The Rise of the Helghan Empire
Helghan’s Origins
The conclusion of the Great Interstellar War and the downfall of Janos Helghan did not signify the end of the Helghast ideology. On the prison planet of Furrow, where millions of UN and Helghast prisoners were incarcerated in vast complexes, a new chapter unfolded. Three years prior to the war's end in 2295, the Free Human Alliance (FHA) took control of Furrow and repurposed it as a prison facility. When the Great Hyperspace Disaster isolated the planet, General Aaron Simm, the FHA commander, faced a dire decision—either let the prisoners perish or negotiate an agreement. Amidst the complex dynamics of the incarcerated population, ranging from staunch Helghast loyalists to UN soldiers coerced into combat, a prisoner uprising erupted. This event triggered the collapse of the prison structures, plunging Furrow into a thirty-year-long global anarchy known as the Uprising. Thousands of gangs and aspiring nations formed by ex-prisoners engaged in relentless conflict against the FHA forces. Despite the FHA's deployment of nuclear weapons in a desperate bid to quell the rebellion, the effort proved futile. Instead, Furrow descended into a nightmarish radioactive wasteland, emblematic of the enduring chaos spawned by the Uprising. The planet, once a battleground between ideologies, now lay in ruin, a testament to the persistent legacy of Helghan's ideology and the tumultuous consequences of the Uprising.
Photo of an unknown rebel soldier (2330s CE)
Amidst the turmoil, the New Helghast Front emerged as a formidable force, comprising former members of the Helghast Party and ex-soldiers seeking purpose and command. Over time, it burgeoned into the largest rebel faction on the planet. Aligned with the ideological tenets of Janos Helghan, the Front's stance grew increasingly extreme as the brutality of the war escalated. The triumvirate of ex-UN general Garen Heddle, former Helghast Party member Elisha Carus, and notorious Helghast Party commissar Arman Mitko wielded absolute authority, dealing lethal punishments to those who dared question them. As the FHA crumbled under the relentless assault, the New Helghast Front seized control of the planet in 2341. In homage to their former leader, they established the Helghan Republic and, as a symbolic gesture, renamed Furrow to Helghan. The rise of the Helghast marked a dark chapter in the planet's history, entrenching the legacy of Helghan's ideology in the very fabric of its existence.
The Triumvirate. Garen Heddle (far left), Elisha Carus (middle) and Arman Mitko (far right)
The Helghan Republic
The initial decade following the "reunification" of Helghan was characterized by internal strife and betrayal. The triumvirate's rule, led by Garen Heddle, Elisha Carus, and Arman Mitko, faltered within a year, ultimately leading to the assassination of Elisha Carus in a car bombing. The surviving triumvirs, Heddle and Mitko, found themselves at odds. Field Marshal Garen Heddle aimed for a transition to a more republican system, advocating for limited voting reinstatement and partial privatization of industry. In contrast, Commissar General Arman Mitko sought an unyielding government, advocating for the elimination of voting and the establishment of a supreme executive. The power struggle reached its zenith in 2353 during Heddle's Purge, as army officers loyal to him stormed the Helghast capital, Pyrrhus. Mitko and his associates were arrested, leading to Heddle's proclamation as Autarch of the Helghast Republic, granting him unrestricted authority for three years. Executing Mitko and his followers, Heddle purged the government of hardliners and instituted the Helghast Senate. Voting privileges were restricted to the 'Loyal,' approximately two million Helghan citizens who had fought for the Helghast during the Uprising. In 2358, the first elections were held, resulting in Heddle's landslide victory and his subsequent appointment as the inaugural President of the Helghan Republic.
Photo of everyday life in Helghan's capital city, Pyrrhus
The Helghan people grappled with the harsh realities of their planet's atmosphere for more than a century. Helghan, a semi-irradiated, desert-like world, featured limited plant life confined to jungle patches and massive hydroponic farms. In the initial two decades of the Helghan Republic's existence, mortality rates soared due to cancers induced by irradiation. Birth defects became prevalent, rendering men and women infertile, a problem only acted on when industrialists began to see a decline in their workforce. The majority of the population, except for the privileged residing in enclosed mega sanctuaries, found themselves compelled to wear masks over their mouths for a significant part of their lives. While the affluent could afford clean air, protection against solar gamma radiation, and procedures like hair transplants to counteract radiation effects, the impoverished adapted to the reality of life. As successive generations unfolded, the lower classes began to forge an identity not merely as humans of Helghan but as the Helghast—a distinct iteration of humanity shaped by their harsh environment and societal disparities.
Clinics on Helghan during the early years
Heddle’s new Helghan Republic had stabilized for a time, with industry beginning to boom in the mid 2380s. However, most wealth and power lay in the hands of the industrialist families like the Stahls, Belvoirs and Heddles, who had seized some of the best plots of land for themselves after the war. These industrialists would field private armies that rivaled that of the state, forcing the Senate to listen to their demands. By the 2410s, the presidents of the Republic had become puppets of the industrialist families, who each vied for control over the planet. During this time crime skyrocketed, with the cities becoming hives of organized gangs who often controlled entire city blocks. Outside the cities and core areas of the planet, vast marauder bands prowled the badlands, raiding and destroying settlements and harassing corporate convoys. Whilst the planet was officially ruled from Pyrrhus, central government barely existed.
In the mid-2430s, a notable shift began with the emergence of the Helghast Workers Movement in the decaying cities of Helghan. Comprising self-identified Helghast workers, this movement viewed figures like Garen Heddle and the industrial elite as traitors to the legacy of Janos Helghan, whom they idolized. Their stance emphasized the removal of power from the grasp of the industrialists as a prerequisite for achieving supremacy. However, the movement faced swift suppression orchestrated by the Government, the industrialists, and the gangs, often aligned with corporate interests. Despite the crackdown, the Helghast Workers Movement gave rise to the clandestine dissemination of the Mitko Codex, a collection of teachings attributed to Janos Helghan and transcribed by Arman Mitko. Though officially banned, the codex rapidly circulated throughout the planet, evolving into a symbol of resistance. Eventually, this subversive text would find its way into the hands of an idealistic son of a wealthy industrialist in the capital city of Pyrrhus.
The Rise of Scolar Visari
Born in 2458 to Antrim and Bella Visari, Scolar Visari belonged to the industrial elite of the Helghan System. Though not as extensive as some other families, the Visaris had accumulated wealth through ore mining in the asteroid belts of the Helghan System. Antrim Visari, Scolar's father, transitioned into the role of family head after his childless elder brother's passing, having previously served as a senator. A serious yet caring man, Antrim prioritized instilling independence and intelligence in his children, deviating from what he considered the excesses of many industrialists.While Antrim's eldest son, Vander, and his eldest daughter, Brianna, pursued education at the prestigious College of Konstantine, Scolar followed a different path. As the third-born son, he attended military school, where he acquired knowledge of military training, etiquette, and developed a lifelong fascination with warfare. During this time, however, Scolar also became acutely aware of the inadequacies within the Helghan Armed Forces and the pervasive corruption within the army and the state. Tours and firsthand experiences revealed the dire state of Helghan, leading to a disillusioned Scolar resigning his commission upon completing his initial five-year tour.
Contrary to his parents' expectations, Scolar turned to academia. While his elder siblings ascended the social hierarchy, Scolar delved into researching Helghan's past. In the Helghan National Library, he stumbled upon a copy of the Mitko Codex in the restricted section. The content of the codex captivated him, prompting Scolar to question the accuracy of the teachings about Janos Helghan disseminated in schools, suspecting that the official narrative might not reveal the complete truth. Scolar quickly found himself immersed in the underground movement of the Helghast Workers Movement, and silently supported their subversive methods. However, he also understood that there could be no possible way for Helghan to be changed whilst the industrialists held so much power.
In the early 2480s the financial system collapsed. Methane deposits, one of the main ways of powering Helghan’s factories, dried up, leading to a collapse of productivity. As the industrialists tried to hold on to their wealth they began to pull funding from government projects, leading to mass unemployment. Millions starved and millions more perished from a lack of basic health care. Crime, already high, increased further, and soon protests erupted across the planet. Enter Scolar Visari, who during a meeting within the Konstantine branch of the Helghast Workers Movement, announced his resignation and the formation of a new party, simply called the Helghast Party, in homage to Janos Helghan’s original movement. The Helghast Party’s main focus was the supremacy of the Helghast people at any cost, this included the idea that the Helghast were no longer just human, but better than humans.
Scolar Visari during a Helghast Party Rally (circa 2490 CE)
Soon thousands began to join the Helghast Party as Visari’s rhetoric appealed to the disillusioned masses. To shake off the air of industrialist in him he shaved his hair off to appeal to the Helghan masses, whilst also wearing faux military uniforms to appeal to the militarist middle class. He founded the Shocktroopers, a paramilitary wing of the Helghast Party that protected him as he traveled around the planet delivering speeches. Despite the misgivings of some of the elite, soon wealthy donors began to invest in him. However, he was not the only rising political force. The Helghast Workers Party, alarmed at the rise of a new party, united behind the view that all Helghast get the vote, advocating for a form of national democracy. For Visari and for the industrialists this was not acceptable, and soon they began to align their views. The main obstacle to Visari gaining the support of the wealthy elite, which he knew he needed for the rebuilding of Helghan, was the Heddle family.
From Republic to Empire
Shocktroopers, the Paramilitary wing of the Helghast Party
Amid widespread protests, the government yielded to pressure and opened up voting to all political parties. In the 2492 elections, the Helghast Party secured victory by a narrow margin, catapulting Scolar Visari into the presidency. With this newfound authority, Visari swiftly moved to implement his agenda. Through a popular plebiscite, he garnered support to dissolve the Helghan Senate and acquired emergency powers. In 2494, citing intelligence about an alleged coup plot by the influential Heddle Family, Visari executed a ruthless purge across Helghan society. The Heddles were eradicated, and their wealth seized by the state. All political parties, particularly targeting the Helghast Workers Party, were banned, leading to the arrests of hundreds of thousands of dissenters, who were sent to makeshift camps. By the year's end, Visari officially declared the end of the Helghan Republic, proclaiming the establishment of the Helghan Empire, with himself as Autarch.
In 2495 Visari began a campaign of annihilation against the organized crime structures that gripped Helghan. In the cities millions were incarcerated, with thousands being killed in shootouts with Shocktroopers and law enforcement. In the badlands all out war was waged against the hordes of biker gangs and scav groups that blighted the area. Millions died, but by 2499 crime had dropped dramatically and Visari publicly declared victory against organized crime. However, during this time millions had been arrested and sent to camps, either to work as forced laborers or to be ‘reeducated’. Whilst some were guilty of their crimes, most were not criminals, but those considered subversives by the Helghast State.
In 2498, Scolar received news suggesting the potential resurgence of interstellar space travel, courtesy of the Stresser Particle—an element crucial for FTL travel. During a speech on Helghan Independence Day in 2499, Visari disclosed the breakthrough, announcing that the state had found a way to achieve FTL speeds once again.
