Maya "echo" Visari

Steg567's waifu and one of the best female video game characters ever

History
Echo (real name Maya) is believed to be the daughter of Chancellor Visari. It is currently unknown how many Helghast know this, though it's certainly likely that no one from Vekta ever knew it. Not even the VSA special forces had much lead on her, other than their intel describing her as a half-breed. A reliable blood sample that confirms Maya's relation to the Chancellor has yet to be obtained. Her father is thought to be Vektan; his identity has also yet to be determined. Little is known of Maya's early history. It is believed that she was housed in a boarding school outside of the city (presumably a secret academy to train cadets for New Helghan's counterpart of the VSA special forces). She most likely had limited contact with her mother throughout this period. Maya returned to New Helghan at around the age of 16, having acquired considerable firearms and combat training. She was put to work for Commander Saric with the aim of infiltrating a number of anti-government groups within New Helghan. She is known to be fiercely defensive of her people. Maya is considered highly dangerous and wanted for multiple counts of murder and espionage. All of this is described in a collectible dossier from Chapter 6 (The Agent).

Killzone: Shadow Fall
She is first seen in the Helghast side of the city, where a prisoner exchange is being held, Lucas Kellan, for Echo. But during the release of the prisoners, a fire fight erupts. Kellan quickly kills his Helghast escort, but Echo punches him and seizes his weapon. However, Echo instead spares Kellan's life and escapes back into the hands of the Helghast.

She is seen a second time at the abandoned ISA facility, as she angrily confronts Kellan about the Helghast being exploited by Massar for experiments. She escapes with Massar after a brief fight with him. In the Helghast cruiser, as Echo tells her troops to put Massar in the holding cells, the VSA (new version of the ISA) scientist remarks how different Echo is compared to other Helghast. Massar states that Echo's blood is tainted, and she'd gladly test a sample to find what percentage of her genome is Vektan. She guesses more than half. Unsettled by Massar's comments, Echo angrily orders her troops to take her away.

At some point in the story Kellan will be captured by the Helghast, and meets Echo again. She reveals that she seeks to end the hostilities between Vektan and Helghast, rather then ignite another war. Before she could go further, Hera Visari steps in to reprimand Echo. Echo is unhappy with the Chancellor's bargain with Stahl, stating that using a biological weapon would end very badly on both sides. Lady Visari gets angry over Echo's audacity and orders her to be silent. At this point, Echo pleads by calling her "Mother," only to have the Chancellor fiercely slap her. Lady Visari then orders the guards to take Echo somewhere safe. Echo resists along the way out, begging her mother not to go along with Stahl's plans.

Later, Echo helps Kellan escape from the prison in New Helghan, and they proceed to Planet Helghan together in order to infiltrate Stahl's base. She is separated from Kellan by the time he finds Stahl, and learns that he was killed in a related confrontation by Thomas Sinclair. Echo travels back to Planet Vekta and returns to the Vektan side of the Wall. She acquires a sniper rifle and goes to a park overlooking a Vektan political ceremony presided over by Sinclair. From a vantage point in the park, she avenges Kellan by sniping and killing Sinclair, preventing him from causing another war with his speech.

Appearance
Echo is a half-Vektan, half-Helghast woman in her mid to late 20s. Her uniform consists of plated gray armor, black straps, navy blue limb guards and sheaths on her arms to hold her knives. Her head and neck are covered by a red cloth reminiscent of the design of Helghast sniper hoods. The Helghast side of her seems to be dominant; she exhibits typical Helghast traits like pale skin and dark lips. Echo's Visari lineage is very apparent in her bright green eyes. Her difficult background as a Helghast agent is evident by the scars on her face and scratches on her armor. The StA-61 rifle is her weapon of choice; when she isn't using it, she keeps it latched onto her back. Though not seen in-game, the box art implies that she has dark brown or black hair.

Characteristics
The daughter of Hera Visari and granddaughter of Scolar Visari, Echo comes from a long line of Helghast aristocrats and politicians. It's currently unknown who her Vektan father is, yet Echo states that she is not ashamed of her hybrid heritage. As the Chancellor's daughter and an elite soldier of the Helghast Intelligence Agency, Echo holds some degree of command. She led the Helghast troops through the abandoned ISA cruiser, and later ordered them to take Massar to the holding cells. It's implied that Echo is quite tenacious and passionate, to the point of seeming disobedient and rebellious. This is seen as she argues with her mother, and Lucas remarking that she seems to have a habit of disobeying orders. This could also explain why she's a soldier despite being born into a rich and powerful Helghast family. What drives Echo is her intention to end hostilities on both sides. Her desire for peace is so great that she's willing to trust Lucas Kellan. On top of that, she takes huge risks to kill fellow soldiers so he could safely escape New Helghan and deliver her message to Sinclair that Vekta needs to stand down. She cares very much for her people and their wellbeing; she's glad that a Vektan like Lucas gets a glimpse of their lives for a change. She comes to value Kellan's trust and companionship over time; after he dies, she takes it upon herself to exact justice for his murder.

Abilities
Echo is an excellent marksman and a proficient hacker. She is also skilled in hand-to-hand combat and wielding knives. Her intimate knowledge of the areas and routes in New Helghan were crucial when helping Lucas escape. She is capable of both marking and sniping with ease. Echo is adept at infiltration using her cloak. It's currently not known if she has the oratory skills and political charisma her mother and grandfather possess.

Trivia

 * She is voiced and portrayed by Jamie Gray Hyder of True Blood.
 * She is one of very few named women in the KZ universe, the 6th so far.
 * She is the first half-breed Helghast woman to be shown in the game series so far.
 * Echo is the daughter of Hera Visari.
 * Her real name is Maya Visari, which was revealed in one of the dossiers in Chapter 6.
 * If Echo is the only child, and the Visari family exercises the same amount of power as they had before the Terracide, then Echo can be considered an heir to Helghast leadership.
 * Echo gets severely reprimanded for calling Hera Visari "Mother," which indicates a tense relationship between the two. However, Hera shows that she does care for her daughter by briefly touching her shoulder in comfort after hitting her. Hera also gets the guards to escort Echo away out of concern for her daughter's safety. Earlier in the game, Sinclair says that the Chancellor expressed great interest in having Echo returned to New Helghan.
 * Echo contrasts with her grandfather, Scolar Visari, on many points:
 * She wants peace and harmony between the Helghast and Vektans, while Visari made a name for himself by establishing the values, independence and power of the Helghan Empire. Echo wants to bring people together peacefully, while Visari wanted to isolate the Helghast and promote war.
 * Echo is generally considered a good person despite the fact she is not above killing. Strangely enough, while Visari was a politician and was never seen killing anyone in combat, he's known to be a barbaric dictator.
 * Echo doesn't mind cooperating with a Vektan (and she's part Vektan herself), while Visari resented humanity as a whole.
 * What Echo and Visari do have in common is that they gave opening voiceovers at the beginning of a game, Shadow Fall and Killzone 1-3 respectively.
 * She is the first antagonist to turn traitor while becoming an Ally.
 * Echo is the female portrayed on the game cover, her one blue eye and one red eye shows her allegiance and her origins as a half-breed of both the Vektans and Helghast
 * Echo is the second playable female character in the series. The First being Shadow Marshal Luger.