Post by astokohai on Sept 16, 2022 2:45:15 GMT
The following is a transcript from an interview with a soldier of the Caudian Army after the civil war in Kumarkach had come to a close, his name and many of the names mentioned in the interview have been censored for posterity.
Interviewer: Thank you for agreeing to this interview, do try to keep to the truth because this may be used in a report to the Holy Council later.
Sjt. K: Of course, my memory is blurry in places, you tend to lose yourself in the chaos of it all at times you know?
Interviewer: I understand, so first let me ask, do you know how the war started?
Sjt. K: Bits and pieces, we'd been sent to help support a local uprising against the current tyrant, something to do with Duomish wars was the rumour
Interviewer: The rumour? Would you care to elaborate?
Sjt. K: Ah right, yeah it was a rumour around the camps that this tyrant, or maybe his father or something, had come to power during the chaos following the war in Duom, using stolen equipment to secure his place at the top, apparently he had had some of the Caudian diplomats we sent executed or sacrificed because he thought we were responsible for the war, or that we were Duomish or something.
Interviewer: Interesting, as far as I understand the official story of things, we supported the insurrection because the ruling state had done an act of war against our state, perhaps that was this execution of officials the rumour speaks of. Anyway, before we get too distracted with such rumours, let's get more properly started. Could you please state what unit you were in?
Sjt. K: I was in Unit ███, a front line infantry unit in Battalion ███, mostly focused on open warfare and assaults. We were supported by a logistics squad and a section of armoured cars, although I don't remember the unit codes for those.
Interviewer: That's quite alright, we don’t expect you to remember everything, can you tell me what rank and position you were at the start of the war and the same for now?
Sjt. K: I was a Lance Corporal of the Caudian Army but I am now a Serjeant of the KCMP, which is roughly an equivalent position, not sure why all the rank names changed, I assume it's for some bureaucratic reason.
Interviewer: KCMP being short for Kumarkach Colonial Military Police, yes?
Sjt. K: Yeah, newly formed after the war, they made █████████ the Chief of Police after the war, so at least they’re rewarding valour during the war
Interviewer: So I’d heard, now then, would you be so kind as to cover what happened when you were first deployed to Kumarkach?
Sjt K. Of course, so, if I remember correctly we were deployed at the start of May, but due to the distance we didn’t arrive until later in the month, we were dropped off a ways away from Kumarkach itself because even with their more dated and limited arms it was deemed a landing would be too risky and wouldn’t support the rebels well enough. We then marched to their western border where we met with the local resistance, they didn’t have much to offer us to be perfectly frank, they’d gotten control of a handful of the towns and villages across the border but not much else, although I will say, the fresh food was appreciated… Anyway, we then split off into our smaller battalions and joined forces with the various rebel armies, with some of us staying back to guard what towns the rebels had control of.
Interviewer: Alright, I’m going to stop you there for a second, do you remember exactly how many towns the rebels had at the start of the war, it's most likely already on record but getting more accounts could be helpful in future inquiries.
Sjt. K: I believe they held around 10 towns, maybe a little more, although they were all fairly small, the largest only had a few thousand citizens, I think the mission had more soldiers then that town had people.
Interviewer: Thank you, do you know how many rebel soldiers there were when you arrived?
Sjt. K: I was not told about that no, but if I had to wager I’d say maybe… A dozen hundred or so, they had taken some losses before we’d arrived getting those towns, I think they started with about fifteen hundred men or so.
Interviewer: I see, now then, how do you think the native rebels reacted to your presence?
Sjt. K: It was kind of surreal, when we first got sight of the town they seemed in such bad spirits but by the time we’d actually arrived they must of seen us because they probably had the best moral I’ve ever seen, they saw us as a sort of divine proof of their leader’s right to rule, like we were angels sent from the heavens to save them… I suppose we sort of were… We’d come from the endless jungle with our armoured cars and guns to liberate them against a tyrant, of course they also had their own guns but they were all old rifles or shotguns and in quite limited quantities… We just have seemed so alien and powerful to them, most of them didn’t even have metal swords, some were still using sharpened sticks to fight with… Although don’t get me wrong, a sharpened stick can do the job, trust me on that…
Interviewer: I see, I know there have been stories of them seeing you as literal divine beings, do you think thats the case?
Sjt. K: I don’t think so no, they weren’t stupid, even if they had limited technology. It was more that they thought their gods must be on their side if they had managed to get such powerful allies, or maybe the gods had sent us to aid them. I don’t think we were ever seen as divine ourselves, well, besides the Patriarch now I guess.
Interviewer: Moving on then, the war officially ended on the first of July and Rybakar became Queen of Kumarkach on the 6th, however, when do you think the war was actually over?
Sjt. K: Well, I wasn’t there but I think as soon as Warrant Officer █████████ managed to kill the previous tyrant the “loyalists” lost their resolve to continue, that was during the Battle of Xelaj on the 26th of August if memory serves, of course it took a while for the word to get out but once it did basically all the remaining supporters of that tyrant’s family backed down, of course there are still a few pockets around but nothing major, a lot fled into the jungles if I’m not mistaken.
Interviewer: I believe that is an accurate assessment, now then, I understand if this is a difficult question but… How was the war mentally? For you? We’ve gotten many reports of so-called “Combat Neurosis”, more commonly called “War Nerves”, among the troops, have you ever experienced that?
Sjt. K: Not personally but I saw people that did, and even so, war was taxing in many other ways, I can’t imagine how the people that fought the Sadalers felt back then, nor how the natives felt just last month… Sure most of the time we were winning but every now and again there would be some ambush or close call and that primordial fear would start to rise in your mind again… And even once you’d won the battle… Well, it’s hard to get blood out of your uniform but it's harder still to get corpses out of your mind.
Interviewer: I understand it must have been hard for you and your other men, is this why you chose to join the KCMP after the war or was there another reason?
Sjt. K: Ah no, the KCMP are still soldiers even if we do police work mostly, there could be future rebellions or we might be needed for national defence, honestly it's more likely that I’ll see more combat here then if I’d stayed in the army but… Well the war didn’t last long but I was still in Kumarkach for a few months and… It’s grown on me in some ways, plus I want to help rebuild the places we damaged during the war. Of course, civilian buildings and people were not the targets of the operation but… Well, war is a messy thing.
Interviewer: I understand, could you tell us about any of the civil projects the KCMP or you yourself are going to be undertaking in the colony? I understand if such details are classified but any information would be appreciated.
Sjt. K: Yeah there are a few things I can mention, at least, they weren’t briefed as classified so it’s not my fault if they were meant to be. As I understand it a lot of people were displaced during the war by both sides so construction has started in many towns to help replace destroyed residences with modern homes, there is also an electrification effort in the capital at the moment and I think an education system is being set up… Oh also some of the old FOBs are being turned into garrisons and barracks now, and FOB Redridge is now the Central Colonial Law Court, or its in the process of becoming it, I can’t remember the exact details.
Interviewer: I see, now I’m going to ask you about a couple of rumours that have started since soldiers have come back to Caudia, I’m not asking you to confirm their validity, I just want to know if you’ve heard of them, I believe there is a survey being done on the veterans but I do not know if the KCMP are part of it.
Sjt. K: Alright, as I already said I know of the Duomish War rumours but there were quite a few others I heard, mostly while camped around Pismaxir after the assault.
Interviewer: Alright so, I have a list of them here that I’ll run down, afterwards you can tell me which ones you’d heard of and elaborate if you’d like… So then: The ghost of Serjeant █████████, the second sniper at Xelaj, the nerglish rot, the lake of gold dust in Ikimach, the flaying of captured soldiers, Corporal █████████’s prisoner wives, King Buckethead, Mr Chod and finally… There is a rumour that Patriarch Rybakar promised to marry the rebel leader to get the crown.
Sjt. K: Quite a few there, let me think… Well I’ve heard of the Ghost of Serjeant █████████, apparently he lived on to haunt Xelaj until the tyrant died… Never heard of the second sniper or the nerglish rot… I had heard about the gold dust lake being a rumour but I never heard the actual rumour, and to confirm, there is a lake of gold dust there sort of, some old ritual thing, apparently Rybakar is set to partake in it to sort of coronate her, anyway… Some soldiers at the start of the war were flayed, thats not a rumour, I’ve seen the bodies, had to identify some of them… And yes, Corporal █████████ went awol and captured some brides,for himself, there is a further rumour he got the idea because of the Sadaler war… King Buckethead was what one of the soldiers who helped take Xelaj called Warrant Officer █████████ after he’d taken Xelaj, sort of caught on in his battalion as I heard it… Mr Chod was this doodle the logistics teams started drawing on their trucks and supply depots, no idea why.
Interviewer: And the final rumour?
Sjt. K: I’m not even going to grace that with a response, she’s basically a saint in my books…
Interviewer: I understand, well then, I think that concludes our interview for today, although we may be in touch later depending on how the council responds to the report, do you have any questions Serjeant █████████?
Sjt. K: Not that I can think of, no.
(Brief out of character summary for the series of events: Caudia began relations and trade with the native peoples of the Kingdom of Kumarkach, some event occurred that Caudia declared an act of war against them, Caudia allied itself to a recent (apparently unrelated) insurrection/rebellion trying to install a new king, Caudian troops arrived and began attacking the natives with superior guns and armoured cars, Caudia won the war in a couple of months, the new King of Kumarkach abdicated to Rybakar who is now Queen of Kumarkach, the Kumarkach Colonial Military Police was formed and reconstruction, education and infrastructure projects have begun in the colony.)
Interviewer: Thank you for agreeing to this interview, do try to keep to the truth because this may be used in a report to the Holy Council later.
Sjt. K: Of course, my memory is blurry in places, you tend to lose yourself in the chaos of it all at times you know?
Interviewer: I understand, so first let me ask, do you know how the war started?
Sjt. K: Bits and pieces, we'd been sent to help support a local uprising against the current tyrant, something to do with Duomish wars was the rumour
Interviewer: The rumour? Would you care to elaborate?
Sjt. K: Ah right, yeah it was a rumour around the camps that this tyrant, or maybe his father or something, had come to power during the chaos following the war in Duom, using stolen equipment to secure his place at the top, apparently he had had some of the Caudian diplomats we sent executed or sacrificed because he thought we were responsible for the war, or that we were Duomish or something.
Interviewer: Interesting, as far as I understand the official story of things, we supported the insurrection because the ruling state had done an act of war against our state, perhaps that was this execution of officials the rumour speaks of. Anyway, before we get too distracted with such rumours, let's get more properly started. Could you please state what unit you were in?
Sjt. K: I was in Unit ███, a front line infantry unit in Battalion ███, mostly focused on open warfare and assaults. We were supported by a logistics squad and a section of armoured cars, although I don't remember the unit codes for those.
Interviewer: That's quite alright, we don’t expect you to remember everything, can you tell me what rank and position you were at the start of the war and the same for now?
Sjt. K: I was a Lance Corporal of the Caudian Army but I am now a Serjeant of the KCMP, which is roughly an equivalent position, not sure why all the rank names changed, I assume it's for some bureaucratic reason.
Interviewer: KCMP being short for Kumarkach Colonial Military Police, yes?
Sjt. K: Yeah, newly formed after the war, they made █████████ the Chief of Police after the war, so at least they’re rewarding valour during the war
Interviewer: So I’d heard, now then, would you be so kind as to cover what happened when you were first deployed to Kumarkach?
Sjt K. Of course, so, if I remember correctly we were deployed at the start of May, but due to the distance we didn’t arrive until later in the month, we were dropped off a ways away from Kumarkach itself because even with their more dated and limited arms it was deemed a landing would be too risky and wouldn’t support the rebels well enough. We then marched to their western border where we met with the local resistance, they didn’t have much to offer us to be perfectly frank, they’d gotten control of a handful of the towns and villages across the border but not much else, although I will say, the fresh food was appreciated… Anyway, we then split off into our smaller battalions and joined forces with the various rebel armies, with some of us staying back to guard what towns the rebels had control of.
Interviewer: Alright, I’m going to stop you there for a second, do you remember exactly how many towns the rebels had at the start of the war, it's most likely already on record but getting more accounts could be helpful in future inquiries.
Sjt. K: I believe they held around 10 towns, maybe a little more, although they were all fairly small, the largest only had a few thousand citizens, I think the mission had more soldiers then that town had people.
Interviewer: Thank you, do you know how many rebel soldiers there were when you arrived?
Sjt. K: I was not told about that no, but if I had to wager I’d say maybe… A dozen hundred or so, they had taken some losses before we’d arrived getting those towns, I think they started with about fifteen hundred men or so.
Interviewer: I see, now then, how do you think the native rebels reacted to your presence?
Sjt. K: It was kind of surreal, when we first got sight of the town they seemed in such bad spirits but by the time we’d actually arrived they must of seen us because they probably had the best moral I’ve ever seen, they saw us as a sort of divine proof of their leader’s right to rule, like we were angels sent from the heavens to save them… I suppose we sort of were… We’d come from the endless jungle with our armoured cars and guns to liberate them against a tyrant, of course they also had their own guns but they were all old rifles or shotguns and in quite limited quantities… We just have seemed so alien and powerful to them, most of them didn’t even have metal swords, some were still using sharpened sticks to fight with… Although don’t get me wrong, a sharpened stick can do the job, trust me on that…
Interviewer: I see, I know there have been stories of them seeing you as literal divine beings, do you think thats the case?
Sjt. K: I don’t think so no, they weren’t stupid, even if they had limited technology. It was more that they thought their gods must be on their side if they had managed to get such powerful allies, or maybe the gods had sent us to aid them. I don’t think we were ever seen as divine ourselves, well, besides the Patriarch now I guess.
Interviewer: Moving on then, the war officially ended on the first of July and Rybakar became Queen of Kumarkach on the 6th, however, when do you think the war was actually over?
Sjt. K: Well, I wasn’t there but I think as soon as Warrant Officer █████████ managed to kill the previous tyrant the “loyalists” lost their resolve to continue, that was during the Battle of Xelaj on the 26th of August if memory serves, of course it took a while for the word to get out but once it did basically all the remaining supporters of that tyrant’s family backed down, of course there are still a few pockets around but nothing major, a lot fled into the jungles if I’m not mistaken.
Interviewer: I believe that is an accurate assessment, now then, I understand if this is a difficult question but… How was the war mentally? For you? We’ve gotten many reports of so-called “Combat Neurosis”, more commonly called “War Nerves”, among the troops, have you ever experienced that?
Sjt. K: Not personally but I saw people that did, and even so, war was taxing in many other ways, I can’t imagine how the people that fought the Sadalers felt back then, nor how the natives felt just last month… Sure most of the time we were winning but every now and again there would be some ambush or close call and that primordial fear would start to rise in your mind again… And even once you’d won the battle… Well, it’s hard to get blood out of your uniform but it's harder still to get corpses out of your mind.
Interviewer: I understand it must have been hard for you and your other men, is this why you chose to join the KCMP after the war or was there another reason?
Sjt. K: Ah no, the KCMP are still soldiers even if we do police work mostly, there could be future rebellions or we might be needed for national defence, honestly it's more likely that I’ll see more combat here then if I’d stayed in the army but… Well the war didn’t last long but I was still in Kumarkach for a few months and… It’s grown on me in some ways, plus I want to help rebuild the places we damaged during the war. Of course, civilian buildings and people were not the targets of the operation but… Well, war is a messy thing.
Interviewer: I understand, could you tell us about any of the civil projects the KCMP or you yourself are going to be undertaking in the colony? I understand if such details are classified but any information would be appreciated.
Sjt. K: Yeah there are a few things I can mention, at least, they weren’t briefed as classified so it’s not my fault if they were meant to be. As I understand it a lot of people were displaced during the war by both sides so construction has started in many towns to help replace destroyed residences with modern homes, there is also an electrification effort in the capital at the moment and I think an education system is being set up… Oh also some of the old FOBs are being turned into garrisons and barracks now, and FOB Redridge is now the Central Colonial Law Court, or its in the process of becoming it, I can’t remember the exact details.
Interviewer: I see, now I’m going to ask you about a couple of rumours that have started since soldiers have come back to Caudia, I’m not asking you to confirm their validity, I just want to know if you’ve heard of them, I believe there is a survey being done on the veterans but I do not know if the KCMP are part of it.
Sjt. K: Alright, as I already said I know of the Duomish War rumours but there were quite a few others I heard, mostly while camped around Pismaxir after the assault.
Interviewer: Alright so, I have a list of them here that I’ll run down, afterwards you can tell me which ones you’d heard of and elaborate if you’d like… So then: The ghost of Serjeant █████████, the second sniper at Xelaj, the nerglish rot, the lake of gold dust in Ikimach, the flaying of captured soldiers, Corporal █████████’s prisoner wives, King Buckethead, Mr Chod and finally… There is a rumour that Patriarch Rybakar promised to marry the rebel leader to get the crown.
Sjt. K: Quite a few there, let me think… Well I’ve heard of the Ghost of Serjeant █████████, apparently he lived on to haunt Xelaj until the tyrant died… Never heard of the second sniper or the nerglish rot… I had heard about the gold dust lake being a rumour but I never heard the actual rumour, and to confirm, there is a lake of gold dust there sort of, some old ritual thing, apparently Rybakar is set to partake in it to sort of coronate her, anyway… Some soldiers at the start of the war were flayed, thats not a rumour, I’ve seen the bodies, had to identify some of them… And yes, Corporal █████████ went awol and captured some brides,for himself, there is a further rumour he got the idea because of the Sadaler war… King Buckethead was what one of the soldiers who helped take Xelaj called Warrant Officer █████████ after he’d taken Xelaj, sort of caught on in his battalion as I heard it… Mr Chod was this doodle the logistics teams started drawing on their trucks and supply depots, no idea why.
Interviewer: And the final rumour?
Sjt. K: I’m not even going to grace that with a response, she’s basically a saint in my books…
Interviewer: I understand, well then, I think that concludes our interview for today, although we may be in touch later depending on how the council responds to the report, do you have any questions Serjeant █████████?
Sjt. K: Not that I can think of, no.
(Brief out of character summary for the series of events: Caudia began relations and trade with the native peoples of the Kingdom of Kumarkach, some event occurred that Caudia declared an act of war against them, Caudia allied itself to a recent (apparently unrelated) insurrection/rebellion trying to install a new king, Caudian troops arrived and began attacking the natives with superior guns and armoured cars, Caudia won the war in a couple of months, the new King of Kumarkach abdicated to Rybakar who is now Queen of Kumarkach, the Kumarkach Colonial Military Police was formed and reconstruction, education and infrastructure projects have begun in the colony.)