The Flag of the Helghast Empire
The Helghan Empire was the autocratic governing body of the Helghan Nation on planet Helghan, ruled over the Helghast people. It became the central, main antagonistic force of the Kui'uyi universe. The founder and first ruler of the Empire was Autarch Scolar Visari (1405 to 2369 NE), who was succeeded by Admiral Orlock after Helgan became independent once more in 2380 NE, the Helghast Military Commander, following the battle of Pyrrhus City, invasion of Visari Palace and his death.
The formation of the Helghan Empire occurred after the First Helghan War against the ISA and the human race. Helghast leaders, including Scolar Visari, continue to impose the belief that the Helgan race is biologically superior to the human race, creating not only a distrust of humanity, but also an expanding hatred of UCN, ISA, and any form of foreign rule, dominance and influence. Ironically, they think of themselves as the race who should be ruling the perceived "lesser" human race.
The Helghast Empire would then join forces with the Empire of the Combine Race as a member state of the Axis of Empires after first contact in 2357 (1415 NE), fighting against their enemies, both the Alliance of Nations and the Coalition of Independent States during the First Multiverse War, creating the Second Helghan War until their reign came to an end by defeat. The last surviving remnants of their empire was totally destroyed by the Pure Combine in XXXX NE.
History[]
The First Helghan War.[]
A helghast terrorist
The war started because of UCA taxes, which the Helghan Corporate went to war over. The Helghan corporate forces then seized control of all ISA bases in the Alpha Centauri system, but the better trained and equipped ISA forces managed to retreat intact and in good order to wage a guerrilla campaign that sapped the strength of the Helghan forces. Meanwhile, a hastily assembled UCA Navy fleet smashed into the system, obliterating the entire Helghan corporate navy in an hours-long pitched engagement over the planet Helghan without the loss of a single vessel. In the heat of the battle, the massive orbiting space station that served as a navigation hub for directing ships in and out of the system was destroyed; while it is unknown who was responsible, both sides blamed the other. After gaining control of Helghan, the UCA Navy then linked up with scattered ISA elements and pushed onward to Vekta, leaving a small picket fleet to blockade Helghan and patrol its surrounding space. The corporate soldiers on Vekta declared their intentions to fight to the death, but a devastating UCA orbital bombardment convinced them otherwise; they all quickly surrendered, without a single UCA ground soldier ever firing a shot. This final defeat led to the arrests of the Helghan CEO and all members of the Executive Board, the seizing of the dual planets, and the corporation's profits being handed to the UCN . Afterwards, no other world ever questioned the UCN's mandates -in essence Earth's will- and its right to rule ever again. The Helghan Corporation's epic defeat during this war, coupled with the eventual mass exile of all of its personnel to the hostile planet of Helghan, lead to the rise of a powerful, tyrannical, and charismatic leader: Scolar Visari.
The Creation of the Helghast People[]
Following the First Extrasolar War, the Helghan Corporation was dismantled and all of 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. This forced the ISA governor 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. In the face of brutal draconian laws and punishments, the Helghan loyalists eventually stopped their persecution of Earth-loyal colonists.
By 1278 NE (Kui'uyi 2220), all Helghan corporate colonists had chosen voluntary relocation to planet Helghan, where years of hardship awaited them. The Helghan settlements recreated the former Helghan Authority to rule over all affairs on Helghan, but this rule was often inefficient and corrupt. Their Helghan colonists' human bodies were also mutated by the harsh environment of Helghan, resulting in most of the first generation dying only a short while after they arrived in the system. However, by 1363 NE (Kui'uyi 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.
The Rise of the Helghast Empire[]
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.
Seeking to further transform the Helghast, Visari created his brand of Helghast culture based on Helghan superiority. He immediately instigated Helghan into a highly secretive militant state, and instigating 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 or by others as the Second Helghan War.
The Axis of Empires[]
The Second Helghan 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 capture 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 itself 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 different 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.
Death of Visari[]
With Visari apparent death, 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. 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 Alliance 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, with no support of their Axis allies, the Helghan Empire is totally destroyed and surrendered to the Alliance being the conflict between the Empire and the ISA.
Any remnants that survived the downfall were destroyed and wiped out by the Combine after receiving orders from their Emperor to turn against the Helghast remnants on the Day the Multiverse Burned.
Culture[]
A Helghast marching in the snow.
The Helghan Empire's fascist ideals emphasize 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 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 Helghan civilian's well-being. Also, many high ranking officials in the Helghast military hold little compassion for the civilians of Helghan or even their own soldiers, 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 nuke 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.
Government[]
Helghan's government and politics are modelled after militarism, fascism, and extreme nationalism. They are led by an Autarch, who is the supreme ruler and monarch of all the Helghast people. Some of the Empire's ideals are based off of the Third Reich.
Military[]
Foreign Relations[]
Gallery[]
