Hi, I'm KZ_Vip Dubbedinenglish. You might remember me from such threads as HIGG-A-THON '10: The Thread Of the Return of Da King and Man, Dubb is so Attractive, He is my Hero: The Thread, I'm here today to talk to you about the Helghast. Now there are many ISA supporters afoot and I see a lot of hate and mischaracterization toward the Helghast. So With the help of xx_Silence_xx for the graphics part (kudo him after the OP for the awesome graphics) I will give you a view of the Helghsat from a different perspective, through the history and the leaders. This thread here should be your end all fountain of knowledge on everything about he Helghast. So look out for ISA subversives and be proud to support those in search of freedom in a universe held at gunpoint.
At the eve of the sustainability of Earth as mankind’s sole home there was a push to search out new homes among stars in the form of colonies. This era is home to the very inception of what will become the bearers of the struggle of freedom in the universe. After the UCN squanders their own chance at colonization of the Alpha Centauri system visionary Philip Vekta and the Helghan Corporation rise to the opportunity to lead mankind into the stars.
The settlers leave Earth and though deep space turns out to be the grave of thousands; the colonists arrive at the first planet, Helghan. Seeing the mineral rich environment they leave behind a few brave volunteers who remain on an orbital station to start mining this resource rich planet. The remaining settlers, on diminishing provisions, travel once more to an emerald in the black obsidian of space; Vekta.
- 2116 The Omen
A cluster of six colony ships, Archon, Triumph, Pacifica, Jericho, Seraph, and Harbinger, completely drop off the tracking imager during a particularly intense solar flare. Contact cannot be re-established with them. The last transmissions from the ships seem to indicate a catastrophic systems failure. At the time, all hands are presumed lost.
The loss of the colony ships is a significant financial hit for the UCN. They simply cannot afford to fund another interstellar colonization effort of the same size, and the chances of a smaller colony failing are too high. In a mood of desperation, the UCN opens the bidding on the settlement rights for the Alpha Centauri system. After a highly competitive bidding process they are won by the Helghan Corporation. The post-bidding news is full of allegations of vote fixing and bribery - and much is made of the fact that the Helghan Corporation has a fleet of colony ships almost completed - but nothing is proven. Key to the success of the Helghan bid is underwriting and credit from the IBG (Interplanetary Banking Guild) in return for some 10% of colonial profits once the colony is established.
2118-2127 The Helghan Journey to Alpha Centauri
The journey is difficult at best, and although the 'Ice-Nod' chambers work well they do not work perfectly. 2% of the total Helghan population expires en route. Upon reaching the nearer planet, dubbed Helghan, there is some dismay as scientists realize that life here will be hard. Despite enormous free-energy resources, the eco-system on Helghan is extremely poor. A prefabricated space station is left in orbit around Helghan, staffed with volunteers who stay to seed the surface withautomated refineries and power generators. The rest of the ships take a chance on their dwindling resources and push on to the second planet - which they name
Vekta, after Helghan Corporation CEO Philip Vekta.
The settlers call Vekta their home and enduring the hardships of the alien planet a colony is secured and thus the future of mankind is established. The settlers farm the lush forests of Vekta allowing the population to feed itself and produce becomes a staple of Vekta. The volunteers above Helghan are also successful being a hub to service other settlers as they pass through the system to new colonies of mankind. Between the two planets resources are able to be traded between Earth and other colonies becoming a vital port to Earth and the outlying colonies.
Technology improves and with the ability to achieve real-time communications between Helghan and Vekta . This advancement allows the Helghan mining machines and station to be operated by a skeleton crew so many of the voulenteers come to enjoy life on Vekta. The settlers form the Helghan Protectorate to govern the two planets The Helghan Protectorate allows both worlds to reap their own profits and form a minimal control of their world while still under the UCN charter. Under the protectorate a small militia is formed to police the system and to perform custom duties. This is the first militia independent of the ISA in the galaxy even though they submit to the ISA’s stringent regulation of arms and all officers are from ISA command.
With economic growth on the rise, the Helghan Protectorate finds itself in a position to better govern itself than the UCN from far and provide service to its citizens. The Helghan station becomes the largest in colonies and with their new found importance the Helghan Protectorate forms the Helghan Administration in service of their people. The administration takes control of the governance of Vekta and its citizens.
This new bold step in freedom allows the Helghan Admin to be in a position to purchase the Alpha Centauri system outright and govern themselves freely. Though the Helghan Admin. would still pay the UCN for services rendered. The UCN agrees to the purchase and the Helghan Admin. becomes the first free colony is space to govern themselves.
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2129 The Settlement of Vekta
The first ships arrive on Vekta. Roughly 12 colonies are founded during the years 2129 to 2140. Vekta, roughly Earth-sized, is an agrarian and idyllic world, full of natural splendor and lushly forested; an Eden. Agricultural produce skyrockets on Vekta, and the colony quickly becomes able to feed itself.
2135 Colonization of Vekta is Secured
Despite some very rough early years (and numerous occasions when the colony was almost wiped out) the initial Helghan settlers have
managed to make the Vektan colony secure. In addition, their space station around the planet of Helghan is perfectly positioned to service ships that pass through Alpha Centauri on course Earth and the new colonies. Starships come here to be supplied, maintained and refueled.
Tankers begin to ply the routes between their homeworlds and Helghan, bringing vital energy resources that command top prices. The
money starts to roll in, offsetting the need to import comforts, medical supplies and food to the space station.
2138 Establishment of the Helghan Protectorate
Communications technology improves to the point where real-time communications are possible between Helghan and Vekta. The government on Vekta establishes the Helghan Protectorate, whereby both worlds are administered from Vekta. Helghan taxes and energy are now pouring directly into the Vektan market without going through the ISA, whilst Vekta provides Helghan with a wider, healthier variety of foodstuffs and luxuries. Employment is at 95% and morale skyrockets on both worlds. A new emblem is created to symbolize the mutually dependent relationship between Helghan and Vekta: three interlinked arms, labeled Peace, Justice and Freedom.
The Helghan Protectorate forms the first legally recognized militia service that is not a direct part of the ISA or UCN/UCA chain of command.
They are small and lightly armed, performing only customs, police and ceremonial duties. Nevertheless, the ISA views them as something
of a challenge and threat and imposes strict limitations on their size and equipment. In addition, all officers of the Helghan Militia are to be
provided by the ISA.
2149 Infrastructure of Helghan is Completed
Much of the infrastructure of industry has been laid by now, from turbines to the massive processing facilities in the Helghan wastes.
The Helghan Corporation is in possession of vast sums of money and power, earned by selling energy to the passing colony ships, the
newly established colonies, and Earth itself. Their presence on Earth has become minimal, with most of their assets and offices located on Vekta.
2152 Inauguration of the Helghan Administration
Due to the increasing complexity of managing the colonies on Helghan and Vekta, the Helghan Corporation decides to set itself up
as a civil administration. This expanded charter allows it to take over all local administration duties from the ISA, levy taxes against the entire
population, and reorganize all social services. However, they are still bound by strict ISA regulations on ship construction, orbital industries,
and the establishment of new colonies on their worlds.
2155 The Helghan/Vektan Purchase
The Helghan government turns in a significant tax-surplus in each budget, stockpiling the money in case of disaster. By 2155, this stockpile has gotten so big that the Helghan Administration makes an offer to the ISA to purchase the Alpha-Centauri system outright. This will allow them to avoid sending their yearly tithe to Earth in favor of a fee-paying system for individual services, such as support of the local ISA Command.
The UCN, which would normally have rejected the offer, is suffering from a shortage of funds. Other colonial endeavors are costing them
heavily. The idea of getting a big cash payout up front, followed by negotiable fees - with no requirement for the UCN to underwrite any colonial costs - is too attractive to refuse. The UCN Senate votes to go forward with the Helghan/Vektan purchase by a majority.
Following the purchase of the Alpha Centauri system the Helghan Admin booms to a new era of prosperity as the Helghan transfer station is a vital hub for Earth and the colonies. Free to tax and govern themselves the Helghan Admin levys taxes and raises funds to better serve the passing ships with services like search and rescue and customs tasks . Seeing the economic boom many companies relocate to Vekta and Earth’s presence becomes minimal. The Helghan Administration is soon becoming the most important organization in the universe. The UCN sees this as a threat, that a free colony is able to prosper in the face of the other colonies under UCN control.
The UCN enacts stiff taxes on its colonies essentially bringing them to point of starvation. With the funds collected the UCN does not bring aid to the colonies but begins construction a massive naval fleet of which the universe never seen. The ships “Heavy Cruisers” are built with specific purposes in mind, the destruction of ISA fleets and the invasion of colonies.
The UCN soon rescinds the agreements of the Helghan Purchases and demands the Helghan Admin go back to under the thumb of the UCN. The people of Vekta decide to enter high level talks to try to resolve the issues diplomatically. The UCN agreed but with ulterior motives. Talks ensue but this is a ruse to allow time for the UCN naval fleet to be completed. As talks fall through the UCN makes one final demand that they succumb to Earth rule. The Helghan Admin bent on preserving their freedom responds by formally succeeding to the UCN and becoming a fully independent colony void of the UCN.
The Platinum Age 2156 - 2190
Free to tax and invest in their colonies as they wish, a period of runaway economic and industrial growth grips the Helghan Administration's
two worlds. The automated refineries on Helghan are expanded and developed; the orbital shipyard becomes the largest orbital structure
outside the Terran system.
The Helghan system is a 'hub' system that connects Earth to her colonies - every ship MUST travel through it to get anywhere. The
Helghan Administration begins to charge each ship for the privilege. Allegedly a fee for traffic control, customs, search and rescue and
other such services, it is actually a thinly disguised tariff upon all trade in space. Helghan-based ships are granted a 'residence permit' that
frees them from many charges, encouraging some shipping companies to relocate.
2198 Tensions
The UCN grows concerned at the increasing domination that Helghan exerts over star travel and space trade, areas which were traditionally
under UCN control. They also become frustrated that the Helghan are creating vast wealth off the backs of colonial endeavors that the UCN itself has underwritten. In response, it levies stricter controls and tariffs on all space traffic, and taxes the colonies more heavily than ever before. The money is used to expand the UCA, with the UCA Navy receiving the bulk of the new budget. For the first time the UCA Navy develops large scale troop transports and 'Heavy Cruisers' - warships principally designed to smash the ISA fleets of the
outer colonies and invade them by force.
As part of these new regulations, several privileges granted to the Helghan Administration as part of the Helghan/Vektan Purchase are rescinded; specifically, the right to a large home fleet and tariffs on shipping. The Helghan Administration refuses, but does agree to high-level talks on a compromise solution. Back home, however, the wealthy people of Vekta and the powerful companies in orbit around Helghan pressure the Helghan Administration not to budge on the issues of tariffs or self-defense.
The Secession 2199
Despite multiple attempts to negotiate a settlement, the talks between the Helghan Administration and Earth fail to bring a mutually satisfactory resolution. Earth flat out demands compliance from the Helghan Administration, and the Helghan Administration responds by formally seceding from the UCN, declaring itself an independent colony.
The UCN considers retaliation by slamming an embargo on all trade with Helghan, but this is deemed to be counterproductive. The Helghan could simply prevent trade ships from reaching Earth, in the knowledge that Earth cannot survive for any length of time without colonial resources. The decision is made to send a powerful UCA Navy fleet to the Helghan system, to seize control of the navigation points between the Colonies and Earth. Protecting the flow of colonial trade to Earth would also allow a blockade of Helghan by the UCN, and bring this matter to resolution.
As with most bold stands for freedom, bloodshed would soon follow…
With approaching UCN navy with Helghan Administration moves to expel the UCN/ISA subversives from their system but the Helghast Admin’s customs force proves to be ill suited for combat with the battle hardened ISA and sporadic skirmishes occur leading to a guerilla war with the ISA. The Helghan Admin has little choice with the arrival of the superior UCN fleet and organizes a stand with its customs force in the name of the freedom which they struggled so hard to achieve.
The UCN fleet obliterates the customs force in deep space and moves to Helghan. The retreating customs force engages the UCN and in the following massacre the Helghan orbital station is destroyed. Shattered by the UCN in hopes to squander the spirit of the colonists who dared and died to make their colony. The UCN did not stop there, they moved toward Vekta. The Helghan Administration and the people of Vekta vowed to fight until the last man in the defense of their freedom. The UCN responded by vowing to bombard Vekta’s cities indiscriminately with no concern of who would be killed. The Administration, forced with the annihilation of all the citizens of Vekta surrendered without terms.
Helghan Corp. and Helghan Admin. leaders and officers are arrested, though some escape persecution. The population of Vekta lead by fearless freedom fighters engages in an insurgency against the UCN, striking fear in the occupiers. Vekta may have been occupied, but its spirit was not broken.
- 2200 The Helghan Police Action
As the situation worsens, the Helghan Administration attempts to first co-opt and then expel all ISA forces from Vekta and Helghan. The ISA Marines and Navy respond with lethal force, and a number of skirmishes erupt on and around the two colony worlds. Despite their overwhelming numeric superiority, Helghan troops are underequipped, poorly trained and inexperienced, allowing many ISA forces to escape the initial fighting. The experienced ISA troops and ships scatter to conduct hit-and-run operations from hidden bases.
2201 The First Extrasolar War
The UCA Navy fleet dispatched in 2199 arrives at the Helghan system, hooking up with the local ISA ships and quickly moving to secure the
navigational points. The main force of the fleet heads to the planet of Helghan for a blockade, but the massed custom fleets of the Helghan
Administration attempt to prevent this by engaging the UCA Navy fleet in battle.
The UCA Navy Cruisers prove to be untouchable by the much smaller Helghan vessels. The fleet action is a massacre, with almost the entire
Helghan fleet being destroyed or disabled. During the fighting, however, the massive orbital structure is destroyed under mysterious circumstances.
The UCA claim that the Helghan aboard the station fled to the planet below and sabotaged it to prevent it from falling into UCA hands. The Helghan Administration claim that the UCA fired on the station deliberately. The true story never emerges, but as a result of this incident the Helghan Authority declares war on the UCN.
The UCA Navy fleet decides that dropping directly onto Helghan would be a waste of resources and lives. Leaving a picket fleet to watch the planet, they push on to Vekta.
2201 The End of the First Extrasolar War
The combined ISA and UCA Navy fleet arrives around Vekta and quickly subdues the remnants of the Helghan Customs Service in orbit. Initially the Helghan Administration threatens to fight to the last man, but after a demonstration of orbital bombardment they quickly yield to the
inevitable. The Helghan Administration is shut down; all senior civil servants are arrested, as are any executives of the Helghan Corporation.
Many escape into hiding.
When a courier ship returns from Alpha Centauri with the news, the UCN Senate debates the matter. Eventually, it determines that the Helghan are too unruly to ever settle comfortably within the UCN. They also decide that the ISA needs a colony nearby, to keep an eye on the Helghan and stop them from causing trouble in the future. A decision that is little more than outright theft dressed up as diplomacy is drafted, and a broken Helghan Administration can do little more than rubberstamp it. The local ISA takes over administration of Vekta. New colony ships of loyal UCN civilians start to be sent from Earth to expand the Vektan Colony.
The harsh consequences of rebellion are not lost on the other colonies. The UCN's right to regulate and tax space shipping is never challenged again.
2202-2204 The Resistance
Helghan extremists begin a terrorist campaign in an attempt to make the occupation of Vekta too expensive for the ISA. Although the majority
of Vektan-based Helghans simply want to live out their lives peacefully, sufficient numbers of the local populace assist the guerrilla movement to enable it to flourish. Bombings, ambushes and shootings against the UCN minority become more common. Vekta is no longer an innocent paradise.
As the insurgency increases against the UCN occupiers the Governor General of Vekta responds with cowardice attacking the Vektan natives. As the act of persecution occurs there comes a cry from the depths of space. This signal was not for help but of freedom! From the surface of Helghan the survivors of the Orbital Station Massacre had made a minimalist camp barely surviving on the planet but, they existed freely. Hearing the resilience of the survivors the native Vektans pooled their funds together an offered to purchase outdated settlement ships from the UCN to make the journey to Helghan. The native Vektans would abandon their rapture home of generations for freedom on Helghan.
With no aid of anykind from the UCN the native Vektans left the Vekta. As they left their planet the UCN began to funnel Earth settlers in their place marginalizing and native Vetkans who choose to stay. The fleet of Vektans is left to die by the UCN with no hope for aid or supplies it is up to the settlers to forge their own existence on this harsh planet.
Fortune however did prove to be gentle to the settlers as massive mineral reserves were found on the planet, far greater than expected but with the ISA blockade securing trade would be difficult. It takes 10 years for death tolls to subside on the Helghan surface with its harsh storms, exotic radiation, and hostile atmosphere; the settlers however establish permanence on the planet and formal colony is established from the refugee camps. Masks also become necessary for anyone working outside and is soon a symbol of the working class of Helghan settlers.
Even turning down an offer from a group of non-aligned outposts and stations (ICSA) the Helghan settlers’ zealousness on self-determination begins to pay off and the colony reforms the Helghan Administration to once again provide a form of government.
Three generations pass on Helghan as the people evolve to be better suited for life on Helghan. Trading on the black market on extremely unfavorable terms the colonists are barely able to scrape by, but as population increases on Helghan the need for supplies becomes greater. The Helghan settlers turn to the Vektans who also offer malicious trade values and the Vektans reap massive profits from the Helghan minerals, growing rich as the Helghan settlers teeter on the rink of starvation. Dissatisfaction grows with the Helghan Admin and more toward the ISA as they reap the benefits of Vekta and Helghan resources while the Helghan people suffer.
During the years of unfavorable trade the Helghan Admin is forced with the decision to either feed their population or to service the massive mining machines that secure the minerals on Helghan, the Admin opts to feed its people leaving the mining machines to to suffer a series of catastrophes cutting off the basis of trade for the Helghan Admin. Vekta merely scoffs and continues to grow in wealth, but they lend no supplies and no aid to Helghan settlers. Starvation takes hold and many lives are lost in the Helghan Colony.
2204 - 2210 The Exodus
The loyalist Helghan peoples leave Vekta on a trek to the harsh and unforgiving world of Helghan. Long seen as a chemical and mineral storehouse, now Helghan must be tamed - but it changes the Helghan as much as they change it - if not more. This era covers the early days on Helghan.
The ISA Governor General of Vekta responds to the growing terrorism by clamping down harder and harder on the local Helghan population.
Finally, in desperation, many prominent Helghan families pool their wealth to purchase the old colonizing ships and get them space worthy again. The community appoints a representative to speak with the ISA Governor and request permission for the Helghan to resettle on the planet of Helghan - joining those few souls who escaped there from the transfer station. The ISA Governor agrees and the Helghan exodus begins, shuttling millions of disaffected Helghan from Vekta to the growing Helghan colonies.
Neither the ISA nor the UCN want to foot the bill for establishing this colony, preferring to leave the Helghan to either survive or die on their
own merits. In order to legitimize the operation, the UCN formally recognizes the Helghan Administration as a sovereign nation and declares the planet of Helghan to be their territory in perpetuity - subject to ISA blockades and restrictions until diplomatic relations are normalized.
2215 - 2220 The Surface of Helghan Formally Settled
The bleak existence on Helghan is a far cry from the paradise of Vekta. Initial casualties due to illness, storm damage and starvation are very high. Within ten years, though, the death rate subsides as the Helghan begin to adapt to their surroundings. Slowly, a civilization arises from the refugee camps, and token industry and food production starts again.
2220 Hardships
In 2220 the heads of the various refugee camps come together for the first time to reform the Helghan Administration. 90% of the refugee camps agree to collectivize their resources and labor, in order to cooperate in the rebuilding of their civilization.
Disturbing medical problems are found to be common throughout the colony – high gravity, exotic radiation and storms have serious effects on the longevity of the human being. Medical support from the ISA is non-existent, and indigenous facilities are too primitive. The wearing of masks for those who work in the outdoors becomes mandatory. Mask wearing becomes the sign of having a working class profession. Even with masks, lung burn' (as the settlers call it) becomes the primary cause of death in Helghan over the age of thirty.
On a positive note, however, vast mineral resources are discovered by the settlers. Mining fast becomes one of the more common jobs on Helghan.
2223 Helghan Approached by the ICSA
As the colony on Helghan begins to reform the Helghan Administration and secure the basic infrastructure and facilities needed for life, the
ICSA (Independent Colonial Strategic Alliance) approaches them offering membership and support. The ICSA is an unaligned version of the ISA, created to allow worlds that decide to go it alone have some sort of support. Despite the ICSA making few demands and offering much help, the Helghan are now paranoid of outside influences and strongly decline the offer.
2223 - 2305 The Early Helghan Era
ISA trade sanctions force the Helghan to trade on unfavorable terms for over a decade, and initial growth of wealth is slow despite the unexpected addition of a trade in minerals. Life is short, hard and painful for the majority of Helghan, as they fight to cope with poor nutrition, poor environment and grueling work conditions and practices. Frequent austerity drives and a Spartan approach to existence allow the Helghan to survive (and even profit) under these harsh conditions, but the more things improve, the more the Helghan become angry at the restrictions imposed upon them by the ISA and meekly accepted by the cowed Helghan Authority.
2305 The Inheritors
The third generation of indigenous Helghan are beginning to be born. Helped along by basic genetic conditioning and the harsh environment,
they are more suited to the heavy gravity. They also feature lungs that are more efficient against the pollutants on Helghan, and cells that are
more resistant to the high radiation levels.
2330 - 2350 The Great Depression
Vekta's monopoly of the Helghan trade allows them to develop great wealth, at the expense of reinvestment on Helghan. As the Helghan
population increases, more and more of their own wealth is diverted to the feeding and protection of their civilians. This leads to a series of industrial accidents, where expensive machinery is not serviced sufficiently to cope with the harsh Helghan conditions. The resulting downtime that occurs while Helghan pays for the servicing and replacement of its old machinery causes a severe economic downturn that lasts almost 20 years.
Helghan economists blame the depression on greedy Vektan exploiters. Vekta has its own troubles with the collapse of the lucrative black-market trade in Helghan minerals and can spare no resources for a relief effort.
For the first time since 2220, citizens of Helghan die of starvation in the cities.
The doldrums of depression ravage Helghan and the cowering Administration is powerless in the face of the ISA and the Helghan people rifle with struggle are on the brink of upheaval. As chaos is threatened on Helghan a new voice of the people rises. Scolar Visari takes the reigns and speaks to the people of Helghan directly. He makes the case that so many generations of suffering and hardship are beyond what any normal human could endure, but rather the people have evolved beyond normal humans. Mere ghosts of what they arrived as. Ghosts, not in the sense as fragments but born to a higher order than they could’ve achieved on Vekta alone. The struggle they have endured makes the Helghan settlers. In turn Visari coins the visage of the people as “Helghast”
Visari is as charismatic as he is a visionary. He no longer sees the Helghan people cowering to the ISA but rising in the face of their blockade. He sees the Helghast rising in their independence no longer submitting to the unfavorable trade of the Vektans so he rebuilds the orbital station, he starts trade with other systems and with the ICSA and the great depression on Helghan subsides through his leadership. With this renewed sense of nationalism and confidence Visrai orders a new symbol of Helghan, the triad symbolizing; Duty, Obedience and Loyalty to the Helghast people and their cause for freedom. Among the forms of defiance against the ISA and their blockade Visari invests to build the Helghan military might, employing many impoverished Helghast with a new sense of duty.
Visari’s rise to power saves the people of Helghan and imbues them with a new vigor to go on.
2340 - 2347 The Rise of Visari
With the economy in the abyss and Helghan morale below that, a singular and remarkable figure rises to prominence: Scolar Visari I, the eventual self-proclaimed Autarch of Helghan. Visari's ideology is simple and compelling: the Helghan people had once come here as humans, but they are humans no longer. They are different, changed. Changed cosmetically in their travels, changed physically by their residence on the alien planet of Helghan, changed spiritually by the hardships they've endured in every circumstance. The government that has brought them to this end could only give them structure; it could not give them life, could not give them a reason to go on, and could not fully express the magnitude of the transformation. The world has changed us, Visari claims, and now it is our turn to change the world.
Visari's oratorical skill and magnetic personality draws many of the disaffected public to his cause. It spreads among them like wildfire and
galvanizes them in a single recognition: that they are one people, one nation, united against all aggressors. More significantly, perhaps,
Visari is the first to give voice to what will later become the keystone of the Helghast agenda: their identity as an entirely new and entirely superior race – the 'extra-human' race. He goes on to preach the militaristic, absolutist values that will become the trademark of the Helghast. More importantly, he transforms the value of mask-wearing – once a badge of low station – and makes it integral to the Helghan identity. There is nothing shameful in its history, Visari tells the people. It is testament to their fortitude to wear the mask. And the Helghan rally around him, rich and poor alike.
2347 The Birth of the Helghast
Visari coins the term Helghast in a public speech. Its purported origin is from the Old English word, gast, meaning spirit, or ghost, connoting great fear. Visari states that they are no longer what they once were. Where they were once human and spiritless, their generations on Helghan, their sufferings; these have forged them into a new race, the only truly 'living' race. Whatever the etymology, the name sticks.
Feigning an attempt on his life to garner public support, Visari leads a military coup backed by a popular uprising to assume the title of Autarch. He seizes unrestricted power from the Helghan Administration and begs the army for 10 years of unchallenged authority to reforge the Helghast into a true independent power. As part of his plan, Visari begins a major enlargement of the Helghast Military. A secondary aspect of the Helghastrevolution is a cultural evolution, led personally by Visari to change the face of Helghan society. Visari bans the use of written English in 2349, devising a new Helghast alphabet to be used in its place. Plans for an entirely new Helghast language are never fully implemented due to the logistical difficulties, but the ideal of this linguistic separation remain dear to Visari. As a final touch, the old Helghan banner is dropped in favor of a simpler, starker and more dynamic logo. The Helghast Triad becomes the official banner of Helghan: three arrows representing Duty, Obedience and Loyalty signal the new values
that Helghast society is based upon.
2350 The new Helghan economy
Starting with low level smuggling operations but gradually building up in scale, the Helghast begin breaking the ISA embargo of their world to trade directly to black-market suppliers. At first the trade is exclusively to the Vektan energy market, but slowly Visari encourages off-world agents to source their power from Helghan. The whittled down ISA fleet is powerless to do more than put a dent in the trade, and some factions on Vekta question whether the Helghan blockade is even needed at this point. The Helghast rebuild their transfer station, albeit on a more modest scale than before, and trade really starts to take off. The depression officially ends when the Helghast secure a contract with the ICSA for energy and materials. The deal is mutually beneficial, and both parties gain immensely from it.
Under Visari’s leadership the Helghan military and people seek a new goal. The Helghast attempted to achieve freedom though diplomacy and through purchase but both were repelled by the UCN and ISA by force. The two forces attempted to starve the the Helghast, hoping they would die on Helghan. Now was time to achieve freedom by war.
Visari had laid a plan to utilize the nature of the UCN with betrayal to lower their defenses on Vekta giving time for the Helghast Navy to land troops to commence in the recapture of Vekta in the name of freedom from the UCN. The Helghast fleet met the ISA navy in deep space and, in move that shocked the universe, defeated them. The very nation that was held at gunpoint of blockade defeated by the aggressors on their own terms. The Navy proceeded to Vekta and Visari’s plan succeeded. The campaign to free Vekta had begun.
Once the ground war had started the tides of war began to ebb and flow. Many heroes on both sides were lost in the fighting. General Lente, and General Metrac both fell on the battlefield as soldiers and many more Helghast would find Vekta their grave. The was at a high cost for both sides and the ISA military falls in disarray. In their desperation the ISA form a massive nuclear weapon to massacre the remaining Helghast troops on Vekta. The brave Helghast soldiers secure the weapon to prevent its use and shortly after the campaign on Vekta is over.
Once the last Helghast troops were evacuated from Vekta one would think that the Vektans would regard the Helghast as equals and perhaps enter a solution ensuring the survival of both planets, but the ISA and UCN are bent on crushing the last hope for freedom in galaxy and launch an assault on Helghan.
Seemingly as resilient as the Helghast the planet itself lends help in the defense of the ISA with a new ore to power the defense network of Helghan, petrucite. With the weapons formulated by this ore and the evacuation of Phyrrus, the capitol of Helghan, of civilians the Helghast Army wipes out the first wave of ISA invaders.
The second wave lands and though combat and the destruction of much of the ISA fleet by the Helghast Navy it seems the invaders are on the last breaths of a failed campaign. The ISA has one more ace, they detonate the secured nuclear bomb in Phyrrus and move quickly to Visari’s place. With the defensive grid down in the chaos of the blast the ISA murder Visari on cold blood. Visari is assassinated in his office, unarmed.
The full fury of Helghan will soon be unleashed.
2357 Plans for invasion
(The Start of Killzone 1)
Autarch Scolar Visari outlines his bold strategy for changing the face of governance in this system by returning to Vekta and seizing it again as
a Helghast colony. Ignoring the many generations of UCN settlement under the ISA he inflames the passions of the Helghast for revenge.
The Helghast High Command takes the bait and eagerly declares loyalty to Visari for the coming campaign, offering to make him Emperor if it succeeds.
Early August 2357 - The Second Extrasolar War is Declared
Visari's plan works like clockwork. Generals Adams and Stratson send word that their plans are in place. Visari sends most of his
fleet after the ISA Navy, and a second fleet to invade Vekta.
Early warning is given by a UCA scouting force, but word doesn't reach the ISA in time to prevent the bloodbath in space. The
UCN votes unanimously to dispatch a heavy fleet of UCA reinforcements to Vekta, to prevent the destabilization of that entire sector.
Late August 2357 - Lente fails
(The End of Killzone 1)
The invasion incurs casualties on both sides. It is only with the help of four unlikely heroes, led by Jan Templar, that Vekta City does
not fall. The Helghast have been thwarted but a sizable contingent is still present on Vekta. Lente is killed by his former chief of staff,
Colonel Gregor Hakha, and the ground campaign is disrupted as a result. The ISA traitor who enabled the Helghast to invade Vekta,
General Adams, is also killed when Templar and crew sabotage the orbital platform to prevent its ambush of the UCA fleet from
Earth – which arrives in a timely fashion. General Stratson manages to keep his cover intact.
September 2357 - Metrac Appointed to Head Helghast Vektan Forces
(The Start of Killzone: Liberation)
The ISA Council stops the development of the second orbital defense platform as a result of the Helghast capture of the first one. General
Dwight Stratson proposes a nuclear program to purge the remaining and regrouping Helghast from Vekta. The suggested nuclear weapons
are being prepared in Rayhoven base – but require ISA Council approval to use in the field. Because nuclear weapons have always
been seen as a taboo weapon, the political consequences of possessing them, let alone using them, is likely to be high.
Helghast General Armin Metrac arrives on Vekta and takes command of remaining forces. Establishing a stronghold in southern
Vekta, the Helghast are gaining ground again.
Late 2357 - *Undisclosed
Early 2358 - *Undisclosed.
November 2359 The Invasion of Helghan Begins
Twelve battle groups arrive at Helghan. Among them is Battle Group Mandrake, comprised of one division of ISA and 10 divisions of Legionnaires. ISA Cruiser New Sun is the flagship of the battle group, under the command of war hero Colonel Jan Templar. Mandrake is to deploy to Pyrrhus and take the city, hopefully snagging Visari in the process. Pyrrhus is of the utmost strategic importance, because it constitutes one of the primary population bases, as well as a center of trade for the planet.
The ISA and Helghast warships engage each other in orbit. The ISA fleet outclasses the Helghast fleet significantly and quickly establishes a
total orbital blockade.
At this point the ISA Council reaffirms its decision to break the UCA orders to simply isolate the Helghast, and launch their invasion. Channels are cleared for the troop deployment and the way is paved for the invasion. Negotiations are not a possibility. Visari vows that the entire world of Helghan will repel the invaders. The ISA knows it has to complete the invasion swiftly.
Philip Vekta
Rank:
CEO Helghan Corporation
Description
Not much is documented about the visionary Philip Vekta. He however was instrumental in the push for mankind into the stars. The planet Vekta is named after him.
Gregor Hakha
Rank:
Colonel (Retired)
Description
Half human, half Helghast, traitor, patriot. Hakha is the one of the most unique Helghast in the sense that he was formally the chief of staff for Gen. Joseph Lente. With family ties to the dissidence against Visari, Hakha joined forces with the ISA and acted as spy against the Helghast in the campaign to reclaim Vekta. Hakha would later kill his former General on the soil of Vekta.
Armin Metrac
Rank
General (KIA)
Description
Successor to the command of the Third Helghast Army after the fall of Lente and appointed personally by Visari himself. Metrac is ruthless and direct, taking the fight directly to the enemy by full force. His charismatic appearance and tall, athletic build clearly reveal that he is no ordinary Helghast. Metrac becomes famous for his use of “exotic” means of retrieving information in uncooperative POWs. Metrac ultimately in unsuccessful in his campaign in Southern Vekta and is killed in combat.
Mael Radec
Rank
Colonel (Non-Combative Death)
Description
Former schoolmaster of Radec Academy, an academy named after himself. Radec is the human personification of the Shark. He is highly evolved for his specific function and utterly focused on his duties. It is almost as if he has willingly burned out any personality, education or characteristics that do not contribute in the swift and resolute execution of his duties. Radec is a gifted tactician, but a merely competent strategist. His genius is not in the planning but in the fighting of battles. He combines situational awareness with a near-perfect assessment of the capabilities of both his own men and the opposing force. He is supremely skilled in the meshing of the various arms of combat – capable of meshing Armour, Infantry, Air and Artillery forces into a single tactical operation with precision and flair. In personal combat he is ruthless, vicious and overwhelming. Since failing to protect Visari, Radec took his his own life outside of Visari's chamber.
Cobar
Rank
High Commander, Helghast Colonial Guard (KIA)
Description
The right hand of Metrac, Cobar was as ruthless and destructive as his commander. Wielding a multi-legged exo-suit into the battlefield with unwavering zeal and fervor he was known as the “White Death” in battle. Cobar was feared by both Helghast and ISA forces alike. He was killed in combat in southern Vekta.
Joseph Lente
Rank
General (KIA)
DescriptionFormer Commander of the Third Army on Vekta, Lente oversaw and commanded the campaign to retake Vekta. He was calm and calculated and a brilliant strategist. Lente oversaw the taking of the ISA's prized SD platforms. He commanded the war with much success until he was killed on Vekta. Joseph Lente has a main road near Radec Academy named after him.
Scolar Visari
Rank
Autarch, Helghast Empire (2307-2359 Assassinated by ISA forces)
Description
Scolar Visari, the great Autarch of the Helghast. He saw his rise to power when the colony on Helghan was most desperate under conditions of depression and starvation. His orator skills and charisma quickly propel him to reverence among the Helghast. Under Visari the Helghast were able to break the cycle of the great depression and build themselves even more powerful than they had ever been. After sezing power from the crippled Helghan Administration, he asked the militray for 10 years of unchallenged rule. It is under his own guidance that the military of Helghan is reinforced and bought to a standing that can engage the ISA on open warfare. Before beginning the campaign to take Vekta he lays out a plan to victory
- Utilize deep-cover agent ISA General Stuart Adams to neutralize the orbital defense platforms.
- Utilize deep-cover agent ISA General Dwight Stratson to gain access to intelligence and lure the ISA troops out of the cities.
- Mount an invasion of Vekta whilst the orbital defense platforms are down, under the command of General Joseph Lente.
- Reactivate the defense platforms in time to defend Vekta against the inevitable support fleet sent by the UCA.
- Declare the system to be under Helghast control and sue for peace with the UCN whilst the UCA is still reeling from the loss of its fleet.
- Use the resources of Helghan and Vekta, as well as technology captured from the wrecked
- UCA Navy fleet, to build a Helghast fleet capable of defending the system from the UCA Navy.
- Begin charging trade tariffs for passage through Helghast space to Earth again.
- Blockade the Earth and strangle the UCN into submission.
- Capture the UCN Navy shipyards and orbital defenses.
- Leave Earth's population to starve to death. Build an enormous fleet and establish Helghast hegemony.
After the end of military operations on Vekta, Visari moved to create new weapons from the electric ore on Helghan. He creates a massive defensive network and bolseters the military even further. Visari's preparations are realized and the ISA invades Helghan. Prior to the invasion Visari relocates the civilian population to Konstantin and turns the capitol, Phyrrus, into a deathtrap for the ISA. The first wave is defeated but soon the ISA forces would appear on the doorstep of Visair's place. There in cold blood Visari is murdered by a grunt of the ISA Marines, unarmed.
Phyruss: The capitol of Helghan and where most of KZ2 takes place.
Konstantine City- City where Helghast civilians have been evacuated.
Helghan Corporation: An energy company that turned into the leaders of space colonialization.
Helghan Protectorate: Formal alliance of Helghan and Vekta exerting minial governing powers.
Helghan Administration: Govening body of the Aplha Centuari system until the end of the First Extrasolar War
Visari Corporation (VC)- Weapons maufacturer of the Helghan Military speacializing in advanced weapon systems
Stahl Arms (STA): Weapons manufacturing company supplying most of the bulk weapons of the Helghast Military.
3rdHelghan Army: Main fighting force in the campaign to reclaim Vekta.
Colonial Guard: Cobar's personal division in the campaign to retake Vekta
Special thanks:
Mr. E0N for writing the orginal timeline on KZ.com.
Silence for the graphics
MuthaH for being MuthaH
?
PsychoReaper wrote:Dubb, why you lie and say Silence did the grapfix? Reaper did it.
Also, how you gonna be my cousin when I'm vektan and your higg?
Also, ISA > Higg
Also, Nice thread. XD
Cuz I know ju. Ju HGH at heart. It's ok just admit your loyalty to the HGH.
And please whovever reads this don't quote the entire thing 
The beast unfurls to the length of 22 pages single spaced in word (without the graphics). 
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