Ch 1
Captain Aaron Wilder
5th Osean bombing unit
We were given orders to destroy the Belkan city of Hoffnung. There were about 30 bombers escorted by Ustio fighter jets. Those Ustio pilots were excellent. Better than our pilots. Anyway, we were supposed to only destroy the factories. But that's when things went wrong.
Interviewer: Went wrong?
The lead pilot gave the order to destroy everything in sight. Nothing was to be left standing. And we had the tools to do so. Not only did we have unguided iron, we had incendiary bombs, white phosphorus, napalm, faeb's, if it burned we had it. Christ, what a shit show.
Interviewer: Can you remember what you saw?
How could one forget? The heat… we were flying 10,000 feet and the heat and heat-created whirlwinds nearly downed us. If the Belkan defenses, what little they were, didn't get us, then our own work would do so.
Interviewer: I'm sorry, i don't understand. How could that be possible?
It's alright. I didn't understand it at first. It wasn't until after the war that i learned how we created it. The flames and heat were so strong, they created a whirlwind. There was a strong wind during the raid that night, and our planes descended lower for better accuracy. And by better accuracy, i mean we dropped ordnance on buildings that were clumped together.
I: Why did the commander order that method of attacking? Weren't you supposed to destroy the factories?
Belka was geared for war from the beginning. They took huge chunks of Osea, all of Ustio, Fato, among other territories. We had to do something!
I: And that included burning innocent civilians to ashes?
The Belkans dropped seven nukes inside their own soil. As bad as Hoffnung was, i'm sure dropping seven atomic bombs in war is even worse. This interview is over.
Luka Muller
Belkan citizen
Yes, I remember. We heard the air-raid warning and saw the bastards heading towards us. We ran towards the air-raid shelters, but it was too little too late. There was one pilot who just destroyed everything in sight.
Interviewer: Can you describe it?
Yes. It was an Su-37, the pilot was flying as if he were possessed. He was flying between the burning buildings, dropping bombs on anything in sight. I still can remember the screams. He dropped a bomb right in the middle of a large depot of fuel. People were running around in flames, their flesh was melting right off of them.
I ran as fast as i could, feeling the heat burning my skin. But that's not the worst of it.
Interviewer: What could be worse than that?
The flames and wind combined, and the fire spread all over the place. Buildings were going up in flames. I mean, these were thick steel skyscrapers. But that night, they might as well have been built of paper. And the people…
Interviewer: What did you see? We can take a break if you want.
No. This needs to be said. People were being sucked into the inferno never to be seen again. That's how strong it was. It was like hell itself came to swallow us. The ground was turning into a liquid tar, like something you'd use to tar and feather someone. If you tripped, you were stuck onto the ground and burned alive. I saw someone stuck to the ground, their flesh melting into the stone.
Interviewer: Jesus! That must have been terrible!
Worse than you could imagine. I'd rather die of severe radiation poisoning then go that way. The morning after, we went in to clean up the remains. You couldn't find any corpses recognizable. They were sludges of fat and flesh, held together by bone, if even that. Many were bloated, and if you'd try to scrape, yes scrape, them off the ground they blew open. Like popping a pimple or a zit. The stench was terrible. Puss and burnt flesh.
Interviewer: Did you make it into an air-raid shelter?
I decided to run to the hills. I learned afterwards that air-raid shelters became tombs. Those inside suffocated thanks to lack of oxygen. I suppose they were the lucky ones. I heard that a few choppers and transport planes attempted to flee the city, but they were shot down. Those assholes really wanted us dead. They got their pound of flesh at Hoffnung.
Captain Eren Trombly
7th Ustio mercenary unit
I remember that hell. Us Ustio pilots flew top cover for the Osean bombers. The Belkans sent up fighters, and we swatted them down like flies. The Osean pilots were saying over the comms how great we were. Of course we were. We've been fighting in some of the brutal battles on the east and south eastern fronts.
Interviewer: Did you participate in the bombing, or did you just provide escort?
I could never do what they did. Bastards laid waste to anything and everything in sight. Cipher, the demon lord of the round table, he was killing anything in sight. I think he strafed fleeing civilians. What an asshole. I just shot down any Belkan fighters that came after us. Hell, near the end of the raid, the Belkans were enacting a scorched earth policy.
Interviewer: Scorched earth?
Yes. They destroyed everything that wasn't already burned and melted to the ground. They even sent stealth bombers to complete the task. Between both sides, that city was annihilated. Nothing was left standing.
Interviewer: Did you or anyone else try to stop it?
What could any of us do? Cipher was killing everyone in sight, and he'd most likely kill me or any friendly planes if we objected. He's like John Wick or Levi Ackerman. Anyway, the operation was put under the desk once the war ended. Since Belka dropped the nukes, the Osean brass didn't want to stain their fucking image as the 'bringers of world peace.' Give me a fucking break. We committed our fair share of atrocities as well. I heard that on the Osean front, they bombed and strafed an entire column of Belkan vehicles attempting to flee back north. It was named the highway of death.
Interviewer: I never heard of that.
Not many have. After the war, me and the rest of the Ustio pilots and mercs agreed on one thing. At least we won the war. Otherwise we'd be tried for war criminals. We've sat on the truth for ten years. It's time it all comes out.
Boris 'Cipher' Levinsky
6th air division, 66th air force unit.
Brett Thompson entered the house of his last interviewee, the famed Demon lord of the round table. He heard some voices, and he went closer. Across from his view, was a man in his mid 30s, speaking into a recorder. Next to him, were several tapes and flash drives, most likely filled with his words.
"Osea claims it was a 'good war.' There's no such thing as a good war. Ustio calls it the war of survival. They're right. War is an atrocity committed in the name of survival. The leaders from both sides went to live in peace, while us soldiers live the rest of our lives in hell. Those leaders should be shot for war crimes. We train young men to drop fire, but won't allow them to write fuck on their helmets, or put pin-ups on their planes… because it's obscene! How's that for fucking irony."
Brett knocked on the door, and quickly raised his hands up when Cipher pulled out a pistol on him.
"Identify yourself." Cipher said.
"Brett Thompson. I've been interviewing soldiers and civilians who were around during the Belkan war." he said.
"You're an errand boy. Sent by grocery clerks to collect the bill." Cipher said, putting his revolver away and approached the reporter, shaking his hand.
"It's good to see you. I've seen that documentary of yours. It's nice to see those Belkans have survived." Boris said.
"Yes. I was wondering if you would like to be interviewed." Brett said.
"Sure thing. But i have a request." Boris said.
"What is it?" Brett asked.
"I have a message for Pixy. Tell him, it's good to see you again. Can meet with him on the Usean continent. Don't come visit me here. It's best if we lay low. Belka is known to hold a grudge." Boris said.
"You know something?" Brett asked.
"Nothing concrete. Just erring on the side of caution. So, what do you want to know?" Boris asked.
"Your actions during the bombing of Hoffnung. I've talked to Belkan civilians and allied pilots. They all said there was an Su-37, flown by you, killing everything in sight." Boris said, when Cipher held his hand up.
"That's true. We were at war, and in war you kill your enemies. If anyone can't understand that, then i suggest you stay out of the military or mercenary work. It doesn't fit a bleeding heart." Cipher coldly said.
"That's one way of looking at it. But why do it? The bombers could have easily destroyed the city by themselves." Brett said.
"I cleaned up what they missed. To tell you the truth, i really couldn't care about what happened on the ground. Belka started the war, and they reaped what they sowed. Do i wish the war had happened? No. But when you're fighting a war, you have to do everything you can to destroy your enemies. If you leave your enemy weakened thinking they learned a lesson, don't be surprised when they shoot you in the back." Cipher said.
"So you think we should have pushed up to Nord Belka? Even with the nukes?" Brett asked.
"I don't know. The nukes demonstrated that the Belkans were willing to do anything to save themselves. Maybe they would have killed us all had we reached Dinsmark. Maybe we would have destroyed them outright. It's hard to say." Cipher said.
"I've heard that the bombing of Hoffnung was unnecessary." Brett started, when Cipher cut him off by slamming his hand on the table, a look of fury in his eyes.
"Unnecessary? It was the main weapons plant Belka had. It had to be destroyed. They couldn't understand the war we were fighting." Cipher said, appearing to be in a trance. He continued talking.
"Horror has a face. And you must make a friend of horror. I remember when i first encountered excalibur. It was a large anti-icbm laser cannon. It fried many comrades. After i helped to destroy it, it came to me. Like a diamond air to air missile between the eyes. The Belkans could produce all these terrifying weapons and use them. But they were still human. Not monsters, despite what the propaganda machine would say otherwise. They could kill, and yet care for their friends and families. We had to be stronger men, men with conviction and courage, yes. But men willing to set aside their humanity for a brief moment of battle without judgment. It was judgment that is the enemy. It is judgment that defeats us." Cipher said.
"But your methods in the war…" Brett started, but Cipher continued as if he wasn't there.
"Methods? It is wrong to lose. And it is right to win." Cipher said.
Brett struggled to ask another question, with nothing coming to mind. Cipher pulled out his knife and picked up a small bug, watching it crawl on the blade.
"Look at that. A small bug, crawling along the edge. That's my dream; my nightmare. Crawling, slithering… and surviving. Perfect balance." Cipher finished, putting his knife away.
"You wanted your interview. That's all i'm giving you for the moment." the ace said.
"Okay. You said you watched the documentary, and asked me to give a message to Pixy. What about the other aces you saw in the film?" Brett asked.
"To the members of a world without boundaries. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on! You can suck my dick for all i care! You assholes honestly thought that killing millions of people was going to usher in a new world?! If there was one group of people who deserved to be incinerated in Hoffnung, it is you." Cipher shouted, rage in his eyes.
"And what about everyone else?" Brett asked.
Mercenary
"That's a bit more complicated. Rot 1, you and your pilots gave me a good fight. What i can say to you, is be glad you're still alive and Nord Belka is intact. If it wasn't for those nukes, we could have killed every last one of you.
Now, for Rainer Altman. What happened to your captain could have happened to anyone else. That's how it is. Some live, some die. That's all i can say.
Dominic Zubov. You are an interesting person. You look friendly enough, but i'd rather not take any chances meeting you unarmed. And you are right about one thing. People like me and you have to live with all the shit we go through."
Soldier
"Grun 1. You and your pilots knew your stuff. I enjoyed our duel. You Belkans are professionals, tough and proud. It was an honor to fight you. Maybe we can meet sometime, talk over some coffee. I'll be buying.
Now, for Rainer Altman. About your captain... we all knew the risks that come with the uniform. I may know someone who can help you with post-traumatic.
Erich, you're probably crazy if you wanted to come up and fight me again. And i respect and admire that. You know, you and your buddies pushed me to the limit. Firing long range missiles plus the jammer plane really took a couple years off of my life. You said you wanted to have a walk in the skies with me. I can arrange that."
Knight
"Dimitri, you are one hell of a pilot, and i salute you and your squadron. You talk about chivalry and knightly code. It may be lofty words and ideals, but i like to think that maybe some honor and respect can still exist in our world. I don't know about flying under the rules of knighthood, but i will say this: you did. In another world, we could have been good friends.
Now, for Rainer Altman. Sorry about your captain. It's war, and people die. Wish it wasn't so. I may know someone who can help you with post-traumatic.
Deitrich, i'm sorry about your pilots. I like to think they're in a better place right now. You are right about one thing. Hatred is pointless, especially in war. It clouds up the mind, corrupts judgment. It's probably the same thing you taught your students. Hopefully, we can stop shedding each-other's blood once and for all."