The Valean Expeditionary Force or the VEF sent to help in recapturing Vacuoan lands had finally reached a command structure. It was a camp that had five meter high walls and was dotted with barbed wire. Barracks as far as the eye could see, and a large billowing smokestack smack dab at the middle of the camp.

As the VEF came closer the sentries didn't even put up a fight, too exhausted from fighting Grimm, and too exhausted from fighting this war. The closer the VEF got to the camp the more pungent the smell became. Finally, they got to the gates, they opened it up and as soon as they got sight of what's inside some of the soldiers vomited.

oo00oo

The actual camp appeared like an untidy slaughterhouse. A pungent smell hung heavily in the air. The further the VEF walked into the site, the stronger the smell of burnt flesh became, and dirty-black ash rained down from the heavens, darkening the snow. Innumerable exhausted, wretched figures with shrunken faces and bald heads were standing outside of the barracks. They didn't know that the VEF were coming. The surprise made many of them faint. A picture that would make everyone wither away who saw it. The misery was horrifying. The ovens, the crematoria attached to the smokestack that the VEF first saw, were still hot and some were still blazing fiercely when they approached. The soldiers were standing in a circle, everyone was silent. From the barracks more and more hungry children were emerging, reduced to skeletons and enveloped in rags. Like ants they assembled in large groups, making noise as if they were in a large school yard. With arms extended, they were waiting, begging and screaming for bread. They were whining out of despair and wiping away their tears. Only death reigned here. And it reeks of it.

oo00oo

Knowing the Valean Army was closing in, the Atlesians gave the boilermen the order to throw the prisoners who were already emaciated to the point of looking like skeleton into the crematorium alive. They wanted to get rid of the sick and weakened to cover up their tracks as fast as possible.

The boilermen looked surprised to see us officers and soldiers. They were strong people, mostly Vacuans forced to hard labour. They greeted us with shy smiles on their faces, a mix of happiness and fear. Like on command, they threw away their poker. With us, they talked freely. Angry words about Atlas were spoken. I still remember an old boilermen stammer "Thank you". "Thank you, friend. May I call you [the Valeans] friends?".

One of them, a Faunus, was asked "Why did you do that?" and was pointed towards the ovens. Without blinking he replied "They didn't ask if I wanted to. No, I didn't want to. But better be the guy working the oven, than be the one burning. That's why I did it." the room was speechless, the soldiers could just only shake their heads. "Why aren't the other ovens burning? There's no smoke coming up the chimney", asked an officer. "Deconstructed", he said.

Caught in their own thoughts, everyone just stood around. Nobody cared about the burning ovens. "Stop this. Out! All of you!", the commanding officer shouted. Outside, he was shaking and said with a stuttering voice: "How can this be in the midst of the modern century! I can't comprehend this. If there'd be a god, maybe he could explain how this all came to be."

They visited the barracks and couldn't believe their own eyes. Naked and groaning people, hardly looking like humans, were laying on straw bags. I touched one of the people laying there. He didn't move. He wasn't alive anymore.

In another barrack, a woman was dying. They asked if someone from her family was also in the camp. She said yes. Via speakers they tried to find her relatives and reunited the family. Shortly after, the woman died, although our doctors tried to save her.

After that the VEF concentrated on the camp headquarters. In the hallway towards the office of the camp management a paper was found pinned to the wall which concerned all of them, since they were Valeans. It said something along the lines of "Atlesians! We are the masters. Our interests are the only that matter. The reproduction of the slav people is not desired. Childlessness and abortion are to be encouraged. Education of faunus, Valean, and Vacuoan children is unnecessary. If they can count up to 100, that's sufficient. Those who can't work, shall die."

The translator translated the text for the others who just shook their heads. One teared it down. The offices were empty and chaotic so we went outside.

In the meantime thr soldiers had gathered the female guards and brought them to us. "Should we…?", asked a Corporal. "No, don't do anything stupid", the officer replied. "This is to be decided by the Military Police"

"What does she have in her bag", the commanding officer asked, since it was obvious how filled her bag was. A soldier grabbed into the bag. It was a brochure. The headline was "About the law to defend the hereditary health of the Atlesian people". The CO took it, read some pages. Proof of being pure, marriage prohibition, faunus plague … The MP took note of it and was shocked. People still carried these with them! Even the MP was shocked that these people were carrying evidence against themselves.

"Are you all 'pure' women?", the MP asked.

They give the MP a cold look. "I don't know", one of them replied.

The MP laughed. "Where are the camp doctors?"

"Not here, ran off".

"And the male prisoners, where are they? I haven't seen a single man. What is this all about?".

"A week ago they've been escorted out of the camp. Probably relocated to Al-Azzis or Lüteck", she replied.

The MP tore the brochure into pieces and threw it onto the piles of garbage.

Until evening, many reporters had arrived. Nonstop buzzing and flashing cameras everywhere inside and outside the barracks. They had to learn one step after the other that thiswas a central selection camp. 'Unwanted' people were selected for forced labour or death in the gas chambers. The immediate extermination by unwanted who were unable to work was expressly insisted upon.

The field kitchens arrived soon. Nearly at the same time, the Military Police and surprisingly high ranking officers from the staff of Vale and Vacuo showed up. Medics distributed sheets and clothing to the prisoners. To prevent the prisoners from eating snow, soldiers distributed tea and bread to the nearly starved skeletons. In the meantime, military trucks had arrived. Around midnight, all prisoners were taken out of the camp. Those still able to walk had no patience to wait and had already taken off by foot towards Sosnowitz. The only remaining people were the guards and sentries. Those were immediately ordered to dig up mass graves outside the camp and to bury the dead bodies there. Floodlights and generators had already been put in place.

The camp was now empty and it was as silent as a monastery. Some torches were lighting the ground here and there. The VEF had to leave, since they are a combat unit assigned to the front.