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"Defenders of the Helghast dream, NOW IS OUR TIME!"
Scolar Visari

The Second Extrasolar War was the second major war in the Alpha Centauri system waged between the ISA Alpha Centauri/United Colonial Nations and the Helghan Empire that lasted from 2357 to 2360. The war began with the Helghast invasion of Vekta in which it was repelled by the combined forces of ISA Alpha Centauri and the United Colonial Army. In 2359, the ISA launched a counter-invasion of planet Helghan in an failed attempt to end the war by capturing Scolar Visari in which it resulted in his death.

The war came to a very bitter end with Helghan's destruction in the Terracide; in which ISA forces under the leadership of Captain Jason Narville prevented the Helghast under Jorhan Stahl from attacking Earth with irradiated Petrusite weapons, and indirectly causing Stahl’s Petrusite payload to detonate over Helghan and completely devastating the planet. In the aftermath, an uneasy peace was signed and the survivors of Helghan were given refuge on Vekta.

Prelude[]

The roots of the Second Extrasolar War traces back to the aftermath of the First Extrasolar War in which the people of Helghan were subjugated to years of ISA sanctions and unfair trade restrictions. Consequently, the Helghan people lived a grueling life on the harsh planet, coping with poor working conditions and shorter life spans. Even as the Helghan people improved their conditions and even profit from Helghan's rich natural resources, they were constantly imposed by ISA restrictions while the Helghan Administration meekly accepted the status quo, creating an eternal resentment the Helghan people has toward the ISA.[3] Over a century after the resettlement, the Helghan people spawned a mutated generation that are biologically adapted to the planet's harsh environment.

By 2330, the continuation of Vekta's exploitation of Helghan ultimately led to a planet-wide economic depression. Vekta made massive profits from their monopoly of Helghan trade, but they did not reinvest their wealth on Helghan.[3] This deprived Helghan from the money needed to repair and maintain the planet's industrial infrastructure, leading to frequent industrial accidents where expensive machinery was not serviced sufficiently to cope with the harsh Helghan conditions, while Helghan's wealth was mainly spent on universal basic services for the planet's growing population.[3] This resulted in a severe economic downturn that lasted for twenty years and caused a deadly famine on Helghan, which was the first time since 2220.[3] Vekta was also affected by the depression and cannot spare the resources to aid Helghan. As Vekta was at fault for the depression, Helghan's people more than ever despised the ISA and their collaborators for the cause of their sufferings and misery, and the Helghan Administration lost its people's trust for its handling of the crisis.[3]

The depression soon gave rise to Scolar Visari, a charismatic politician who capitalized on Helghan people's growing anger and spoke of reclaiming Helghan's right from the ISA, which he quickly gathered a popular massive following. Visari voiced his opposition to the Helghan Administration and spread his ideology of Helghan superiority, claiming that Helghan's mutated people are a new and entirely superior race which he dubbed themselves "Helghast".[3] In 2347, Visari staged a successful popular military coup against the Helghan Administration after feigning an attempt on his life, taking over the Helghan government and assumed the title of "Autarch". Under Visari's rule, he reforge Helghan into a true independent power, turning it into a militaristic and xenophobic society.[3] Visari succeeded in rejuvenating Helghan's economy by trading its rich mineral resources to black-market suppliers on Vekta and later non-aligned colonies as the ISA began to lose interest in blockading Helghan. The depression on Helghan officially ended in 2350 with the Helghast establishing a resource contract with the Independent Colonial Strategic Alliance and allowing Visari to pour Helghan's newfound wealth into expanding the Helghast military and turning it into a reckoning force.[3][4] With Helghan on the verge of returning to its former glory, Visari made his intent to not only reclaim Vekta from the ISA but also toppling the UCN and establishing Helghan hegemony over all the colonies.

Meanwhile the ISA had grown complacent in the face of Helghan's resurgence. Since the early 24th century, Vekta had been at relative peace with Helghan and as a result, the ISA loosen the blockade of Helghan and significantly downsized the ISA Navy to a smaller customs fleet in favor of an orbital defense network, a series of satellite defense platforms to deter Helghast aggression.[3] However, the ISA's reliance on the defense network became their undoing. Unknown to the ISA, the Helghast infiltrated the ISA's upper echelons and secretly converted some within to support the Helghan Empire. Two high ranking ISA officers, Lieutenant General Stuart Adams and General Dwight Stratson, agreed to join Scolar Visari's cause and plotted to sabotage the ISA's defenses from within.

Invasion of Vekta[]

The first stage in the Helghast's expansionist plans was the reclamation of the ISA-controlled world of Vekta. With a pair of double agents in the ISA, Visari planned to have Vekta's orbital defenses deactivated and allowing Helghast forces to land on Vekta unimpeded and taking over the defense platforms that would be use to decimate the inevitable support fleet sent by the UCA. After defeating the UCA fleet, the Alpha Centauri system would then be under Helghast control and the UCN would be forced to sue for peace. Thereafter, the Helghast will 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 and later on to wage direct war on the UCN, taking control of its colonies and strangling Earth into submission.[3]

Beginning in early August 2357, the Helghast launched their invasion. Two Helghast fleets were dispatched, one to send after the ISA Navy and the other to invade Vekta. A UCA scouting force gave early warning of the imminent invasion, but their warnings came too late.[3] As the fleet approached, the SD Defense Network was ordered to open fire on the invaders, only to be suddenly deactivated by a supposed system malfunction.[5] In reality, Lieutenant General Stuart Adams, the appointed commander of the defense network, was responsible for sabotaging Vekta's defenses.

The ISA were taken by surprise by the defense network's failure to stop Helghast ships from landing. The Helghast overwhelmed unprepared ISA ground forces and managed to take large swaths of territory in a savage blitzkrieg. Inexperienced Helghast troops pinned down the ISA troops while more experienced soldiers were sent to take strategic locations in Vekta City.[1] ISA forces struggled, and failed, to hold the invaders back[6], and strategic locations such as the ISA Central Command were captured by the Helghast,[7] a result of both the reliance on the SD platforms, and the years of peace which the ISA forces on Vekta had lived under.[8] ISA General Bradley Vaughton was eventually able to reactivate the orbital defense network along with Adams; however, immediately after the defenses came back online, Adams murdered Vaughton and took control of the defense network for the Helghast, using it to target ISA forces on Vekta.[9]

UCN cruiser

The UCA fleet destroying the SD Platform.

By late August, however, the invasion had gradually shifted to the ISA's favor. The Helghast's ground campaign was disrupted by their failure to capture Vekta City and the loss of General of the Army Joseph Lente, the commander of the Helghast Third Army, by the actions of a small fighting team led by ISA RRF Captain Jan Templar.[10][3] The UCN received news of the attack and dispatched a UCA fleet to reinforce Vekta. As anticipated by the Helghast, they awaited their arrival and ambushed the fleet. After inflicting losses to the UCA, their attacks were thwarted by Templar's team, who disabled the defense network. The UCA fleet destroyed the Helghast's hold over the defense network, killing Adams in the process.[11]

Though the Helghast failed in their objectives, a sizable contingent remained on Vekta. Two months later, Scolar Visari appointed General Armin Metrac to take full command of the Third Army along with the Eighth and the Ninth Helghan Army in taking southern Vekta. Under Metrac's leadership, the Helghast were able to establish a stronghold in the mountains of the Redavni Plains and relentlessly took over the eastern continent. The ISA was left in a desperate position due to the loss of manpower from the Helghast's surprise attack and could only fight back through targeted surgical strikes. Stretched thin in committing the fight against Metrac's forces, the ISA High Command gave the approval to contract mercenaries.[12]

While advancing in the south, Metrac tasked Colonel Vyktor Kratek with invading and conquering the strategic city of Diortem, whose defense was led by Admiral Alex Grey. ISA forces quickly collapsed in front of the Helghast invading armies and Grey's herself was captured until she was freed by a squad of mercenaries from the Phantom Talon Corp, led by Arran Danner and Damian Ivanov.[13] The ISA and PTC later managed to repel the Helghast and retake Diortem, forcing Kratek to withdraw from the city.[14]

The ISA took into consideration of utilizing nuclear weapons against the Helghast from General Dwight Stratson's proposal, with the weapons being prepared in Rayhoven Base, but requiring the approval of the ISA Council, as nuclear weapons were seen as a taboo weapon that was highly political damaging for the ISA to use. Unknown to the ISA, Stratson secretly plotted with Metrac to give the nuclear weapons to the Helghast. Metrac's forces attacked and claimed Rayhoven while the ISA Council was in the midst of voting for the use of General Stratson's proposed nuclear plan. While Metrac succeeded in capturing the weapons, he was unable to acquire the launch codes. Metrac attempted to extract the codes from nuclear weapons designer Evelyn Batton while threatening the ISA of using the weapons against them unless they surrender. However, Metrac did not gain the launch codes and was killed by Jan Templar, while his fortress was destroyed by a pre-emptive ISA air strike ordered by General Stratson.[15]

All remaining Helghast forces left on Vekta fell under the leadership of the Helghast collaborator Dwight Stratson, who concealed his treachery to the ISA and used his seniority in the ISA in allowing the Helghast to continue their resistance in southern Vekta. Through Stratson's deceptions, numerous ISA commanders were eliminated in order to allow Stratson to be in control of the south. However, Stratson's treachery was soon discovered by Sergeant Rico Velasquez and Captain Templar, and was defeated by the latter in combat and arrested by the ISA. Realising that the invasion had failed, Visari ordered the remaining Helgast forces to withdraw from Vekta and fall back to Helghan. Despite having failed to reclaim Vekta, they managed to stole nuclear weapons and other high-tech weapons from the ISA, and brought them to their planet.[15][16]

The UCA deemed the situation on Vekta stabilized and withdrew its fleet from Alpha Centauri after issuing the ISA with specific orders to restore the Helghan blockade and not taking any other offensive action against the Helghast, and await the arrival of a Judge Advocate General's inquisition team to investigate the matter.[3] However, the ISA and Vektan Council refused to allow the Helghast go unpunished for the deaths and destruction they had brought to Vekta, and began drafting plans to defeat the Helghan Empire.

Operation Archangel[]

Main article: Operation Archangel
1huntitled

Helghast infantry during Operation Archangel.

Two years later, the ISA initiated Operation Archangel.[1] An ISA armada was launched to Helghan in November 2359 in order to swiftly end the war by capturing Scolar Visari and thereby pacifying the Helghan Empire despite the UCN's orders to merely reestablish a blockade. Visari had anticipated ISA retaliation and made preparations to defend Helghan at all cost. The ISA invasion force faced fierce resistance from Helghan's air defences and were unprepared to suffer heavy losses from their cruisers being shot down by Arc Cannons, stalling the invasion until the cannons were disabled by ISA-sponsored mercenaries.[17][18]

The ISA fleet moved over the Helghan capital of Pyrrhus and besieged the city. Prior to the invasion, Visari had the city's population evacuated to Konstantin.[19] A second wave of the ISA invasion fleet, Battle Group Mandrake, was organized by fleet commander and now-Colonel Jan Templar and deployed in the assault of Pyrrhus.[20][21] The ISA and Helghast fought in a brutal urban warfare, incurring very high casualties on both sides, though the ISA continued their advance and capturing Visari Square and Radec Academy.[22] However, the Helghast under Colonel Mael Radec activated a network of Arc Towers hidden beneath Pyrrhus which stopped the ISA from attacking the Imperial Palace.[23] To ensure Pyrrhus's defenses remain standing, Radec had made orders to defend the Petrusite refineries that powered the Arc Towers.[24]

Killzone2 screen21

ISA forces in action on Helghan's bleak urban slums.

Colonel Templar's special forces, Alpha Squad, managed to identified the location of the Petrusite distribution grid that powered Pyrrhus's defenses and made plans to disable the grid and allowing the ISA to resume their attack.[25] However, Battle Group Mandrake soon came under a surprise attack led by Radec. The flagship New Sun was boarded and Templar was fatally wounded by Radec, who then downloaded the ISA nuclear launch codes from the ship's computers. A dying Templar made his last moments to crashing his flagship into the Petrusite grid.[26] Although Templar's actions allowed the ISA an opening to Visari Palace, the Helghast used the stolen nuclear launch codes to rearm a ISA nuclear warhead and detonating it on Pyrrhus after having evacuated the bulk of the Helghast forces from the city.[27] The ISA lost most of its remaining forces from the nuclear attack, and those that survived were outside the city and conducting rescue operations following the attack on Battle Group Mandrake.[28]

The remains of the ISA were rallied under Captain Jason Narville and launched a final desperate push on the Palace. Colonel Radec led his forces in fanatically preventing the ISA from reaching Visari until they were driven to the Palace's doorsteps and dying to the last man. After securing the palace, Narville sent Sergeant Tomas Sevchenko and Rico Velasquez to take Scolar Visari into custody. But in an unfortunate turn of events, Visari was killed by Velasquez in a fit of anger and denying the ISA their chance of winning the war.[29] Shortly after Visari's death, the fleet of the Helghast First Army under Admiral Orlock launched a surprise attack on the remnants of the ISA invasion force. The ISA were forced in a frantic evacuation, which quickly devolved to a total rout, in a hurried and unsuccessful effort to withdraw from Helghan in which many ISA personnel were left stranded.[30][31]

Roughly six months after the failure of Operation Archangel, the Vektan Colonial Government capitulated to the Helghan government's demands, agreeing to a ceasefire. The ISA forces that had been left behind on Helghan waged a guerilla war against the Helghast and attempted to find a way to escape the planet. The ISA under Captain Jason Narville would later learn of Vekta's ceasefire after establishing communication with Vekta. Narville was ordered to stand down and surrender himself and his men to the Helghast in order to be negotiated in their release as prisoners of war; however, Narville refused to follow their orders due to how prisoners were poorly and brutally treated under the Helghast. Shortly after learning the ceasefire, Narville's men came under attack by Stahl Arms in which he and some of his men were captured and while the rest were executed.[32] The ISA captives were then transferred to Stahl Arms Deep South.[33]

Helghan Civil War[]

In the wake of Visari's death, a political power struggle developed within the High Council between Admiral Orlock of the Helghast Military and Jorhan Stahl, influential chairman of the private weapons manufacturer Stahl Arms, concerning on who would become Visari's successor. Stahl, in a bid to prove himself as more competent to lead Helghan's military,[34] developed advanced weapons using irradiated Petrusite gathered from the Pyrrhus nuclear blast zone,[30] such as newly advanced Arc Cannons, irradiated Petrusite-based perimeter defenses and energy shielding, and his experimental flagship which carried hundreds of missiles whose warheads were filled with irradiated Petrusite.[35] Alongside a massive Helghast invasion fleet to accompany his flagship, Stahl planned to eradicate all life on Earth by saturating the entire planet with Petrusite missiles, and thus fulfilling Helghan's victory and dominance over the colonies.[36]

However, the power struggle between Orlock and Stahl began to escalate, with Stahl's refusal to hand over his irradiated Petrusite weapons to the military and the successful operations conducted by the ISA remnants, which include the liberation of Captain Jason Narville from a live execution overseen by Stahl. The Helghan Senate, having grown tired of Stahl's arrogance and his failure to execute Narville, eventually voted Orlock as Autarch, who then used his new authority to order Stahl to turn over his Petrusite weapons and ships to the First Army. Stahl had no intentions of obeying the new Autarch as he was aware Orlock had made plans on having him executed after securing his weapons. The rivalry came to a violent climax aboard Helghan's spaceport, resulting in the death of Autarch Orlock and the Helghast race being plunged into civil war.[35]

In the midst of this, the ISA remnants were given the opportunity to steal several Helghast transports and to foil Stahl's attack on Earth. ISA soldiers led by Tomas Sevchenko hijacked Helghast Strike Fighters and attacked Stahl's flagship, destroying its Warp Coil from traveling to Earth and causing the flagship to plummet toward Helghan's surface. When Stahl attempted to land his ship, Sevchenko launched a nuclear missile on the flagship, causing the vessel's irradiated Petrusite arsenal to detonate over Helghan, and Stahl was presumed killed in the explosion. The resulting wave of energized radiation incinerated the entire Helghast invasion fleet, the spaceport, and violently irradiated all life on Helghan's surface in what became known as the Terracide. Managing to avoid the cataclysmic explosion in time, the remaining ISA forces under Narville and Sevchenko then made their way back home to Vekta.[35]

Aftermath[]

Helghan

The war ends with Helghan's destruction.

The Second Extrasolar War ended with the death of an entire world. With the devastation of the Helghast race and complete destruction of their military, industry and leadership, the Helghan Empire was decimated and the ISA emerged in pyrrhic victory. An uneasy truce was negotiated between the ISA and Helghast in which the survivors of Helghan were granted refuge on Vekta in order to broker peace, allowing them to colonize half the planet which they dubbed it New Helghan.[37]

KZSF Welcome to Vekta

The flight to Vekta, and so ends the war.

Despite peace returning to Alpha Centauri, the war had only left a permanent bitter hatred between the Vektans and Helghast, especially the latter who loathed their enemies for—though accidentally—destroying their world. Both civilizations were unable to seek peaceful coexistence, as domestic unrest became increasingly common between humans and Helghast on Vekta. As a result a massive wall was constructed across the planet to separate the Helghast and human communities, setting the stage of a highly tense cold war between the Vektans and New Helghan.

Unknown to the public, only a portion of the Helghan population took refuge on Vekta as others were unable to evacuate from their planet. Those that remained on Helghan were rallied under Jorhan Stahl, who survived the Terracide and led them to secretly rebuild Helghan's military might for the next three decades, preparing for the Helghast's final war with Vekta.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Killzone: Ascendancy Part 1, Chapter 4
  2. Killzone Shadow Fall intro
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 Timeline retrieved from the official Killzone website
  4. Briefing 573968
  5. Killzone, campaign level Helghast Assault
  6. Conversation between General Vaughton and Jan Templar during Killzone, campaign level Helghast Assault
  7. Killzone, campaign level Vekta Evacuates
  8. "Orders to Colonel Kratek"
  9. Killzone, campaign level Escape
  10. Killzone, campaign level Hidden Pasts
  11. Killzone, campaign level Hope
  12. Private Correspondence
  13. Killzone: Mercenary, campaign level Justice For All
  14. Killzone: Mercenary, campaign level Code of Engagement
  15. 15.0 15.1 Killzone: Liberation
  16. From High Command
  17. Killzone: Mercenary, campaign level Lightning Strike
  18. "Defence Status Report"
  19. "Civilians" loading screen
  20. Intro of Killzone 2
  21. "The New Sun"
  22. Killzone 2, campaign level Corinth River
  23. Killzone 2, campaign level Salamun Bridge
  24. "Orders To Security"
  25. Killzone 2, campaign level Tharsis Refinery
  26. Killzone 2, campaign level The Cruiser
  27. "Project Red Dust"
  28. Killzone 2, campaign level Maelstra Barrens
  29. Killzone 2, campaign level Visari Palace
  30. 30.0 30.1 Killzone 3, campaign level Evacuation Orders
  31. Killzone 3, campaign level Pyrrhus Evac
  32. Killzone 3, campaign level Six Months On
  33. Killzone 3, campaign level Icy Incursion
  34. Conversations between the High Council during campaign level Six Months On
  35. 35.0 35.1 35.2 Killzone 3, campaign level Interception
  36. Killzone 3, campaign level Stahl Arms Infiltration
  37. Killzone Visual Design
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