THE BLACK ROSE
AN ORIGINAL AND UN-OFFICIAL KILLZONE FAN-FICTION
PROLOGUE
HELGHAN - MAY 21ST, 2360
The loss of the First Extrasolar War to Earth's ISA forces has left the survivors of the Helghan Corporation stranded and hopeless on the barren homeworld of the same name. This, along with decades of inefficient and corrupt administration, allowed a man called Scolar Visari to ascend to power and establish a fascist-like society over what they now call themselves 'Helghast'.
Quickly militarizing the planet and radically changing cultural aspects of Helghan's society, Visari claimed himself the Autarch, Emperor of the Helghast, imposing his dream of expansion. Visari launched an unprovoked, but failed invasion campaign on the neighboring lush planet of Vekta and the local ISA forces stationed there. The Second Extrasolar War had begun.
The ISA responded the act of war in 2359 with an invasion fleet headed to Helghan, led by Vektan war hero Jan Templar, with the goal of aprehending Visari and restoring freedom and order to Helghan. Unfortunately, the ISA came to underestimate Helghast weapons' technology and the zeal of the Helghast: The majority of the ISA invasion fleet was destroyed, Templar was killed in action and the original objectives failed with Visari's death by hands of ISA trooper Rico Velasquez.
Visari's death left the Helghast Empire in a power vacuum, but also increased the enemy hatred for the ISA. The original invasion ground forces, led by Captain Jason Narville, sought to retreat to Vekta and regroup, but were stranded for six months. During this period, ISA remnants battled both forces of the original Helghast military, under Admiral Orlock, and private military forces loyal to Jorhan Stahl, Chairman of Helghan's primary weapons' distributor.
In a daring attack which also involved a rescue operation, Narville, Velasquez and ISA soldier Thomas Sevchenko succeeded in leaving Helghan, returning the invasion force to Vekta and tearing apart a Helghast plan to invade and irradiate Earth, but with drastic results: The entire Helghan was saturated with the same Petrusite weapons intended for Earth and other ISA planets. All life and even the Helghast species are presumed extinguished.
However, what is not known is that there are remnants of the once Helghast Empire still living on the newly desolated world. Out of the ten billion Helghast once living on Helghan, only one million still live. And out of the one hundred and twenty cities, towns and villages once standing, one still stands.
Unlike what many books, comics, movies and games and other media of the sci-fi genre would suggest, space wasn't beautiful. It was merely trillions and trillions of specks of dust, merely floating over the black void. The only feature to it was the sun and it's glowing sovereignity, but still that wasn't impressive enough. And the other features like planets and moons were simply too dull to be impressive, the only difference amongst planets being their immobile like appearance.
But one planet recently became the exception. A planet filled with a greenish atmosphere, but acting the most chaotic and violent way ever imagined. Recently because two facts were known of what happened: The event was man-made. And it was a product of war. The planet in question, called Helghan, wasn't always like that, it was a mere dull ball of rock. But, thanks to the actions of a few men against a huge army, the effects of irradiated Petrusite have virtually wiped out the same huge army and all life on the surface. The same men who flied away from the planet and it's moon in a varied group of stolen enemy gunships.
Gunships, obviously, aren't confortable to sleep in, not when piloting manually neither in auto-pilot, which was set to Vekta, a lush Eden-like planet not so far, but a few days away from Helghan, given the speed of those gunships. But that was what Thomas Sevchenko and Rico Velasquez had to make due, despite the fact they could sleep in the conforting quarters of a huge space cruiser. The problem was, obviously, there was no space cruiser nearby.
Sevchenko, most of his friends getting used to call him 'Sev', and Velasquez, whom everyone mentions by his first name, had different appearance and stature. Sev was caucasian, tall and hoarded a hair and facial hair more fit for militia or World War I soldiers. Rico had the same hair and beard problem, but beared a standard quasi-black power. He himself had a skin color of a mix between Latin-American and African-American racial features, was considerably shorter than Sev and had temper issues compared to his 'gunman' in the backseat. But, if there was one thing they had in common, were the colors they worked with: The standard olive-green military issue of the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance, created to protect and keep order over the colonies of Earth, humanity's homeworld under the flag of the United Colonial Nations, reformed over Earth's 21st Century's UN once humanity expanded it's borders through out Mars and outside the Sol System. As the second thing was they worked together on the same Alpha Squadron, though Rico was somewhat five years older in battle experience than Sev.
Both of them were calm, but also worried at the same time what would happen if the UCN and ISA High Command found out it were they who had the brilliant idea of doing that stunt move than unleashed the Petrusite Armageddon. Hell, at least that was the name Rico made up in that hour. They had a lot of action in just one day, but still, morale went on high. Despite so many losses, so many shortcomings and the fact of staying stranded in the enemy-infested hellhole for over six months, they didn't just prevent the hated Helghast Empire from devastating Earth with their new weapons of mass destruction, they brought down a whole Empire, and with just one blast! Now, the only detail the UCN and ISA wasn't aware of was the fact it might have come at the cost of virtually the entire Helghast species, courtesy of the worldwide irradiated Petrusite blast. Still, they'd face the consequences when they'd come. After all, they weren't the ones toying with something so dangerous like that, the Helghast had their part on it, by trying to turn it into a weapon against the ISA.
On another gunship, however, a short-haired caucasian man, Captain Jason Narville, didn't agree with any of that. He didn't agree with everything his two subordinates did, despite the successful results of these moves, as well as he'd be damned if they got acclaimed for the feat of defeating the Helghast (Higs, as ISA lower ranks would name) and ending the Second Extrasolar War. 'Extrasolar' because Helghan, as well as Vekta, were outside the boundaries of the Sol System. Narville, anyways, was thinking of several ideas, ideas of doing something rather than facing court-martial and going to history as the man who killed a whole species, because one thing was certain for him: He wouldn't fall down along with Velasquez and Sevchenko because of their gung-ho tactics. And they were out of their minds, going back home when there was a high probabilty of the ISA figuring out it was they who unleashed world-wide destruction.
Commiting suicide? It was possible, the Soviet officers in World War II did so to avoid court-martial for failing to hold against the Nazi Germans. But Narville wasn't so much capable of taking his own life, as he was taught in catholic schools suicidals went straight to Hell. Running away or go into hiding would be useful, but that'd only incite the ISA to scour systems with their technology to look for him as a criminal. Changing everything, from identities to his own face would mean he'd need to spend resources he didn't have with contacts he didn't know who they were or where to look for. The ideas just kept coming, one more insane than the other, with beneficial results, but ultimately came also the problems who'd counter-balance potential with crude reality.
Questions also came through the Captain's head: Why to accept you and your men just murdered ten billion people? Why would you take the fall along with Sevchenko and Velasquez? It was they who had to answer for what they did, Rico above anyone else: He started the whole damn thing when he shot the Helghast Autarch to death! Now, as Rico was used to have a deep hatred for the Higs, he got the wish of his life, he massacred a whole planet and a whole damn species went along the drain! Narville was now wishing he was dead in Helghan instead of running back to Vekta, knowing he'd have to face a bunch of bureaucrats and Human Rights activists screaming the names 'Murderer', 'Bastard' and 'Genocide' at him.
So much lives, so many faces, those he knew shooting them face front with his guns and those he didn't even came to know of in the holocaust. It was too much, even for him, who faced off insurgents, terrorists and riots. Who witnessed first hand Helghast determination when they detonated nuclear ordinance, stolen from the ISA, on their own city... What were nukes, compared to what irradiate Petrusite could do? What even were nukes? From what he saw minutes ago, nuclear weapons were just planetary grenades!
"Sir?"
But, in a sudden, all thoughts and all that silence went dead with a voice, coming from his pilot on the frontal seat.
"Sir... Are you okay?", once against the pilot asked.
"Oh, Rodent... Nothing much. Just, uh... Much in the head.", Narville replied.
"Sounds like you worried about how we'll explain that.", replied Rodent, gesturing at the Petrusite-filled globe.
"Yes, soldier... Something like that.", Narville said after taking a moment to consider it. He also let a brief sigh on what Rodent claimed.
The young, caucasian pilot also took a moment to reflect on what his superior officer claimed. That meant Rodent would also face some serious trouble with the investigation crew, given Rodent was close to Narville most of the time, more than Hooper was. The bureaucrats wouldn't be able to dig out anything related of the incident out of Rodent, but doubtless they'd make a deal to lie about him and bring the whole world down over poor Narville.
The only thing was that if there was something Rodent learned in his years of training was that the Corps' problems weren't politicians' problems, and doing such a thing with a brother in arms meant turning on the Corps, his own dignity, and his fellow men on a farther scale. But it would be nigh impossible for him, or Narville, to get away with such a huge load like that.
Unless...
"Sir? I don't know if you'll agree with it, but...", Rodent suggested but also hesitated.
"What? What's it, Rodent?", asked Narville, having his attention caught by Rodent's voice.
"Well, Captain, I don't know how to smooth it, but, uh...", continued Rodent, hesitant of the Captain's possible reaction.
"What?", insisted Narville.
Rodent just let out a brief sight and went straight to the point. "I think it'd be far safer for both of us if we just... ran away."
A moment of silence echoed through the small ship. Narville then released a brief, sarcastic laugh. "And where to, might I ask?", asked him. "No, offense, son, but even the closest ISA space post is likely to go on top of us the moment we set foot on it."
"I didn't mean any of it, sir.", replied Rodent. "One of my uncles, he's pretty old now, owns a farm in the Baltus colony, somewhat afar from normal ISA surveillance. He's one amongst my family who supports every ISA decision, but he thinks family comes first, and he's not so keen with military. We might go there and he could hand us some solace."
"Really?", asked Narville, but still with a sarcastic tone. Not that the idea was bad, Baltus, a farming colony on ISA borders, was perfect to lay low, but the Captain wasn't too sure about it. It was likely someone would tip them off. "And how we're supposed to make it, if we'll have the whole ISA intel looking every rock for us?", Narville inquired.
"If we head there now, land, get rid of the ship and lay low on foot 'til we get there.", answered Rodent. "I just need your say so, and we're both away from the group. Yes or no, sir?"
Narville sit back for a while and tried to consider. But he knew a decision had to be made. A decision concerning his future and that of his loyal and more obedient subordinate.
"Sev? Rico? Any of you in?", called a female voice on the gunship radio, the ship where the mentioned two were in. The voice belong to Jammer, a hood female caucasian on one of the gunships.
"Sev? Rico?", Jammer asked again. The radio's voice made Sev wake up and slowly pick the co-pilot radio on his right side, replying in an almost-sleeping manner.
"Jammer? Is that you?", Sev asked.
"No, jackass, it's Santa wishing happy holidays.", replied Jammer in a gung-ho fashion. "Now wake Rico up, I think we got a leak."
"A what?", Sev inquired.
"Someone just broke off from the group.", Jammer said.
"Huh?", Sev didn't get the message quite clearly.
"Look to the left.", Jammer explained. Sev did so, beholding one stolen Helghast dropship going in a different direction.
That sight was all Sev needed to snap off his dream time, he looked to Rico in the front seat and tapped his head. "Rico, wake up. Hey, Rico!"
"Uh, what?" The sergeant woke up scared from his sleep time, looking sideways. When he realized he was safe in the gunship's seat, a feeling of tired annoyance went over him. "Sev, what the fuck..."
"Your left, Rico!", urged Sev, pointing at the now tiny gunship.
Rico did so, seeing a gunship go away. "Huh?" He widened his eyes to the new event. "Who the hell is that?"
"I don't know, but Jammer told he's a broker. He's off course and from us.", Sev answered.
"WHAT?", Rico already snapped off his sleeping behaviour, more alert than if we has in a base under siege. He picked up the radio in front of him. "This is Raider 1, all units, rise and shine! One of you just broke off, who the fuck was it?"
"Not me and Hooper, sure as hell.", replied Jammer.
"Come on guys, reply who's here.", Sev insisted. Other voices came on the radios.
"Raider 3 is here, Alvarez and Gutmann.", a male voice came on the radio.
"Raider 5, Natko and Miller. We're still here.", another male voice also replied.
"Raider 4, Kowalski and Devon here.", another voice followed. Male.
"Raider 6 still on course and on group, Lloyd and Dunbar.", the final voice replied.
But no answer came from Raider 2.
"Raider 2, you there?", Rico asked. "Is it you Raider 2?"
No reply came.
"NARVILLE, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?", Rico shouted, almost being certain it was their Captain who literally 'jumped ship'. After no replies, the answer confirmed the suspect.
"Wait, so it was Narville?", asked Natko. "Doesn't make sense, where the hell he'd go?"
"Like if I know. And a better question is: Why he'd go now?", replied Sev, wondering. Did it have something to do with what just happened? Who could know the reasons?
"Scratch it, Raider 1.", replied Kowalski. "Want us to go after him?"
"Screw it.", replied Rico. "Whatever he's up to, it's better off we leave him."
"But, Rico... Ain't he the Cap?", asked Natko.
"Captain Pussy, if you ask me.", replied Jammer.
Rico couldn't help but let out a laughter, something he didn't do for a long time. 'Captain Pussy?', he thought. 'Sounds even like a sunday cartoon reject! Where the fuck did she get that one out?' Not even in the most desperate hours people like Jammer and the once alive Pvt. Dante Garza lost their sense of humour.
"Anyways, we still have a long way back to Vekta, so we'd waste time pursuing him.", Jammer said, returning to the subject. "Who guarantees those babies won't run out of juice?"
"She's got a point, Raider 1.", Kowalski replied. "Where ever Narville's going, just leave him. The jumping ship attitude will only make things hard for him."
"Yeah.", replied Sev. "Speaking of which, what we're gonna say to Command once they find out that Petrusite bull move?"
"The usual. Collateral damage.", replied Gutmann.
"Eh, we're not talking 'bout just some bunch of civvies we shot by accident.", commented Natko. "That's 'bout billions we killed with that stunt. That's way heavy."
Everyone went silent that moment. Natko said some pure truth. Things were going to get heavy, given the fact irradiated Petrusite wasn't something to be taken lightly. Still, Rico had one word for them.
"Screw'em top brass. We didn't have the idea. Hell, we didn't even know it'd make that! And that's what we're saying to all the bureaucrats and whatnot. Besides, Narville was top one, right? That'd be his responsibility to keep us on leash."
"Rico, it ain't just that easy!", replied Sev, insulted with such lack of consideration for a superior officer. "Yes, he jumped off, but with reasons. If we're all facing court-martial, he'd take most of the flak! Problem is, you too got issues against the Higs, and that's something they'll use to screw everyone up! But you also told us what to say, so we stick to it. You just control your racist attitude, Rico, and we'll be fine. Same applies to your insubordination."
"Ha! Insubordination!", scoffed Rico. "Case you don't remind, Sev, it was me who saved everyone, including Mr. Ungreatful, back on that rock, right? I even saved you!"
"Yeah, but knowing these types, they don't take it easy like we do.", replied Sev.
"Sorry, Rico, but Sev's right. We gotta lay low for a while.", concluded Jammer. Everyone knew Rico could bring trouble with his attitude, so the best was to keep him on leash. That was until the matter was let by. Not that it'd take a short time for the Petrusite matter to wave away, anyway.
Rico let out a brief sigh. "All right, folks, I lay low. But just for this court-martial shit, alright?"
"Fine. Now, if matters are done with, I'd like to get some rest.", replied Natko.
"Roger. Radio silence from now on, it's gonna be a long trip to Vekta. Raider 1 out.", finished Sev, turning off his radio and putting it back on place. Then he went on to try and sleep again.
Rico, instead, did shut his radio, but he reflected for a while on the reinforced windows outside. He thought of how he didn't have problems like this in the past, way before the invasion of Helghan, during the invasion of Vekta. But then he decided to sleep, what he'd face tomorrow he'd do it tomorrow. That was his way of dealing with things. That day was just another work day.
Therefore, the group of six gunships passed on through Helghast space. In one or two days, they'd reach the border. Should everything go on fine, they'd reach Vektan high orbit.
On the surface...
Many once remembered Helghan as a barren, but a liveable land. The sun would impose it's light and heat over it's dry land, but that was only near areas urbanized by the migthy Helghast Empire. The planet also contained the most exotic, flora and fauna, savage and defying enough to envy the softness of Earth's ecology. It held gigantic polar caps which would prevent, for a far good time, any unpredictable natural events against the subjects of the nation. The night proved to be a far beautiful one, with constellations that'd exemplify the grace of Helghan lying on a bed of Star Gods.
But there was no more of it. Now there was ruin. Devastation. Death. And an endless, green and sickening curtain of tempests and chaotic radiation, imposed by irradiated Petrusite, on what once was a tan, but senere sky. There was few things left intact, and such was the remainder of Helghast kind. Such thing was the pair of Helghast troopers walking towards to what would seem a space pod.
The Helghast had descended from humanity, obviously, having mutated to a point where they grown accostumed to the quasi-toxic atmosphere of Helghan. Many Helghast died from such changes, but those who lived were far stronger, faster, taller and more resilient than any human beings. It was a sort of a trade-off, early hardship for a physical benefit. Over the eons preceding the Second Extrasolar War and after the First one, the Helghast of the current times were nothing short of adaptable. The average Helghast type was pale-skinned, bald and had a sort of natural dark browning in their eyes' lower brows. There were course the Half-Helghast, who retained several human features as hair and such, but still remained Helghast in blood.
When the Autarch emerged to take over the reigns of the once broken people, he demanded all within his realm utilized the respirator mask and googles many forgot so long after their adaptation. Some thought it funny, for it added a evil looking to these soldiers, especially the googles, which radiated a twisted red-yellow glow. That, along with the helmet, earned them several nicknames amongst ISA soldiers: Helmet Men, Bucketheads, Space Nazis... One amongst these soldiers once heard that word, but never knew about it, nor what it meant.
But one thing was certain, they were fortunate the fallen Autarch valued so much those masks, otherwise they'd learn the hard way if the vicious air, once caustic but now contaminated by Petrusite, was breathable. Besides, even for a hardship enduring people like the Helghast, the conditions of the 'new' world were far too much for them. Now, going even outside a habitable Helghast area, not just the planet this time, demanded use of the masks.
Once the two have finally reached the drop pod, marked with the infamous Helghast Triad, they opened it, beholding the figure inside it.
"Welcome home, sir.", said one of the troopers.
"Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?", said the occupant. "Because it's not even FUNNY!"
A hand went off the pod, showing marks of an elder age. One of the Helghast troopers moved foward to lend aid. Grabbing his hand, he pulled off what would seem a Helghast officer, but he wasn't, given the fact everyone he had in the Helghast military was bald. This man in person did wear a respectable outfit with the markings of Helghast military, but he was a civilian, nevertheless. Still, a civilian which could hold a consistent power with the Helghast military.
Jorhan Brimve Stahl. The CEO of Stahl Arms Inc. The man responsible for arming every Helghast. The creator of developer of irradiated Petrusite-based weapons. The man who had a hand in the devastation of Helghan.
"Glad to see you are still alive, sir.", the other trooper commented.
"Yes, yes! I know I'm alive, thank you very much.", said Stahl, notcing his surroundings, his work of irradiated Petrusite spread all over Helghan. "But the rest of Helghan isn't...", he muttered, so he wouldn't bring any disagreement from his already doubting men.
"Your command, sir?", asked one of the troopers.
"Are there any shelter we could use?", asked Stahl, concerned about the unpredictable consequences of the irradiated atmosphere.
"There's a small energy signature due North, according to my Visor HUD scans, Chairman.", replied the other Helghast soldier.
"How far?", asked Stahl.
"Five kilometers.", replied the same trooper.
"Let's head there, then-", replied Stahl before coughing, suffering a brief asphyxiation before recovering himself. The soldiers went immediately to his aid, one of them taking out a personal reserve mask from his backpack, meant for emergency situations.
"Sir, perhaps it's better you use it.", said the trooper carrying the mask, offering it to Stahl. The old man grabbed it and weared it. That breather mask was nothing like the Helghast military respirators, which were connected to small tanks hoarding the traditional Helghan air, the mask held two cylinders which were exactly small air tanks, allowing for a temporary breathing. Just long enough to find another emergency mask or a respirator.
"Energy is peaking up nearby, it seems we'll have a ion storm.", one of the troopers said.
"A what?", asked Stahl, hearing that one out.
"Ion storm, sir. No rain but all lightning altogether, and can be explosive too with all this Petrusite around.", answered the same Helghast soldier.
"We have to go, Chairman, ASAP.", the other soldier said.
By then, Stahl and the two soldiers walked North, past most of the ruins of former Helghan, from the clusters of ruined and abandoned buildings to the debris of vehicles, tanks and even military aircraft and pieces of plating from capital ships, which once belonged to the former great Helghast Space Navy. There were no corpses, but considerable pools of blood where clothing lied on. The effects of irradiated Petrusite were extreme to the point of making bodies literally explode.
Stahl knew the promising results of irradiated Petrusite long before the nuclear detonation of Pyhrrus. But in that time it were portions of Petrusite being irradiated. Thankfully, the ISA invasion provided plenty of material for his work. Ever since then, technologies like shielding, energy weapons and even compact space fighters were possible. And irradiated Petrusite, Stahl looked in another optic, proved to be far more capable of devastation than Nuclear weapons. That, if use was allowed, would mean the future in the industry and history of warfare.
Still, the price came up too high. Orlock, the man whom Stahl killed in the orbital confrontation, was right. There would be too much to rebuild, and Stahl would even doubt the ISA would let him alone to do his job. There would be incursions. Not military, but scientific. Surely curious eyes wanting to know more of the irradiated Petrusite phenomenom.
After passing through a rocky formation, still heading due North, something caught Stahl's eyes. Something that wasn't natural.
An almost transparent silver-colored half globe was before him, kilometers away.
"What...", he muttered, attempting to look afar.
"Sir, the energies... They seem to be emanating from the globe...", said one of the Helghast troopers.
"What is that?", muttered the other trooper.
"I don't believe it. I thought it failed... It worked!", commented Stahl, in a certain feeling of pride and joy.
That was because, years before even tempering with irradiated Petrusite, a solution needed to be found to protect the infra-structure and military from events like that. Still, it didn't work, and Stahl ordered the project to be canceled, going to work in preventive methods.
Curiously, it worked. It must have been the automated system that activated the shield. It proved the technology worked.
Thanks to what Jorhan Stahl thought it was a failure, there was still surviving life in Helghan. A shelter.
Thanks to Stahl's 'failure', Constantine City was still standing.
NOTES:
- You'll notice this is somewhat of an Alternate Universe (AU) fan fiction because of a few changes: The Helghast Gunships being six instead of just two, like in the game, the fact Narville survived instead of being left behind on the station, among other slight alterations which will be introduced on the progress of this fan fiction.
- Naturally, I don't own Killzone 3 or any game of the saga. All characters, locations and other stuff included here, except some OCs and other things, like copyright, belong to Sony as well as Guerrilla Games.
- Progress will somewhat be slow, so don't expect any signs of battles for at least six chapters.
Read, enjoy and comment. Chapter 1 (This is a prologue.) will come soon.