VEKTAN MINISTRY OF INFORMATION,
BRIEFING #573968
THE HELGHAST VIEW OF HISTORY - A DANGEROUS FICTION
The Helghast sense of themselves as a nation, and their claims to Vekta, are based upon two powerful though apparently contradictory myths.
THE HELGHAST AS VICTIMS
The Helghast insist that their ancestors were the original colonists of planet Vekta, forced into exile by an oppressive Earth regime. This ignores the fact that they used their strategic position to exert a stranglehold on trade and the flow of resources throughout the Alpha Centauri system, finally declaring independence from Earth rule. Only then was force used against them, the ISA intervening to secure peace and prosperity for all colonies in the system.
Attempts at reconciliation were met by guerrilla warfare, terrorist acts claiming the lives of innocent civilians alongside ISA troops stationed on Vekta to maintain law and order. When the campaign of terror failed, those behind it chose to resettle on the mineral-rich planet of Helghan, and were allowed to do so unimpeded. Any hardships they suffered as a result were entirely self-inflicted.
THE MASTER RACE
The harsh conditions on Helghan had undeniable physical effects on the settlers. But the psychological impact was even more profound, feelings of isolation growing over successive generations to become a sense of 'otherness'.
The genius of Scolar Visari was to define this otherness as superiority. Appointing himself Emperor following a military coup, he shaped age-old feelings of grievance into a sense of purpose, making it clear the Helghast would take by might what they considered theirs by right.
He began by disrupting the flow of essential resources from Helghan to Vekta and the other planets. Low level black market trading was rapidly replaced by the full-scale diversion of energy and materials to the unaligned colonies, once again threatening the security of the star system.
This was accompanied by a massive expansion of the Helghast war machine. Admiral Alex Grey, who represented the ISA at the Peace Commission chaired by Ambassador Sepp Harkin, argued that this could be a show of force to strengthen the Helghast negotiating position. But the failure of these negotiations. combined with Visari's extreme rhetoric and brutal repression of dissent at home, suggests otherwise.
Now as before, the ISA must be vigilant in defense of the freedoms of the entire star system.
Ministry of Information, Vekta City, January 2356