| “ | This world teems with ethereal, boundless, and peculiar plant life that spreads silent and uninterrupted across its entire surface. | „ |
| ~ Official Description |
Zefia is one of the six planets that reside within the Tanis Sector. Zefia would be one of the first planets to introduce Colony Missions for the Automatons, although not officially since it was only available due to an error with mission generation.
Topography and Astrography
Similar to Shallus and Tibit, Zefia is covered in a mysterious yet breathtakingly gorgeous lavender-coloured jungle, a beauty that often serves as a facade hiding a battleground where mastery over one's surroundings and awareness is to be sharpened. The lush vegetation and the abundance of alien trees and other forms of xenoflora can help hide both Helldivers and Automatons alike, making ambushes effective and deadly.
The Zefia System is comprised of the planet Zefia itself and at least 3 other astronomical bodies, among which are a volcanic planet, an unknown red rocky planet and a gas giant. The Zefia System, due to its location on the border with the Gellert Sector, is a target of high importance. However, beyond this, Zefia possesses no settlements worthy of note nor any significant resource deposits or industrial facilities. Zefia's surface remains mostly untamed and untouched, with scattered dwellings and urbanized settlements dotting its otherwise wild, planet-wide jungle surface.
History
Second Galactic War
Operation Bulwark of Democracy
Zefia was, for most of the Second Galactic War, a peaceful planet colony that Super Earth had settled at some point after the First Galactic War, serving mostly as a xenobiology outpost where scientists could research on all forms of alien fauna and flora. However, the Automatons, envious of Super Earth's progress and prosperity, would force Zefia into the conflict.
On September 19th, the Automatons would violently occupy the nearby planet of Clasa. However, thanks to the Helldivers' righteous interference, they would be unable to make much moves onto any of the planets connected. As such, Zefia stood on guard as it monitored the developing Automaton force on Clasa while discretely evacuating its research materials.
For almost a whole month, the colonists at Zefia watched Clasa closely, anticipating an attack. On October 9th, 2184, their expectations became true, as the Automatons launched an attack onto Zefia. However, in their delay, they had allowed the Helldivers to mobilize towards Zefia en masse. Zefia was successfully defended by the end of the day and allowed the Helldivers to return to other planets without much incident.
Interim (Oct. 22nd, 2184 - Sep. 19th, 2185)
Ever since, Zefia has remained free. However, the Automatons, as baked into their programming, could not bear to see free and prosperous planets. As such, they would launch an attack onto Zefia on October 22nd, pretty much hours after their special strike force, the Jet Brigade, had been decisively defeated at Marfark. This attack would be very well timed with an attack at Gatria from the 
Terminids.
Given the lack of a major order, the higher priority of other operations and the remoteness of Zefia, the Automatons would encounter no resistance and would capture Zefia the next day. Five days later, Yed Prior fell to the Automaton Legion, locking Zefia away from Liberty for what then seemed to be forevermore. This reality only became more prevalent once Mintoria fell to the Automatons on October 28th amidst Operation Adamant Resolve.
Zefia would only become accessible once again 2 months later, once Mintoria was liberated during Operation Crop Dust. However, not much action would occur on the planet mostly due to its remoteness and bigger events happening throughout the galaxy, from the rise of the 
Jet Brigade to the resurgence of the 
Illuminate. By March 8th, 2185, Zefia would be completely cut off from Super Earth's reach once again, after Mintoria fell to an Automaton attack during Operation Wild Hunt, however access would be regianed four days later once Mintoria was liberated once again. Zefia remained in this state of deadlock until Mintoria fell once again during Operation Jet Crusade.
It would be during these periods of stalemate that reports of Automaton conquests of urban settlements began coming in early from this planet, with many Helldivers in the corps having been already shaken by their experiences fighting not just the Illuminate in the urbanized settlements of Calypso and other planets across the Galactic South, but also the abandoned colonies that laid inside The Gloom at Fori Prime during the First Gloom Expedition. These reports would be the first of their kind before fully materializing during the 
Incineration Corps' apparition during Operation Tormenta de Fuego.
Operation Capitalized Industry
Zefia would remain under practically constant Automaton control for a whole year. This operation saw Zefia return to Super Earth's reach once again, much like all the prior occasions.However, unlike those prior occasions, Zefia's fate would play out much differently.
Mintoria had been designated as a Major Order objective to be held, as the Helldivers needed to secure geothermally-resistive siding panels and H1PP0 filtration systems leaked by traitorous spies embedded amongst key Super Earth mining contractors. While Mintoria had to be held alongside Hellmire, the planet which would house Outpost Alpha and where this technology was headed upon operation completion, Super Earth High Command also clarified that a path there also had to be cleared, for which both Zefia and Clasa also had to be liberated in order for the material shipments to be able to get in and out.
On September 18th, 2185, the 
Helldivers successfully liberated Clasa from the Automatons, returning to Zefia exactly on the anniversary of its entry into the Second Galactic War. However, unlike last year, the Helldivers got to finally show up for their compatriots in need. The 
Democracy Space Station warped onto Zefia immediately, the Helldiver Fleet right alongside it. The Automatons at Zefia, now trapped away from their supply line to Cyberstan, stood no chance at facing the full might of the Helldiver Corps, especially once the DSS' Heavy Ordnance Distribution came online, further bolstering liberation efforts planetwide.
The breakthrough happened quickly and,by 23:42 SEST, Zefia had been finally freed from the cruel yoke of the socialist regime. With the later victory at Mintoria and further successful defenses against the Terminids at Hellmire, the Operation was a resounding successs for the people of Zefia and for Managed Democracy.
Operation Free Space
Following the liberation of Zefia, the Automatons' eastern holdings fell apart over the months that followed. The Automatons on the Gellert Sector would be flushed out entirely by the end of the year and peace ensued planetwide. However, the Automatons would soon enact upon Zefia a cruelty unlike any other, even beyond the occupation they had already been dislodged out of. Amidst Operation Free Space, the Automatons launched a desperate attack onto Zefia, in hopes of once again reclaiming their eastern territories as the Automatons' fear of the newly-constructed Star of Peace made itself manifest. However, the valiant Helldivers would rebuke this hideous attack successfully by the next day.
Following the success of Operation Free Space and the destruction of Penta, the Democracy Space Station would have to be taken offline for repairs due to the damage sustained by firing the Star of Peace's macrolaser. During this time, the station would warp to Zefia shortly after Clasa, having fallen in November 2185, was liberated once again on January 30th, 2186 amidst Operation Information Reclamation.
Operation Archaeological Anomaly
Once again, Zefia would enjoy peace for the next 2 months or so, but this would change in March of 2186 once the Illuminate started conjuring their Exostorms on Seasse in the Omega Sector to the galactic south, far from Zefia in the north west. While these affairs initially did not seem to concern Zefia, the resurgent 
Cyborgs would make it Zefia's problem. In their freedom-hating, despicable nature, the Cyborgs saw this as an opportunity to invade Zefia from the neighboring Mintoria, with the intent of establishing new Megafactories in order to make up for the loss of Utopia Varen, Evolution Plats and the other lost Megafactories on Cyberstan, and to spread the virus of socialism across the soil it had infected. Unfortunately for them, the Helldivers had already completed their objectives, and with nothing better to do, the majority of the Super Destroyer fleet set course for Zefia. With a strength level of 12, the enemy fleet was easily routed, and in less than 24 hours the Cyborgs were in retreat.
FTL Lines
FTL Timeline
- February 8th, 2184: Zefia is connected by FTL to Demiurg and Yed Prior.
- June 13th, 2184: FTL lines to Demiurg and Yed Prior are destroyed.
- September 18th, 2184: FTL line to Yed Prior is re-established, plus a new line to Clasa.
- October 28th, 2184: New FTL line to Mintoria is established.
Trivia
- Following the implementation of patch 01.002.101, players partaking in difficulty 3, “sabotage supplies” mission types would discover what appeared to be Automaton urban maps, with mines in the streets, turrets and bunkers set up. This is likely a glitch or future content accidentally implemented as part of the patch.
-
-
Automaton Occupied City -
