Helghan Empire

> "*My Duty To The Emperor, My Life For Helghan.*"
>
>

―**Helghast Soldier’s Oath Of Allegiance**

The **Helghan Empire,** also known as the **Empire of Helghan** is the Authoritarian-totalitarian governing body on the planet Helghan and one half of the planet Vekta as **New Helghan**, ruling over the Helghast people. The founder and first ruler of the Empire is Autarch Scolar Visari and chancellor is Anton Saric who heads the Security.

The Empire was the instigator of the Second Extrasolar War in which they attempted to conquer the entire Alpha Centauri system and expanding its domination over Earth's colonies. They failed to achieve their goals and which lead to ISA retaliation, which in turn resulted in the death of Autarch Visari and a volatile power struggle amongst the Helghast leadership pursued. Ultimately, the Empire was utterly decimated in a planet-wide devastation, the Terracide, in 2360.

The survivors of planet Helghan were granted refuge on Vekta where they founded New Helghan, the official successor state of the Empire. Those that remained on Helghan were secretly united under Jorhan Stahl and slowly rebuilt Helghan's military might, and swearing revenge on their enemies.

Upon joining the garden war on the side of Gray Gravel, they had restored the conditions of Helghan and revived Scolar Visari using stolen Z-Tech Technology and now have provided new forms or equiptment and technology to soon fight Z-Tech.

## Overview

The formation of the Helghan Empire occurred in 2347, more than a century after the First Extrasolar War against the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance and United Colonial Nations, but no more than a decade before the second war. Helghast leaders, including Scolar Visari, continue to impose the belief that the Helghast race is superior to humanity, creating not only intense distrust, but also an expanding hatred of UCN, ISA, or any other form of foreign rule. The Helghast think of themselves as a master race, who should be ruling the perceived "lesser" human race. They serve as the primary antagonists of the original *Killzone* trilogy.

## History

### The Exodus

Following the First Extrasolar War, the Helghan Corporation was dismantled and all its assets seized by the UCN. Vekta, once a planetary holding of the now-defunct Helghan Corporation, was turned over to direct ISA rule, and colonists from Earth were brought in to supplement Vekta's corporate-affiliated population. However, tensions soon rose between the Earth minority and Helghan corporate majority, resulting in Helghan resistance fighters targeting and killing many Earth-loyal citizens in terrorist attacks. The ISA governors' response was to enact more and more economic sanctions and military punishments on the Helghan-affiliated colonists in retribution for the Helghan persecution of Earth-loyal colonists.

By 2220, in the face of such persecution, all loyal Helghan corporate colonists had chosen voluntary relocation to Helghan, where years of hardship awaited them. In order to leave for Helghan, they purchased and refurbished the original colony ships they had used to reach Alpha Centauri. Since neither the UCN or ISA wanted to fund this new colonization attempt, they were then declared to be a sovereign nation, with Helghan being their territory in perpetuity and was subjected to ISA blockades and restrictions until "diplomatic relations" were normalized. The Helghan settlements recreated the former Helghan authority to rule over all affairs on Helghan, but this rule was often inefficient and corrupt. Their human bodies were ill prepared for the harsh environment of Helghan, resulting in most of the first generation dying only a short while after they arrived on the planet. However, by 2305, future generations had evolved an increased biological resistance to the harsh atmospheric conditions, some even discarding the common breathing masks that many colonists still relied upon.

### Birth of the Helghast

From 2330 to 2350, due to incredibly unfair trade rates enforced by the ISA, Helghan was hit by a major economic depression, leading to widespread poverty and famine across the planet that was not seen for over a century. This grim situation gave rise to Scolar Visari, a highly charismatic politician, who capitalized on the economic crisis and the people's growing anger against the ISA and the Helghan Administration, in which millions from all segments of Helghan society fell under his sway.

In 2347, Visari staged a successful popular coup against the ruling Helghan Administration after feigning an attempt on his own life, and declared himself the "Autarch". Under Visari's rule, he reforged the Helghast into a true independent power in which he rebuilt Helghan's economy by breaking the ISA embargo to trade directly to off-world black-market suppliers and unaligned colonies before settling a contract with the ICSA for energy and materials, and drastically enlarging the Helghast Military.

Visari further reshaped Helghan society and culture into accepting his ideology of Helghan superiority, claiming that the mutated people to be a new breed of humans superior over regular humans which he dubbed themselves "Helghast". He immediately instigated Helghan into a highly secretive militant state, and a complete media takeover on Helghan. Eventually, Visari re-established hostilities with the ISA in his bid to conquer Vekta and exact revenge on the UCN, and this conflict became now known as the Second Extrasolar War.

### Second Extrasolar War

In 2357, the Helghast attempted to conquer and subdue Vekta by utilizing two high-ranking traitors within the ISA in order to disable Vekta's SD Defense Network, allowing the Helghast Third Army to land on Vekta without any resistance in space before utilizing the Vektan defense platforms to be use against UCA reinforcements. Although they nearly conquered the planet, ultimately, the invasion failed in preventing the UCA from reinforcing the ISA and the Helghast were pushed off Vekta entirely, but managed to captured ISA nuclear weapons and other advanced weapons. By 2359 the ISA subsequently launched a retaliatory strike against Helghan, establishing a beachhead at Pyrrhus in a bid to capture Scolar Visari and dismantle the Helghast regime.

During the first hours of the ISA invasion, the Helghast forces fanatically defended the capital before utilizing Arc Pillars in destroying and delaying the bulk of the ISA ground forces under Avenger Convoy, preventing them from advancing further to Visari Palace and capturing the Autarch. The ISA discovered the Petrusite Grid under the Maelstra Barrens and attempted to destroy it, but was beset by a surprise attack by Helghast forces in a daring raid to obtain the nuclear launch codes for several ISA nuclear warheads captured by the Helghast in their failed invasion of Vekta. During a pitched battle in the skies above Helghan, the Helghast successfully destroyed several ISA cruisers, including the ISA flagship, *New Sun*. However, the *New Sun* crashed into the Petrusite Grid as it came down, destroying it and deactivating almost all of Pyrrhus' defenses. Though the city was left vulnerable, the Helghast used the codes they had acquired to detonate a nuclear warhead in Pyrrhus, wiping out the vast majority of the ISA invasion force, and the remaining Helghast forces within the city.

The remaining ISA forces launched a desperate assault on Visari Palace during which they destroyed a massive Arc battery in Visari Square, fighting their way to the palace courtyard and front entrance in a relentless attack. Thereafter, ISA commandos Rico Velasquez and Tomas Sevchenko fought their way through the last of Visari's forces within Visari Palace itself, killing Colonel Mael Radec, military leader of the Helghast troops and personal bodyguard of Scolar Visari himself. Afterwards, Velasquez and Sevchenko stormed Visari's throne room to arrest him, but Visari was killed by an enraged Velasquez. Before he died, Visari swore that he would be seen as a martyr if he was to be killed and that "Helghan will dissolve into chaos", which is exactly what happened. Helghan fell into a power struggle as rivalling political factions rose to claim power left vacant in the wake of Visari's death. The remaining ships of the ISA fleet were either destroyed or withdrew from Helghan entirely, while the ISA troops that weren't able to withdraw were left stranded on Helghan, with no way of receiving any further aid, and no other transportation off Helghan.

With Visari dead, the Helghast military and the main Helghast weapons manufacturer, Stahl Arms, began to wage a political struggle to take control of the Helghast government, while the stranded ISA troops were forced to battle for mere survival. Eventually, the political struggle for control of the Helghast government came to a climax, only made worse by successful operations conducted by the ISA remnants.

In a meeting between the Helghast military leader (and recently crowned Autarch) Orlock and Stahl Arms chairman Jorhan Stahl, a skirmish erupted between forces led by the two leaders, resulting in the death of Autarch Orlock. This plunged the Helghast race into civil war, allowing the ISA forces to destroy Stahl's experimental cruiser before he could enact his plan to eradicate all life on Earth. The resulting Petrusite explosions set off from Stahl's cruiser destroyed a massive space station, the entire Helghast invasion fleet destined for Earth, and violently irradiated all unprotected life on planet Helghan in which this devastation is later known as the Terracide.

With the ISA forces having escaped Helghan onboard hijacked Helghast ships and currently en route home to Vekta, with at least one, or possibly two most capable successors to Visari's throne killed, and its own homeworld irrevocably devastated by energized Petrusite radiation, the Helghan Empire is totally destroyed.

### Post-War Aftermath

Following the destruction of Helghan, the empire's remaining population was forced to emigrate to Vekta after the ISA granted them refuge, and established the nation of New Helghan, which is led by Visari's daughter Chancellor Hera Visari. Though defeated, the Helghast bear resentment towards the Vektans, blaming them for causing the Terracide that destroyed their civilization and livelihood. As a result, the Helghast largely refused to assimilate into "human" culture, creating a societal divide between the native Vektans and embittered Helghast. Over the next thirty years this societal divide would continue to grow and widen, leading to a cold war between Vekta and New Helghan.

Unknown to the public, not every Helghast was evacuated from Helghan. Those that remained on Helghan were united by a still alive Jorhan Stahl, and under the guise of mining operations, prepared for three decades to invade Vekta once again, amassing a vast armada of ships and war materiel hidden under the surface of the planet.

### New helghan

Following in the aftermath of the Second Extrasolar War, Helghan was left devastated from the Terracide and Scolar Visari's Empire was no more. The ISA, in an act of pity, granted the planet's survivors refuge on Vekta by partitioning one half of the planet to be colonized by the Helghast. The survivors dubbed the founding of their new territory as "New Helghan" on 2361. The Helghast's presence on the world of their enemies stirred violent unrest between Helghast and Vektans as both sides have never abandoned their animosity for each other from the war. As a result, the New Helghan and Vektan governments agreed to construct The Wall in which the Helghast would segregate themselves on the New Helghan side. In 2380, Hera Visari would leave Gyre and travel to Vekta, becoming Chancellor of New Helghan.

Since the construction of The Wall, New Helghan is engaged in a proxy war against the Vektan nation, pitting its Security Forces against operatives of the Vektan Security Agency, while enduring trade embargoes and economic sanctions placed by the Vektan government. In 2390, the tenuous status quo between the Helghast and the Vektans almost ended in a new war when Chancellor Visari plotted with Jorhan Stahl in unleashing a ISA-made bio-weapon to destroy the Vektans. However, the plot was prevented by the VSA which led to the death of Stahl and the bio-weapon falling into the hands of the VSA. Vektan officials began publicly accusing New Helghan of restarting hostilities in which the New Helghan government strongly denied of any wrongdoings and vowed to defend themselves from Vektan aggression.

Upon joining the garden war on the side of Gray Gravel, they had restored the conditions of Helghan and revived Scolar Visari using stolen Z-Tech Technology and now have provided new forms or equiptment and technology to soon fight Z-Tech.

## Government

Before Scolar Visari's rise to power, Helghan was ruled by the remains of the corporate Helghan Administration, which had once ruled over Alpha Centauri before the First Extrasolar War. Visari seized total power in the government after a popular coup in 2347, and was elected Autarch. With total control over all of Helghan, he reshaped the Helghan Administration into the Helghan Empire, a militaristic totalitarian regime along fascist lines.

The Helghan Empire is a militaristic single-party Authoritarian-Totalitarian state. It is headed by the Autarch, the supreme leader of the Helghast, who is the official Head of State and the Head of Government and often anyone who either opposed or denied the Autarch's rule is declared and enemy of the state and was to be executed by orders from the High Council. The Autarch can also appoint a Chancellor to run New Helghan on vekta and serves as his deputy. The Autarch is advised by the Helghast Parliment, a two house council of individuals with ties to the Helghast military and other powerful organizations in the Empire's society, the upper house is the high council representing the Military and the lower house is the Helghan Senate representing a group of corporations, individuals, and senators. Admiral Orlock, commander-in-chief of the armed forces serves as a member of the Senate and is a close friend of Autarch Visari. Other forms of management beyond the Senate are currently unknown, and unlikely to be seen. Fascism seems to have a large influence in the Helghan Empire being the main political ideology as there are many real world references to past fascist regimes most influence was Nazi Germany for an example where the Fuhrer was the absolute ruler just like the Autarch and both nations invaded their neighbors out of revenge for their defeat in a major war.

## Geography and Economy

### Helghan

Helghan is a hostile and hellish world, only recently made remotely habitable. Much of the planet is covered by rocky terrain and dominating canyons with some arctic-like areas; there are even oases of sorts, in the form of hostile jungles teeming with dangerous predators. Helghan is rich in natural resources and minerals, mainly Petrusite. During Visari's reign, most of the planet's economy and resources were centered into building and maintaining Helghan's large armies and a fleet for interstellar conquest, leaving little funds for the improvement of the general population's well-being, hence the slums, dismal civilian infrastructure, and a visible lack of luxuries on Helghan.

### Fauna and Flora

Although a harsh planet, Helghan does have several basic forms of wildlife as befits a natural ecosystem. Due to the radiation of the binary star system in combination with the high-energy Petrusite mineral, Helghan's evolutionary history lags at least half a billion years behind Earth and the primary form of indigenous life are arthropods, though most seem to be somewhat larger than their average Earth counterparts. Included are many harmless electric beetles that seem to fill the lower half of a natural food chain, serving as common scavengers that help to keep the planet free of organic refuse.

Likewise, there are also aggressive predators in the form of the common Helghan Spider, which can grow to be as large or larger than any large Earth rodents (i.e. rats, beavers, capybaras, etc.). It is normally found in the subterranean areas and wastelands of Helghan; based on observations, it seems to hunt prey by stunning them with an electric shock/bite, upon which it hunts as any standard spider would, via the dissolving of prey into a liquid and immediate ingestion of said liquid.

Helghan's plant life is also larger than standard Terran flora, as several plants are seen bearing resemblance to standard weeds, but are much larger. In its more tropical regions, Helghan is host to plants that can only be classified as bizarre. Some are almost animal-like in appearance, such as large fungi that appear to have hyphae structured like crab legs, and carnivorous plants resembling spider legs that attempt to skewer prey as it passes.

Some plants share some similarity to Earth plants, to a small degree Venus flytraps specifically. The Burster, which slightly resembles cacti, but glows orange and whose needles burst out of it when shot. Also seen in the tropical regions are strange avian creatures flying above the jungle canopy.

It is unknown if any of Helghan's ecosystem survived the Terracide.

### Populated Areas

* Pyrrhus Deep, also called Pyrrhus City, was the largest populated area and capital city of Helghan. Notable locations included Visari Square, Visari Palace, Visari Corporation, Stahl Arms, Corinthmetall, and the Vektan Embassy. The capital was later nuked by order of Visari to prevent Avenger Convoy from seizing the Palace during the ISA invasion.
* Konstantine City was where Visari evacuated the population from Pyrrhus Deep prior to the nuclear strike. Thoralf-Sigurd-Vig is located here.
* Suljeva Village was a settlement located in the Maelstra Barrens. It was populated by miners, and noted for its large collection of abandoned factories and refineries.
* Stahl Arms Deep South, headquarters of Stahl Arms. Located in Helghan's southern region.

### New Helghan

What can be inferred from what is available is that the Helghast place a much larger emphasis on industry and production—based on their monopoly on Petrusite that is harvested from planet Helghan—than their neighbors, and their territory bears the marks of this decision, with massive space elevators and factories all across the Helghast sector of Vekta City. As a result of New Helghan's rapid industrialization, the nation is mired in pollution not so dissimilar to the Helghast's former homeworld's environment. There are several areas in New Helghan that are largely reclaimed by nature. These areas are sparse and spread out closer to the Vektan's side of the Wall.

The police are seen using extreme force to segregate the pureblood Helghast from half-breeds. As trade sanctions against New Helghan began creating severe detrimental effects on life in the nation, the police have begun using extreme force to keep civilians of all types in line due to the severe economic difficulties the sanctions are creating. Large numbers of half-Helghast individuals were forced at some time to leave New Helghan, but were eventually allowed to return. These "tainted" individuals are hated and treated poorly by all the inhabitants of Vekta, especially their former kind. There are known worker riots clashing with the military.

The slums of New Helghan are usually below the main city. Such slums are either locations such as Containment City, where people live in shipping containers, or abandoned malls and apartments. At least 43% of the 3 million inhabitants living there are Vektans. Such Vektans wear what could be Helghast clothes. Half-breeds live there as well, presumably. The Black Hand have high influence in these areas.

## Military, Defense, and Security

*Main article: Helghast Armed Forces*
Years of bitter hardships, conditions, and evolution have turned the Helghasts into hardened battle ready soldiers. In the Killzone universe the Helghast Military has overwhelming numbers and appears to be one of the most powerful and largest military force in the game's world. Helghast forces rely on strength through numbers with massive amounts of troops and tanks and use a series of viciouse surgical strikes against their enemies. Military tactics are mostly  offensive with endless waves of ground troops supported by multiple battallions. The Helghast are alos experts at defensive tactics setting up mines and other traps and using large amounts of hidden troops to attack unsuspecting ISA troops. The most well armed and advanced unit of the Helghast militray had to be the Helghast Third Army and usually relyed on light armoured tanksand APCs to cover their advancing troops. Third Army soldiers use the standard issue StA-52 assualt rifle like other forces but used underbarrel shotgun attachments not used by any other unit in the Helghast military and were also used to kill anyone who questioned Scolar Visari and his reign over Helghan. Due to the intense firepower and mere size of the Helghast Armed Forces the majority of the country and planet's resources and money went to the military due to military first policiesleaving little for domestic development. After the empire collapsed and survivors fled to New Helghan, the New helghast military relyed on highly trained and well equiped soldiers due to a massivly deepleted population making it impossible for there to be an oversized army and now acts more as a self-defense force.

The Helghast peoples' lives of extreme hardship naturally make them hardened soldiers. Most of Helghan's fiscal and natural resources go towards the military, leaving little for domestic development. The Helghan military's primary tactics primarily relate to the implementation of vicious, rapidly sweeping surgical strikes reliant on the element of surprise, focusing almost completely on offensive based strategies. However, the Second Extrasolar War has shown that the Helghast military is adept in defensive tactics as well, springing numerous traps and ambushes on unwary ISA forces.

### Helghast Security

*Main article: Helghast Security*

The **Helghast Security Forces** or **Helghast Security** for short, is the main military/police force of the State of New Helghan, it is tasked with defending the Helghan civilian population from threats both internal and external. Since the resettlement, New Helghan had focused on rebuilding its military might.

They are apart of Helghast Military and rely more on well trained, heavily equipped soldiers rather than endless waves after waves of constant troop movements and battallions overwhleming the enemy as a result of population depletion.

## Ideology and Society

"*When we came to Helghan we were lost, a broken collection of exiles on the verge of death. At first we thought our new world would poison and destroy us. How wrong we were. Helghan saw what was in every one of us, our strength and our indestructible spirit, and made it manifest. The great change was the rebirth of our people. A people fit to stride the stars and shatter our enemies.*"
―**Scolar Visari**
The Helghan Empire's ultra-nationalistic ideals centered on the superiority of the Helghast, a strong military, and total commitment to the Helghast government. Their ideals are symbolized by the Helghast Triad, which emphasizes duty, obedience, and loyalty. The filtration masks ubiquitously worn by the Helghast, once a badge of low station, is valued in the Helghan identity, as Scolar Visari regarded mask-wearing to be a testament to the Helghast's fortitude.

### Helghast Superiority

Over successive generations of living on Helghan's harsh conditions had physically changed the inhabitants, biologically making their bodies adapt and survive Helghan than normal humans; growing lungs to breath and filter the toxic atmosphere, and their bodies more resistant to the heavier gravity of their planet. Due to living under the strict sanctions imposed by the ISA for generations, the Helghast developed a strong sense of isolation which turned into otherness, seeing themselves different from and very wary of ordinary humans.

Scolar Visari validated the Helghast's mutations as proof for the Helghast being an entirely new and entirely superior race. Visari shaped the Helghast's age-old feelings of grievance into a sense of purpose, giving them pride in their past and belief in their future, to reclaim the Helghast's rights that were lost in the First Extrasolar War by force.

### Human Rights

"*We are prisoners of war! We have rights! You have violated the Stockholm Treaty!"* *"Stockholm? What planet do you think you're on?!*"
―**Jason Narville** to **Jorhan Stahl**
Helghan brutality is widely accepted in their society. They do not hesitate to execute those who are not born up to standards or who sympathize with humanity. Prior to the invasion of Vekta, there were moderates and conscientious objectors in Helghan society in which most of them have been executed as traitors or driven underground. Visari urged his citizens in turning in dissenters to the authorities in order to reeducate them and "expunge their weakness for the greater good."

During the Second Extrasolar War, Helghan atrocities were quite prevalent against Vektan prisoners of war and civilians. In *Killzone 3*, Stahl Arms mercenaries are seen executing surrendering ISA troops on the spot, or even shooting them when their backs are turned. Prisoners of the Helghast are often tortured to death or even used as unwilling test subjects for a number of agonizingly fatal experiments. Live public executions are also practiced.

### Militarism

"*The path we have chosen is not an easy one. Struggle is the father of all things and true virtue lies in bloodshed. But we will not tire, we will not falter, we will not fail! In the blood of our warriors comes the price we must pay. Blood alone moves the wheels of history. And we will be resolute! We will fear no sacrifice and surmount every difficulty to win our just triumph!*"
―**Scolar Visari**
The military is above all the most prized element of the Helghan Empire. The vast majority of the Helghan Nation's resources are spent on the military and Visari's propaganda-related structures in Pyrrhus, leaving very little for the average Helghast civilian's well-being. Also, many high ranking officials in the Helghast military hold very little compassion for their own soldiers or even Helghast civilians in general, let alone any shown to the people of Vekta and anywhere else in the galaxy. The Helghast military's extensive damage inflicted towards Vekta, and the detonation of a nuclear weapon in their own capital of Pyrrhus shows their deep hatred for human life and complete disregard for collateral damage, only having a total commitment to their objectives no matter the cost.

### Alphabet

The Helghast use their own form of a symbol alphabet, similar to Eastern Asian written languages. Visari implemented this system claiming it was an attempt to control speech by restricting the use of 'outmoded' Earth alphabets. This is actually a form of newspeak, designed to dissuade alternative thinking, as there is no symbol for 'surrender'.

### Culture

*Main article: Helghasts*
Helghast society is very warlike and bloodthirsty as shown due to the ISA victory in the past. The majority of the population serves in the military and is the main reason for the Helghasts aquiring such a massive army. Civilians that don't are hardley seen in the game series however are shown in Killzone Shadowfall where they live under harsh conditions like before and have an even deeper hatred of Vektans. Helghast Society for the most part seems to be very military-like with most of the people listed in it and is very imperialistic. After the terricide, the Helghasts have been reduced to incredibly small numbers and now all they care about is surviving in their new harsh world.

## Flags and Symbols

The **Helghast Triad** is the state banner of the Helghan Empire. It was co-opted from the original logo of the Helghan Administration.

## Symbolism

The original Triad of the Helghan Administration was three interlocking arms representing Peace, Justice and Freedom. Scolar Visari replaced the old banner with a simpler, starker and more dynamic logo showing three arrows representing the Helghast virtues of Duty, Obedience and Loyalty:

*1. The **Duty** every Helghast has to dream of a free Helghan.*

*2. The **Obedience** that every Helghast must show if all are to survive.*

*3. The **Loyalty** every Helghast should have for their People.*