| “ | 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 |
Shete is one of the four planets that reside within the Xi Tauri Sector.
Topography and Astrography
A Helldiver looks at Shete from aboard a Super Destroyer orbiting this planet. November 7th, 2185.
Similar to planets like Leng Secundus, Botein, Rirga Bay and Skaash, Shete is a desert planet blasted by an incessant shower of acidic rainstorms that routinely coat its dune seas and plateaus. This constant shower of sour elements has rendered its dunes green while also imbuing the planet with dense, toxic fumes that can often be seen pouring out of the towering brown plateaus that occasionally interrupt the planet's otherwise never-ending sourish sands. However, in between the plateaus, hot springs with high sulfuric content can be found, as well as collection of glowing shrubberies and other small, peculiar types of xenoflora with a remarkable tolerance for an environment chock full with such highly vinegary solutions.
The Rancid Dunes of Shete
The acid storms that routinely shower Shete are a considerable hazard for any who tread its surface, as its corrosiveness can wilt away the resistance of any armor and leave warriors more vulnerable to incoming fire. Additionally, the plateaus that dot the planet's surface can and will intercept orbital barrages and eagle strikes should these be deployed too closely, so spatial awareness is to be at its highest at all times.
Shete is home to the only Mega City in the Xi Tauri Sector, the planetary capital City of Holl. While only being a lone urban megacenter, control over Holl can provide a crucial 40% bonus of campaign progression, which can prove valuable in times of desperate need. Besides the City of Holl, Shete's surface is dotted by multiple scattered urban settlements, research facilities and SEAF Installations.
The Shete System consists of planet Shete itself and 2 other astronomical bodies, one being Shete's white, rocky moon, and the other being an unknown yellow planetoid. Whether this second body is a planet independent of Shete's own gravity or is a second moon of Shete itself is still up for debate. Additionally, 2 nebulas can be observed from Shete, an orange nebula and a silvery blue nebula.
Despite just being a remote colony in one of the farthest reaches of the Southern Galactic Fringe, control over Shete can prove valuable to preventing unwanted 
Illuminate expansion towards the Severin Sector. Additionally, with Shete hosting the only sizeable urban center in its sector, it represents an important civic and economic asset to maintain within Liberty's warm embrace.
History
Second Galactic War (2184 - Ongoing)
Resurgence of the Illuminate (February - April 2185)
Colonies on acid-soaked Shete would come under attack twice during the now infamous Illuminate raids on southern federation. The First raid on February 11th, 2185 was successfully repelled, but this later proved to be just a statistical anomaly, as many other planets were plundered without much resistance.
A second raid made planetfall on April 7th, 2185, shortly after legendary Battle of Pöpli XI. The defeat of 
Automatons opened a opportunity of a massive counter-offensive, which took most of Helldivers attention, and left Shete severely undermanned.
Interim & Operation Bigger Apple
A Helldiver sniper surveys the streets of Holl at night. November 5th, 2185.
Despite its proximity to the Illuminate-occupied outer space, due to the lack of large FTL lines through which an invasion could be carried out, the planet was not attacked after the start of the squid campaign to capture the Galactic South. However, on October 27th, such links were established, a development the dastardly Illuminate exploited a week later. Thanks to the involvement of most of the 
Helldivers on Fenmire in the November Offensive on the Automaton front, coupled with roughly 30% of other Helldivers attempting to liberate Terrek from the 
Terminids, the insidious enemy was able to gather significant forces, approximately equal to 26 invasion fleets, and launch a massive offensive on the planet Shete on the 5th of November, seeking to expand its territorial control to the Xi Tauri sector. The invaders arrived in the system around 14:05 SEST, and the planet's local authorities sent a request for assistance in repelling such a serious attack, as the regular 
S.E.A.F. forces stationed on the planet were insufficient. To support the defense, by 14:33 SEST, more than 1,300 Super Destroyers with Helldivers on board were sent, which have already begun fighting the Illuminate both in the largest populated area on the planet with the status of City - Holl, and in other regions of the planet.
A Helldiver destroys a crowd ofVoteless with a pistol during an operation in the colony. November 5th, 2185.
In the first few hours of the campaign, Shete would remain undermanned. The powerful Illuminate incursion meant that significant parts of the Corps were needed to stave off the assault, though the Helldivers would be aided in that Shete would likely last for a full 48 hours before falling. As of 16:00 SEST, it appears the Helldivers are voting to send the 
Democracy Space Station from Fenmire to Shete itself, which will bring aid and likely an influx of Helldivers to its acidic, sandy surface.
A squad of Helldivers defend the evacuation zone with the support of Super Destroyers during acid rain. November 5th, 2185.
On the 6th of November, at 17:14 SEST, the Super Earth Armed Forces were able to turn the tide of the defensive campaign on the planet in their favor, despite the beginning of a large-scale Illuminate offensive on Alaraph and Hydrobius. High Command would issue new orders for the Helldivers shortly after the attack on Alaraph began, stating that York Supreme, one of multiple Super Earth Megacities that had been devastated by the Illuminate attack in May, was finally ready to be rebuilt. Resources from Andar and Asperoth Prime, two planets within the Akira Sector, were deemed to be the most sufficient in rebuilding the city. However, the Illuminate had just begun their massive offensive, seemingly targeting both Andar and Asperoth due to their resource pipeline and their key position as a gateway to other southwestern sectors. As such, High Command demanded that the Helldivers hold both planets to enable the extraction of the necessary resources. Not so significant, but also an important task is to connect a large enclave of their forces on the southern borders of the Federation with the main forces.
A Helldiver fighting the Illuminate on the streets of Holl. November 7th, 2185.
By the early evening of November 6th, the momentum had most definitely fallen on the side of the Helldivers on Shete. Despite the other ongoing attacks on Alaraph and Hydrobius, the Helldivers would focus the majority of their Corps, along with the Democracy Space Station, upon Shete, and particularly its massive city of Holl. As they poured most of their resources into defending the City, the Helldivers would push the Illuminate to the brink as defending Holl would effectively grant the Helldivers instant control of 50% of the planet, likely automatically ending the Illuminate advance if other progress was made across its rural and urbanized settlements.
Despite the Democracy Space Station briefly leaving Shete to aid the overwhelmed colonial defenses of Alaraph, the Helldivers wouldn't lose much of their momentum upon Shete, and when the DSS eventually made its return to the planet some hours later, the main plurality of the Corps would join the defense to finish off the work they had started earlier.
A Helldiver walks past the downed Leviathan ship that fell on a Holl street. November 7th, 2185.
By roughly 03:03 SEST on November 7th, the City of Holl had been purged from any Illuminate combatants as they fell at the hands of the mighty Helldivers. As they had already secured 63% of the rest of the planet, the massive boost they had received from freeing Holl had effectively secured the entirety of the rest of the planet and had demolished the rest of the Illuminate invaders. Shete was successfully defended despite difficult operational demands elsewhere, and the Helldivers secured an important victory to begin the Major Order on the right foot.
Yet, that wouldn't be all for the Sheteians. As the Major Order progressed, the Helldivers would essentially turn back the Illuminate at every turn. Despite massive, heavy Illuminate attacks upon Alaraph, Karlia, and Zea Rugosia, the Helldivers would repel each attack, save for the assaults on Hydrobius and Zea, which weren't even necessarily close to either Andar nor Asperoth Prime. The Automatons would even use the Squ'ith offensive to their own advantage as they attacked and captured Clasa by November 9th. And yet, amidst all of this, and even a Minor Order to liberate Barabos from the bots, the Illuminate still could not get anywhere near Andar or Asperoth. With their offensive falling completely short of their expansionistic ambitions, the Squ'ith would try to turn back to the planet where it all began: Shete.
In the early afternoon of November 10th, Illuminate Overships would cross into the Xi Tauri Sector once again from Setia. The local authorities immediately sent a distress signal due to the appearance of a large Illuminate force in the number of 32 invasion fleets. With the defense at Zea Rugosia about to fail, and Shete much closer to the Major Order targets, the Helldivers began to swiftly deploy to Shete once again to halt the Squ'ith.
A Helldiver waits for the right moment in ambush to eliminate a group of Illuminate. November 11th, 2185.
Luckily for Shete, the Illuminate could not have invaded the planet at a worse time. The Helldivers had just finished funding the Eagle Storm blockade of the Democracy Space Station at around 14:00 SEST while the station was still hovering over Zea Rugosia. As the Eagle Storm was capable of halting enemy offensives on whatever planet it was stationed on, and with the plurality of the Corps already heading to Shete, the Helldivers would summarily vote to send the DSS over to the acidic world, and the Station would reach the planet by 19:50 SEST. The presence of the DSS would immediately halt any Illuminate advances on the ground, deploying Eagle runs across the planet's surface to devastate their ground forces and their outposts. With the Illuminate offensive essentially on pause, the Helldivers would easily oblige, decimating enemy outposts and winning against the Illuminate combatants all across the planet, including in the city of Holl.
War on Dissidence
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A Helldiver engages in battle with an Illuminate patrol that has occupied one of the colonial settlements. December 2nd, 2185.
When Super Earth's forces launched an offensive towards Afoyay Bay, with the ultimate goal of capturing the planet to build the Center for the Confinement of Dissidence (CECOD), the Illuminate undertook limited offensive operations on several other planets, but on Shete, which had previously been attacked twice, peaceful life continued at first. This state of affairs was interrupted on the 1st of December at 17:14 SEST, when 18 Illuminate invasion fleets launched a third attack on the planet, control of which would allow them to begin their expansion deep into the Xi Tauri Sector and enter the Akira Sector via the planet Keid, to which Shete is connected by important FTL communication lines. A small S.E.A.F. group was sent to assist the forces defending the planet, as the defence of the Elysian Meadows was already doomed to failure, and the main forces were engaged in an offensive on the surface of Afoyay Bay, one of the two main targets of the High Command.
From the outset, the defensive campaign was extremely unsuccessful, as such small forces could not effectively withstand the onslaught of the Illuminate attack group, which controlled a large area of space in the region. Powerful battles unfolded in the largest settlement on the planet – the Holl City.
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A Helldiver and a squad of regular infantry are heading forward to repel one of the Illuminate attacks. December 2nd, 2185, Holl.
On the 2nd of December, the situation was complicated by new difficulties: after significant progress had been made in the capture of Afoyay Bay, intelligence reports revealed hidden dissident hideouts on the Terminid-occupied planet Pherkad Secundus. Therefore, as part of the War on Dissidence, the Command announced a strategic opportunity to return this planet to Super Earth's control in order to capture the hiding dissidents. However, by the time Pherkad II was occupied, this opportunity had been missed: all the dissidents had either left the planet or gone into deeper hiding. On the same day, the Illuminate attacked East Iridium Trading Bay, whose defence was considered a higher priority than the defence of Shete, where many opportunities had already been missed by that point. However, the units stationed on Shete continued to fight in the hope that reinforcements would arrive after the capture of Afoyay Bay, but they never came.
On the 3rd of December, the SEAF contingent (including the Helldivers) tried with all their might to hold back the hordes of enemy troops, filling the streets of the city with the bodies of millions of dead Illuminate, but they managed to break through the defences and eventually occupy it. The same fate befell the entire planet when, at 17:17 SEST, the last positions of the Federation military were taken by the Illuminate, and most of the units were withdrawn from Shete.
FTL Lines
- Setia - Omega Sector (Established on October 27th, 2185)
- Keid - Akira Sector (Established on October 27th, 2185)
- Siemnot (Re-established on October 27th, 2185)
- Sangis - Omega Sector (Established on July 16th, 2186)