Act 8 — Hell Host–Free World War
Era: Beauty of Annihilation (Era 2)
Previous: Act 7.5 — Nine Months
Next: Act 9 — Rainfall Execution
Overview
Act 8 follows the outbreak of a major war between the Hell Hosts and the Free World Order.
The conflict represents the culmination of a rivalry that began long before either faction existed.
William Grant and Michael Cross were once close allies. Their relationship ended with Michael’s betrayal of William and the eventual creation of the Free World Order. Years later, William joined the newly formed Hell Hosts and eventually rose to become its leader.
By Act 8, their personal conflict has grown far beyond either man.
Hell Hosts and the Free World Order are now major military powers capable of fighting wars across entire worlds.
One of the central battles of the war takes place on an unnamed Free World-controlled planet containing a major military installation. Hell Hosts launch a massive planetary invasion, deploying soldiers, vehicles, aircraft, artillery, robots, and other forces from ships including the Space Ships.
Although Hell Hosts possess a significant advantage in conventional warfare, Free World forces exploit stealth, infiltration, deception, and surprise attacks to disrupt the invasion.
Hell Hosts eventually capture the Free World base.
The victory does not end the war.
Free World forces survive the battle and continue fighting, pushing the conflict toward its final confrontation at Rainfall.
Story
Sub-Act 8.1 — Old Enemies
Years of hostility between Hell Hosts and the Free World Order finally develop into open warfare.
For Predator and Onyx, the conflict is deeply personal.
Their rivalry predates both factions, beginning with their former friendship and Michael’s eventual betrayal of William.
The organizations now surrounding them, however, have grown far beyond that original conflict.
Hell Hosts have developed into an enormous military power possessing advanced fleets, massive armies, heavily fortified worlds, autonomous war machines, and extensive industrial resources.
The Free World Order has similarly established itself as a major rival capable of challenging Hell Host influence.
What began between two former allies has become a war involving countless soldiers who had nothing to do with the original betrayal.
Sub-Act 8.2 — Invasion
Hell Hosts launch a major offensive against a Free World-controlled planet.
The HH Victoria arrives near the world alongside the wider invasion force.
Large numbers of dropships descend toward the surface carrying infantry, vehicles, robots, equipment, and supplies.
Hell Host forces establish themselves on the planet and begin advancing toward a major Free World military base.
The invasion demonstrates the enormous conventional military strength Hell Hosts have accumulated since their creation.
Free World forces nevertheless resist the advancing army.
Rather than immediately collapsing beneath the size of the invasion, they force Hell Hosts into a prolonged ground campaign.
Sub-Act 8.3 — Before the Battle
Hell Hosts establish a large forward operating position several miles from the Free World base.
Predator prepares a full assault but refuses to begin until the majority of the invasion force has reached the staging area.
For several days, the camp becomes the centre of Hell Host operations on the planet.
Additional dropships continuously deliver soldiers and equipment. Medical personnel establish field facilities. Artillery and armoured units prepare firing positions. Soldiers train, maintain their weapons, receive assignments, and wait for the order to advance.
Numerous Hell Host soldiers are present during the preparations, including Champion, Ranger, Forsaken, Enigma (OD-139), Karma, and Red Wind.
Confidence among much of the force remains high.
Hell Hosts have defeated numerous enemies throughout their rise to power, and many soldiers believe the Free World Order will eventually suffer the same fate.
They never receive the opportunity to launch the offensive as planned.
Sub-Act 8.4 — Counterattack
Free World forces attack first.
Before Hell Hosts can begin their planned assault, Free World forces launch a major counterattack against the staging area.
The attack catches parts of the Hell Host army while they are still preparing for the coming offensive.
Free World troops rapidly engage the defenders as fighting spreads throughout the camp.
Hell Host soldiers are forced into improvised defensive positions while commanders attempt to reorganize their forces.
The counterattack demonstrates that the Free World Order is willing to exploit opportunities rather than simply wait behind its fortifications for Hell Hosts to attack.
Despite being caught partially unprepared, Hell Hosts begin recovering from the initial assault.
Sub-Act 8.5 — Behind the Lines
The Free World Order increasingly exploits infiltration and deception during the fighting.
Free World operatives penetrate Hell Host positions, using stolen equipment, disguises, and the confusion of the wider battle to operate behind enemy lines.
Diablo participates in the infiltration effort, entering Hell Host-controlled territory disguised among their forces before revealing himself and attacking from within their positions.
The strategy exposes one of the greatest dangers presented by the Free World Order.
Hell Hosts possess enormous firepower, advanced technology, and overwhelming conventional military resources.
Free World does not always attempt to fight those advantages directly.
Instead, its forces exploit weaknesses in Hell Host security, attack vulnerable positions, and create chaos behind the front line.
The fighting becomes increasingly difficult for Hell Hosts to contain.
Sub-Act 8.6 — Breakthrough
Hell Hosts eventually regain control of the battle.
Once their forces reorganize, the full scale of the invasion begins to overwhelm Free World defensive positions.
Hell Host infantry advances alongside armoured vehicles and autonomous combat units.
Aircraft engage Free World forces from above while artillery positioned across the battlefield begins bombarding enemy positions.
The Doom Corps, Eradication Division, and numerous conventional Hell Host units participate in the fighting.
The battle becomes increasingly destructive as both factions commit more forces.
Hell Hosts eventually break through Free World positions and advance toward the primary military installation.
Free World soldiers continue resisting but are gradually forced away from the base.
Hell Host forces eventually enter and capture the installation.
Sub-Act 8.7 — The Road to Rainfall
The capture of the Free World base represents a major Hell Host victory.
It does not destroy the Free World Order.
Surviving Free World forces withdraw from the region while the wider faction remains capable of continuing the war.
Hell Host troops secure the captured installation and begin recovering their wounded, collecting equipment, and evacuating forces from the battlefield.
The fighting has demonstrated that Hell Hosts possess a major advantage when allowed to deploy their conventional military strength.
It has also demonstrated that Free World remains an extremely dangerous opponent.
Its use of infiltration, surprise attacks, and unconventional tactics repeatedly allows its soldiers to threaten a force considerably larger than those encountered during many previous Hell Host campaigns.
For Predator, capturing another Free World base is not enough.
Onyx remains beyond his reach.
The war continues.
The surviving forces of both factions eventually move toward another confrontation.
Characters
Hell Hosts
Additional Hell Host soldiers and military units participate throughout the campaign.
Free World Order
Numerous Free World soldiers participate throughout the fighting.
Factions
Locations
Unnamed Free World-Controlled Planet
One of the central battles of the war takes place on an unnamed planet controlled by the Free World Order.
The world contains a major Free World military installation targeted by Hell Hosts during their invasion.
The planet’s name and wider history remain undocumented.
Free World Military Base
A major Free World installation and the primary Hell Host objective during the planetary campaign.
The base is eventually captured after heavy fighting.
Military Forces
Hell Hosts deploy a large combined-arms force during the invasion.
The campaign includes:
- Infantry
- Doom Corps
- Eradication Division
- Armoured vehicles
- Artillery
- Aircraft
- Autonomous combat units
- Dropships and troop transports
- HH Victoria
Free World forces rely upon conventional troops alongside infiltration, stealth, deception, surprise attacks, and captured or disguised equipment.
Major Events
- Outbreak of the Hell Host–Free World War
- Hell Host invasion of a Free World-controlled planet
- Deployment of the HH Victoria
- Establishment of the Hell Host forward operating camp
- Free World surprise counterattack
- Free World infiltration of Hell Host positions
- Hell Host counteroffensive
- Capture of the Free World military base
- Free World withdrawal
- Continuation of the war toward Rainfall
Deaths and Casualties
Both factions suffer significant casualties during the war.
Exact casualty numbers remain undocumented.
Despite the scale of the fighting, several major Hell Host personnel involved in the campaign survive, including Karma.
The most significant losses suffered by the Free World Order occur later during the events surrounding Rainfall.
Lore Introduced
Hell Host–Free World Warfare
The conflict demonstrates the considerable differences between the military doctrines of the two factions.
Hell Hosts possess an enormous conventional military advantage built around combined-arms warfare, heavy vehicles, artillery, aircraft, autonomous machines, and large numbers of highly trained personnel.
The Free World Order frequently attempts to undermine these advantages through infiltration, deception, surprise attacks, and unconventional operations.
Neither approach makes the opposing faction harmless.
Free World forces can inflict significant damage before Hell Hosts are able to fully deploy their military strength, while prolonged conventional engagements increasingly favour the larger Hell Host war machine.
The Soldiers of Hell Hosts
The war also provides one of the first major demonstrations of Hell Hosts as more than a military institution.
Behind its fleets, divisions, vehicles, and enormous armies are individual soldiers preparing for battle, receiving medical treatment, training together, speaking about previous conflicts, and questioning whether they will survive the coming fighting.
The confidence many soldiers possess before the battle is challenged by the determination of the Free World resistance.
Consequences
Hell Hosts capture a major Free World military installation and secure an important victory.
However, the Free World Order survives.
The war therefore continues despite Hell Host expectations that their conventional military superiority would eventually overwhelm their opponent.
Free World’s ability to infiltrate Hell Host positions and launch unexpected attacks establishes it as a threat fundamentally different from many of the smaller military powers previously encountered by Hell Hosts.
The conflict also deepens the rivalry between Predator and Onyx.
Neither man is willing to abandon the war.
The surviving forces eventually move toward Rainfall, where the conflict will reach its violent conclusion.