[X] Firmly ruled it out
[X] Send a joint report sharing the credit
-[X] Recommend HQ establish a war crimes investigation
[X] Meet the enemy commander and talk
You approach the enclosure where the prisoners of war are being temporarily held. A few guards follow in your wake. Left behind at your desk for later reading is the report on the wounded. Its too early in the day for that.
You sent off the official report to the headquarters a few hours ago. Much to your counterpart's approval, Baumann didn't have any objections and made few changes to it. He just wanted to get it out of the way as quickly as possible. Seems like the man just wants to get things moving again, which is a mark in his favour. You're nowhere near as timely in paperwork you ruefully think.
You also recommended an investigation into possible breaches of the Conventions committed by irregulars in places like Seczerin. Maybe something will come of it. You hope it doesn't turn into a political seleball.
Your contemplations are cut off upon reaching the waiting area. Looking past the wire is a mass of human beings corralled like cattle. The prisoners mostly look resigned as they sit on the ground or aimlessly stand around. They are no longer the enemy, just people. Misguided people who time will show the error of their ways, ancestors willing.
Orders are issued, and the guards of the makeshift prison start seeking out your person of interest. This elicits a response from the initially subdued prisoners. The atmosphere becomes tense as hostile looks are directed at you. It is quickly cut off by a stoic looking man as he steps forward. The guards escort him to an isolated area with you. Both of you examine the other, he is an older fellow, probably late-forties. He looks shocked by your age given the uniform. You'll have to get used to it.
You can handle this. You once attended a series of lectures given by renowned interrogator Sir Hans Scharff. This therefore makes you an authority of grilling prisoners without having to resort to crude methods.
"Who do I have the honour of speaking to?" you start off.
The Merovian looks surprised at the respectful address. "I am Brigadier Avigdor Kowalski. Why am I summoned?"
The words of someone who expects to die
You always wondered why the two polities used a different name for the same rank. Apparently the rank of brigadier was phased out a few decades back in the Empire for organisational reasons. You think the people higher up just wanted to differentiate the hierarchy.
"I would like to meet the man that ordered one of the bravest things I have ever seen," you make no effort to keep the admiration out of your voice.
Kowalski gives you a piercing stare before sighing. "And who are you? I had thought Colonel Baumann was in charge", the way he says your counterparts name makes it clear he doesn't hold the preubian in high esteem.
You tell him your name. He recognises it surprisingly enough, and looks at you with new realisation. He's probably thinking you got the rank through connections rather than merit.
which would be the case dammit.
"I'm investigating what occurred here before I arrived to reinforce from Seczerin", you put on your best conciliatory voice.
"So my forces there eluded you", the fed remarks casually. Huh?
"No they were killed to the last", you say quickly.
He doesn't believe you.
"Daow can be quite a handful, in more ways than one," Kowalski responds.
"It wasn't him, it was the commander you had in Lublin.
He caused quite a lot of trouble, what was his name?" you ask, taking a shot in the dark and trying to hit two birds with one stone.
He ignores your question, "Well well, I didn't think the historian had it in him." Meh the answer tells you something at least.
Despite seemingly coming off worse in the exchange you did learn one thing. His brigade was responsible for both your and Baumann's operational areas, your respect for the man has increased markedly.
"Back to the original matter, can you tell me your version of events?"
Kowalski goes on to describe the events of the battle. You listen respectfully, but interrupt halfway.
"Wait, so you're saying Baumann demanded your surrender after the outer defences fell, and said he wouldn't take any prisoners if you refused?"
"Yes, he said it would be the last time such an offer would be extended", he says stiffly.
This is... unsettling. You can see what he was trying to do. Reduce casualties and end the fighting early with tough words. But he took a gamble and the bluff was called. Would you ever be in that situation? You hope not.
"Is that why did you fought so hard? You could have tried to withdraw several days ago or capitulated." You are mad now, if Baumann hadn't done what he did last week then its likely the federation forces would have surrendered before you arrived. Avoiding the combat and losses against an enemy that thought it was going to die anyway. A cornered foe fights the hardest afterall.
"It was hopeless either way, I wanted to make a stand." Kowalski says with an air of finality.
"But why not accept his offer then if it was clear you wouldn't win? Or did you want your underlings to die for your pride?" you accusingly challenge.
A fire seems to ignite in his eyes at your words.
"I did what I could to defend my country! Unlike others who thought abandoning it was the best idea. Every one of the soldiers left behind to fight here was a volunteer and knew what they were getting into. Even the civilians who put on spare uniforms to fill up gaps made by those who favoured evacuation."
So thats why the fortress was understrength. Still you can see other reasons for why he did what he did. Buy time for something else to come into play, wait did he just say he was fighting with even less professional troops and sizeable numbers of armed civilians? Bloody hell. Anyway there was something useful in what he said.
"Abandon? You mean to say your armed forces are simply giving up your country?" You ask with a hint of incredulity, laying the bait.
"Aye, it shouldn't a secret for much longer. Our leaders came to the conclusion that the country couldn't be defended and hightailed it. Most of our forces have ceded the border regions as you may have noticed by now". He seems bitter about this reality and the rational decision made.
So you've basically been fighting diehards for the past month who either fighting out of honour or trying to slow your side down. While the rest board whatever floats and evacuate. Time to wrap this up.
"So was there anything else you want to add. There's no need to describe the end, I was there. A bit too close really."
Kowalski thinks for a moment. "Baumann, he used the
inventive tactic of having civilians clear some of my minefields."
"He just forced them walk over live minefields at gunpoint?" you ask in shock. What, why didn't he mention that first?
Bloody Baumann, he was specifically told not to do that. Wait, that was for rounding up people in Alliance territory, not in Merovia. Enemy civilians weren't mentioned but that defies the spirit of the order if not the wording. Its sort of hypocritical to recommend a war crimes investigation when horseshit like this happens. Is that why Baumann wanted the report out of the way quickly? Dammit. Though can you actually do something? All you have is the word of a high ranking PoW. What if he lied? Yes, thats a decent reason for not acting.
While you were lost in furious thought, Kowalski responds, "No he gave them standard minesweeping equipment and ten minutes of training,
then made them clear the mines at gunpoint. It was difficult at first but eventually some of my troopers could live with shooting civilians."
Thats not as bad as your initial thought, wait no, its still very bad. "I'm very sorry about that, I'll do what I can to see that he is punished", you say without thinking. Besides its not like he'd know if you did anything with where he's going, a PoW camp.
Kowalski shrugs, "don't bother, they were darcsen".
You pause, thoughts frozen. "Fair... enough".
Such a cavalier attitude to the death of people who were ostensibly civilians. Though you can understand the sentiment. You never encountered any of those blueish haired people in your formative years as there were none of their kind in Wien. Probably from the many crusades and porajmos' of the middle period, centuries past.
Your first encounters with the Darcsen people was when you travelled to the Capital and entered the academy. There, you discovered and personally experienced that the stories you heard at home were all well founded. Darcsen are thieving, lying, primitive, backwards scum. The sooner that toxic culture vanishes from the pages of time the better. For everyone, including them.
This sort of attitude is understandably common on Europa across its broad variety of cultures. You even know some cultures where darcsen are considered impure and just touching them requires ritual purification. You heard of a story where a dehydrated local noble who accepted water from one had to undergo days of cleansing. All superstitious nonsense of course, you suppose thats what happens when you practice polytheism.
Anyway, Darcsen are the lowest rung of the ladder. You suppose even the commoners need someone to look down on. Once they are successfully integrated into society and stop being wandering parasites perhaps they can make something of themselves. Isn't that how it works in corporations? You join the lowest position and then work your way up. Heh. Though didn't the managers have a responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of the employees? Okay now you're just stretching the company analogy. Corporate managers don't practice empathy in your experience. The same is most probably the case in the Federation where mercantilism is stronger and more unshackled.
Just killing them seems too... barbaric and primeval. Which is why what Baumann's done leaves you very uneasy. Would you do something deplorable if it meant preserving the lives of your soldiers?
You conclude the conversation with the Brigadier. Theres not much more of interest to said. What to do now.
Pick One:
[] Confront Baumann on this new information
[] Investigate what occurred during your brush with death
[] Write-in
Pick One:
[] Leave as soon as it is practicable.
[] Wait for a few more days, you could flitch some of Baumann's supplies and recover more wounded.
OOC: An interesting guy,
Hanns Scharff. I've said it before and I'll say it again; the narration is not always accurate or fairly portraying the facts. The vote options are determined by what Rudolf thinks is correct. For example, a few of updates back you had a good chance of just asking for surrender.
Put yourself in the enemy's shoes, they're position was hopeless and troops on their last legs. They were fighting because they thought there was no choice (which is why they surrendered when Rudolf thought they were beaten). One good dice roll and you would have taken the fortress without a fight. However It simply never occurred to him to do this, as it would have take away from surprise. This was one of the pitfalls of attack immediately, if you'd waited till the next day and maybe found out what Baumann did. But you can easily guess the surprise for that path. It demonstrates a blindness on his part that can show up sometimes, granted he was operating off imperfect information like you all were. Write-ins can alleviate this, though they may encounter other problems.
That said you could have avoided Baumann's worser decisions had you been present at the fortress earlier. Rudolf could have disagreed and he'd have to listen. But then it would have been a trade off with the other options. Just to remind you that stuff happens when you're not around and other people have agency.
