This is not the story of personal gallantry, a glorification of war, heroism or the virtues and evils of one political ideology or another. It will simply be a story trying to tell the experiences of a man, his world broken by war, and his attempts to fix it. This quest has consequences of minor and titanic ramifications on your character and the world around him, do not take them lightly.
Vae Victis: A Soldier's Story
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Prologue 0: Choices
- Location
- Here, there, everywhere.
This story will not be a focus on war, but the effects it has on the people who fight it and the pieces they are left to pick up in its aftermath. The next few prologue chapters will explore your experiences in the war and how you navigated your way to the end alive. After that . . . vae victis.
109th Year of the Imperial Unified Calendar, Diedrich Forst, Age 19
KER-CHUNK…. KERCHUNK.
The sound echoes into the corridor from the room just ahead. The sound of enlistment forms clutched in your hands being stamped for another young recruit like yourself further up the line. The week before the streets of your hometown were filled with shouts and patriotic calls as newsboys passed out the latest edition of the paper with "WAR!" printed on every front page in big black letters. The recent politics that you had largely ignored during your first year of secondary schooling burst onto the scene in a way you never factored into your life.
The Empire of Herzländ, officially the Empire of the united people of the Herzländ and its client states, had marched in support of its ally in the north the Kingdom of Skania to put down the rebellion that had erupted in the capital and the other major cities and was currently holding the king, the cousin of your Empress, and the rest of the royal family of Skania hostage while demanding democratic reforms as the royal army musters in the countryside.
As a child the republican nations to the east of the Empire had been talked about in hushed tones or mocking statements but in political circles and on nationalistic holidays it was different. Propagandistic threats of them invading to tear down Herzländ and execute the Empress like they had executed their own monarchs.
KERCHUNK. The line moved forwards.
It was said during these speeches from politicians and hushed conversations in bars that every brave son and daughter of the empire should be prepared to preserve the nation if called upon to fend off the peasant hordes from the east. The call had come in your lifetime, the nearby Republic of Velona and other republics had quickly recognized the new Skanian Republic and called for Herzländ and other nearby nations to not interfere in the expression of the people, threatening war with any that did while mobilizing their own armies to support the new republic. Or at least that's what was said by the newspapers.
Sure enough, before the deadline for the halt of mobilization had even passed, the Herzländheer had crossed the border of Skania to the cheering of allied soldiers of the Royal Skanian Army and Velona issued its declaration of war. Word had followed that allies of both Herzländ and Velona had begun to mobilize as well.
KERCHUNK. The line moved forward again, closer to the main room now as you could vaguely see the officer seated at his desk over the shoulder of the man in front of you.
That declaration of war being how you found your way into the recruitment line for the Heer. While no draft has been declared yet many of your fellow students at the mechanical school you were studying at had already been organizing recruitment parties which mainly consisted of ten or more students going to the local bar and getting drunk before making a vow to fight for for Empress and Empire by joining the Heer to hold back the republican hordes.
Of course the mechanical school you were a part of guaranteed you safety from any wartime drafts, you had even gotten a letter in the mail a few days ago saying your post-school job would be vital to the war effort but many of your peers had spouted causes of patriotism and their intention to enlist as soon as possible.
KERCHUNK. You were only a few spots in line away now as the line begins to move faster.
Very soon the appearance of being the only one in your class to avoid enlistment pressuring you into slipping out of your dorm with the others and making your way to the enlistment office, only stopping once to send a letter detailing your intentions to your parents.
Every thought of abandoning the idea stopped by the jokes and camaraderie of the rest of the men around you, the blown kisses and flowers stuck in your shirt from the women you pass on your way clearly to the recruitment office. The salutes given to you by the elderly men dressed in their old uniforms outside the doors of the office, the ones missing limbs turned out as well from their back alley homes dressed in the faded and torn uniforms from decades past. They had been abandoned after the last of the unification wa-
KERCHUNK. No more time to think, it was now your turn.
With a dry swallow you step forward to the recruiters desk with your recruitment forms clasped tightly in your hand. You had chosen the Herzländheer, too prone to seasickness for the Imperiale Kriegsflotte and not quite sure of the experimental machines in the Imperiale Luftflotte.
Handing the form over to the portly and slightly balding man sitting behind the desk in an officers uniform decorated with medals, impressive to your untrained eye, but in reality nothing more than trivial bits of copper, and colored ribbon, denoting good conduct and attendance to reserve gatherings, rather than any gallantry or any real experience in battle.
"What will it be, mister…Diedrich Forst?" he asks, stopping to read the name printed on the paper in his hand while his other dampens his rubber stamp with ink. Your voice finding itself scarce and unwilling to answer him prompting him to ask once more, "What service will you be joining?" he asked with his tone being undermined by a twinge of apathy and frustration. Of course, your beginnings of an advanced education in mechanical engineering granted you the ability to choose a specialty service not just be shoved into the normal line of battle; though if those skills usefulness depend on where you end up in the first place.
Forcing your tongue to come unglued from the roof of your mouth you struggled for words with your mouth flapping open and closed silently. The twinge in the face of the recruiter and the slow reddening of his face prompting you to make a snap decision. Searching for an answer, you spotted on the wall behind the officer a row of posters hard to distinguish in your earlier languishing at the rear of the line, but now with their bright colors and catchy slogans clear in front of you, they were able to grab your attention.
As the officer began to rise from his seat to either throw you out or throttle you, you'll never know, you blurted out the name of the branch of service advertised on one of the posters.
The poster you had pulled the name from advertised the-
-[ ]- Gebirgs Korps: Elite mountain infantry, always on watch in the freezing mountains and windswept valleys that guard the western border of the Empire. High risk and high reward missions at the highest point of the world.
-[ ]- Pioneer Korps: Men trained in the art of using explosives to destroy enemy fortifications and building support structures for the movement of the main army. Sometimes safe and cushy, other times on the edge of madness.
-[ ]- Motor-Maschinengewehr-Korps: Armored Cars are a new development with some espousing it as a replacement to regular horse cavalry in long distance scouting with some speculating a role in urban combat.
-[ ]- Panzerzugkommando: The vast eastern frontier of the empire and its disparate client states have long resisted efforts to build adequate roads to connect the cities and towns; only heavily armored trains ensures swift troop movements in time of war as well as bringing massive artillery to bear.
-[ ]- Linieninfanterie: Of course just because you have options doesn't mean you need to take them, you could always throw your lot in with the regular infantry. The massed bulwark of the empire is always ready to meet the enemy in battle on the open field for Gods, Empress and Empire.
There will not be a voting moratorium but I encourage discussion, even if the choices seem relatively simple. Thanks!
109th Year of the Imperial Unified Calendar, Diedrich Forst, Age 19
KER-CHUNK…. KERCHUNK.
The sound echoes into the corridor from the room just ahead. The sound of enlistment forms clutched in your hands being stamped for another young recruit like yourself further up the line. The week before the streets of your hometown were filled with shouts and patriotic calls as newsboys passed out the latest edition of the paper with "WAR!" printed on every front page in big black letters. The recent politics that you had largely ignored during your first year of secondary schooling burst onto the scene in a way you never factored into your life.
The Empire of Herzländ, officially the Empire of the united people of the Herzländ and its client states, had marched in support of its ally in the north the Kingdom of Skania to put down the rebellion that had erupted in the capital and the other major cities and was currently holding the king, the cousin of your Empress, and the rest of the royal family of Skania hostage while demanding democratic reforms as the royal army musters in the countryside.
As a child the republican nations to the east of the Empire had been talked about in hushed tones or mocking statements but in political circles and on nationalistic holidays it was different. Propagandistic threats of them invading to tear down Herzländ and execute the Empress like they had executed their own monarchs.
KERCHUNK. The line moved forwards.
It was said during these speeches from politicians and hushed conversations in bars that every brave son and daughter of the empire should be prepared to preserve the nation if called upon to fend off the peasant hordes from the east. The call had come in your lifetime, the nearby Republic of Velona and other republics had quickly recognized the new Skanian Republic and called for Herzländ and other nearby nations to not interfere in the expression of the people, threatening war with any that did while mobilizing their own armies to support the new republic. Or at least that's what was said by the newspapers.
Sure enough, before the deadline for the halt of mobilization had even passed, the Herzländheer had crossed the border of Skania to the cheering of allied soldiers of the Royal Skanian Army and Velona issued its declaration of war. Word had followed that allies of both Herzländ and Velona had begun to mobilize as well.
KERCHUNK. The line moved forward again, closer to the main room now as you could vaguely see the officer seated at his desk over the shoulder of the man in front of you.
That declaration of war being how you found your way into the recruitment line for the Heer. While no draft has been declared yet many of your fellow students at the mechanical school you were studying at had already been organizing recruitment parties which mainly consisted of ten or more students going to the local bar and getting drunk before making a vow to fight for for Empress and Empire by joining the Heer to hold back the republican hordes.
Of course the mechanical school you were a part of guaranteed you safety from any wartime drafts, you had even gotten a letter in the mail a few days ago saying your post-school job would be vital to the war effort but many of your peers had spouted causes of patriotism and their intention to enlist as soon as possible.
KERCHUNK. You were only a few spots in line away now as the line begins to move faster.
Very soon the appearance of being the only one in your class to avoid enlistment pressuring you into slipping out of your dorm with the others and making your way to the enlistment office, only stopping once to send a letter detailing your intentions to your parents.
Every thought of abandoning the idea stopped by the jokes and camaraderie of the rest of the men around you, the blown kisses and flowers stuck in your shirt from the women you pass on your way clearly to the recruitment office. The salutes given to you by the elderly men dressed in their old uniforms outside the doors of the office, the ones missing limbs turned out as well from their back alley homes dressed in the faded and torn uniforms from decades past. They had been abandoned after the last of the unification wa-
KERCHUNK. No more time to think, it was now your turn.
With a dry swallow you step forward to the recruiters desk with your recruitment forms clasped tightly in your hand. You had chosen the Herzländheer, too prone to seasickness for the Imperiale Kriegsflotte and not quite sure of the experimental machines in the Imperiale Luftflotte.
Handing the form over to the portly and slightly balding man sitting behind the desk in an officers uniform decorated with medals, impressive to your untrained eye, but in reality nothing more than trivial bits of copper, and colored ribbon, denoting good conduct and attendance to reserve gatherings, rather than any gallantry or any real experience in battle.
"What will it be, mister…Diedrich Forst?" he asks, stopping to read the name printed on the paper in his hand while his other dampens his rubber stamp with ink. Your voice finding itself scarce and unwilling to answer him prompting him to ask once more, "What service will you be joining?" he asked with his tone being undermined by a twinge of apathy and frustration. Of course, your beginnings of an advanced education in mechanical engineering granted you the ability to choose a specialty service not just be shoved into the normal line of battle; though if those skills usefulness depend on where you end up in the first place.
Forcing your tongue to come unglued from the roof of your mouth you struggled for words with your mouth flapping open and closed silently. The twinge in the face of the recruiter and the slow reddening of his face prompting you to make a snap decision. Searching for an answer, you spotted on the wall behind the officer a row of posters hard to distinguish in your earlier languishing at the rear of the line, but now with their bright colors and catchy slogans clear in front of you, they were able to grab your attention.
As the officer began to rise from his seat to either throw you out or throttle you, you'll never know, you blurted out the name of the branch of service advertised on one of the posters.
The poster you had pulled the name from advertised the-
-[ ]- Gebirgs Korps: Elite mountain infantry, always on watch in the freezing mountains and windswept valleys that guard the western border of the Empire. High risk and high reward missions at the highest point of the world.
-[ ]- Pioneer Korps: Men trained in the art of using explosives to destroy enemy fortifications and building support structures for the movement of the main army. Sometimes safe and cushy, other times on the edge of madness.
-[ ]- Motor-Maschinengewehr-Korps: Armored Cars are a new development with some espousing it as a replacement to regular horse cavalry in long distance scouting with some speculating a role in urban combat.
-[ ]- Panzerzugkommando: The vast eastern frontier of the empire and its disparate client states have long resisted efforts to build adequate roads to connect the cities and towns; only heavily armored trains ensures swift troop movements in time of war as well as bringing massive artillery to bear.
-[ ]- Linieninfanterie: Of course just because you have options doesn't mean you need to take them, you could always throw your lot in with the regular infantry. The massed bulwark of the empire is always ready to meet the enemy in battle on the open field for Gods, Empress and Empire.
There will not be a voting moratorium but I encourage discussion, even if the choices seem relatively simple. Thanks!
Astra Myst
Do you want a wish?
- Location
- Milky Way Galaxy
[X]- Motor-Maschinengewehr-Korps
-[X]- Panzerzugkommando
-[X]- Linieninfanterie
Personally, I always like war stories where it follows one man of many, and witnessing an almost certainly hopeless scenario play out makes for an interesting scenario. On the other hand, trains are really fucking cool.
-[X]- Linieninfanterie
Personally, I always like war stories where it follows one man of many, and witnessing an almost certainly hopeless scenario play out makes for an interesting scenario. On the other hand, trains are really fucking cool.
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-[X]- Panzerzugkommando: The vast eastern frontier of the empire and its disparate client states have long resisted efforts to build adequate roads to connect the cities and towns; only heavily armored trains ensures swift troop movements in time of war as well as bringing massive artillery to bear.
Trains. Also has our lad away from the fighting so he has a chance to git good before getting thrown into the meat grinder
-[X]- Pioneer Korps: Men trained in the art of using explosives to destroy enemy fortifications and building support structures for the movement of the main army. Sometimes safe and cushy, other times on the edge of madness.
The direct opposite of the trains this one will have us in the thick of it but we do get to play around with large explosives and maybe trenches
Trains. Also has our lad away from the fighting so he has a chance to git good before getting thrown into the meat grinder
-[X]- Pioneer Korps: Men trained in the art of using explosives to destroy enemy fortifications and building support structures for the movement of the main army. Sometimes safe and cushy, other times on the edge of madness.
The direct opposite of the trains this one will have us in the thick of it but we do get to play around with large explosives and maybe trenches
-[X]- Panzerzugkommando
Let's put our engineering skills to work as train mechanic
Let's put our engineering skills to work as train mechanic
- Pronouns
- He
-[X]- Motor-Maschinengewehr-Korps
-[X]- Gebirgs Korps
-[X]- Gebirgs Korps
-[X]- Motor-Maschinengewehr-Korps
-[X]- Panzerzugkommando
-[X]- Panzerzugkommando
-[X]- Motor-Maschinengewehr-Korps
-[X]- Pioneer Korps
-[X]- Pioneer Korps
TimEd
Meteor maker
[x]- Motor-Maschinengewehr-Korps: Armored Cars are a new development with some espousing it as a replacement to regular horse cavalry in long distance scouting with some speculating a role in urban combat.
[x]- Panzerzugkommando: The vast eastern frontier of the empire and its disparate client states have long resisted efforts to build adequate roads to connect the cities and towns; only heavily armored trains ensures swift troop movements in time of war as well as bringing massive artillery to bear.
I like these two. Highly technical although I am leaning towards Armored Cars more because of the urban combat.
[x]- Panzerzugkommando: The vast eastern frontier of the empire and its disparate client states have long resisted efforts to build adequate roads to connect the cities and towns; only heavily armored trains ensures swift troop movements in time of war as well as bringing massive artillery to bear.
I like these two. Highly technical although I am leaning towards Armored Cars more because of the urban combat.
-[X]- Panzerzugkommando
- Pronouns
- He/Him
-[X]- Pioneer Korps: Men trained in the art of using explosives to destroy enemy fortifications and building support structures for the movement of the main army. Sometimes safe and cushy, other times on the edge of madness.
[X]- Motor-Maschinengewehr-Korps
Armored car go brrrr.
Armored car go brrrr.
- Location
- Here, there, everywhere.
Voting is now closed!
I messed up before and forgot to open voting so I had to count these by hand and made sure to count them 5 times just to be sure.
Gebirgs Korps: 3 votes
Pioneer Korps: 5 votes
Motor-Maschinengewehr-Korps: 9 votes
Panzerzugkommando: 10 votes - Winner!
Linieninfanterie: 1 vote
I messed up before and forgot to open voting so I had to count these by hand and made sure to count them 5 times just to be sure.
Gebirgs Korps: 3 votes
Pioneer Korps: 5 votes
Motor-Maschinengewehr-Korps: 9 votes
Panzerzugkommando: 10 votes - Winner!
Linieninfanterie: 1 vote
- Location
- Here, there, everywhere.
I tried to run the tally myself and it would never finish counting so I figured I did an oopsie. Anyways, turn is being written.