems in need of defense from rapidly encroaching Illuminate Cult. For most of the major order, Squids did not made any move other than small test attack on Afoyay Bay on July 8th, which was quickly stopped. After this defense, most of Helldivers redeployed to 
Terminid occupied space, as most of major order targets (Veld, Slif and Erata Prime) were under direct threat. Somehow predicting that, Illuminate have launched a massive attack on New Stockholm on morning of July 9th.
With only skeleton crew of Helldivers present, New Stockholm was considered captured on next day. System would stay in Illuminate tentacle grasp for almost full week, as the objectives on eastern front were being fulfilled.
After liberation of Slif, Helldivers have redeployed en-masse to New Stockholm, together with assistance of 
Democracy Space Station on late afternoon of July 12th. With their immaculate speed and precision, Illuminate presence was considered purged on 16:30 SEST following day. While the Illuminate have once again laid siege to Afoyay Bay to most likely open up a path to Valmox, High Command has deemed that this theoretical attack will not interrupt the success of Operation.
Operation Culling Nightmares
New Stockholm would go on peacefully following its run-in with Illuminate forces. The Helldivers' swift liberation efforts on the planet ensured that the Squ'ith wouldn't get to hold its snowy peaks for too long, instead forced to retreat to their stronghold on Alairt III.
On July 22nd, following the disastrous loss of the 
Deep Mantle Forge Complex to the 
Automatons, High Command would announce the beginning of a public relations campaign related to the battlefront. Wanting to show the continued excellence of the Helldivers, High Command would order the Corps to kill millions of enemies on each front, in particular those that were deemed to be giving our citizens their worst nightmares while sleeping. Among those required enemy kill counts was the need to kill high quantities of Illuminate Leviathans, which were deemed to be the 'scariest' enemy of the Illuminate Cult.
By the 23rd, the Illuminate were seemingly raring to cause further strife for the S.E.A.F.. In the early morning hours, New Stockholm's colonial overseer would raise the SOS beacon as 8 Illuminate invasion fleets appeared in the planet's atmosphere, with a ground assault beginning in swift order. With re-liberation efforts ongoing on Claorell against the 
Incineration Corps, the Helldivers began to split between the two planets, and thus be better equipped to meet the Leviathan kill count quota.
The race for New Stockholm would be a close call for most of its campaign. The Helldivers would deploy to the planet's colonies, clearing the streets of any Illuminate presence in close-quarters combat while also fighting in the rural, snowy, frigid plains that dominate the surface. However, their task would become significantly harder some hours later as the Illuminate menace launched a dual, much more massive assault on Alamak VII. Luckily, as Alamak's defenses would likely hold for 48 hours before collapsing, the Helldivers wouldn't be deterred from mostly remaining on New Stockholm's surface to fully expunge the Illuminate.
All told, the Helldivers wouldn't relent in purging any Illuminate combatant across New Stockholm's sub-zero weather. Eventually, with just 3 hours remaining in the campaign to defend the planet, the Helldivers would topple the invading Illuminate fleet, saving the Stahl Arms manufacturing hub and securing freedom for the planet's brilliant citizens.
Operation Tide of Darkness
New Stockholm would once again find itself under attack late evening of November 24th. Illuminate would use the recent holes in frontline, caused by S.E.A.F. pulling back to Dissident infested planets. Helldivers were spread thin, and hit hard. With much focus on both the Terminid and Automaton frontlines, defense of the south was non existent by this point. Irulta and Reaf were lost earlier in the week, and shortly after, Herthon Secundus was also struck.
All of those events compiled into eventual collapse of local defense force, allowing the Squi'th to conquer the planet with relative ease.
War on Dissidence
The fall of New Stockholm would only be compounded upon by the loss of Iro on November 26th. However, this compounded tragedy would end up paving the way for the recovery of New Stockholm. After the expansion of the 
Centre for Civilian Surveillance and Safety, the dissident crisis would soon be discovered to be worse than expected. All domestic planets, except for Super Earth itself, were showing signs of dissident activity. Fittingly, the Government of Super Earth would move to officially declare War on Dissidence on November 27th and immediately drew up plans to build a Mega City-sized Center for the Containment of Dissidence on Afoyay Bay.
With Iro lost, and with it the closest immediately available planet of Valmox, the only option left for the Helldivers would be to get to Afoyay Bay through Ain-5 and New Stockholm. The campaign on New Stockholm would have a slow start, as the Helldivers had to contain the Incineration Corps on Gaellivare. However, once the Automatons at Gaellivare were defeated on November 28th, the campaign at New Stockholm would be allowed to proceed uninterrupted, with the only hindrances being the rationing of ammunition and supplies so that SEAF Garrisons on Federation territory could continue their crackdowns on dissidents without issue. By the evening of November 29th, New Stockholm would finally be set free and the Helldivers would continue onto Ain-5 unimpeded.
FTL Lines
- Ain-5 (Re-established on June 17, 2185)
- Alairt III (Established on June 17, 2185)
- Alamak VII (Re-established on June 17, 2185)
- Iro - Rictus Sector (Established on June 17, 2185)
FTL Timeline
- February 8th, 2184: New Stockholm is connected by FTL to Ain-5 and Alamak VII.
- June 13th, 2184: FTL lines to Ain-5 and Alamak VII are destroyed.
- June 17th, 2185: FTL lines to Ain-5 and Alamak VII are re-established, plus new lines to Alairt III, Herthon Secundus, and Iro.
- October 7th, 2185: FTL line to Herthon Secundus is destroyed.
Trivia
- New Stockholm is assumed to be named after the capital of Sweden, Stockholm, which in the world of Helldivers has been renamed Prosperity City.
- In the cape "Defender of Our Dream", the description mentions the "New Stockholm Treaty on Prisoners of War" -- which seems to give all enemy combatants the right to a "swift and merciful execution."