Roleplay > War and Conflict

A Storm in the Channels (IC Thread)

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Daitō:
CONTENT WARNING: THIS POST INCLUDES SENSITIVE TOPICS WHICH MAY CAUSE DISTRESS IN THE READER. IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH READING ABOUT SUCH TOPICS, TURN AWAY NOW.Extract from research interview for 'Denial: Why People Deny Genocide' by Jun’ya Onizuka, 11 March, 2033
Jun’ya Onizuka: “Hello, Konishi-san, and thank you for conducting this interview. You were a soldier in the Daitōjin army stationed in Paechon, is that correct?”

Goro Konishi: “Yes, that’d be correct. For the record, if I might ask, what exactly would you like to know?”

Onizuka: “We’ll get to that, but first, I’d like to ask a few other questions, provide some context if that’s alright.”

Konishi: “Very well.”

[...]

Onizuka: “It was dawn on the 22nd of October when you crossed the Channel, right?”

Konishi: “We got permission to move from Paechon into what was at the time western Kalasin. Pretty soon after that, we started landing near the coast, Songkhla, I believe the city was. As it happens, I was one of the first people to make it over, so we—Alpha Company—were tasked with securing the area before we could move on. The plan from there was to seize Songkhla, and from there we—Daitōjin forces, I mean; the Achkaerinese were tasked with heading north—were to push along Highway 3 towards Ranong, liberate the former capital of the ‘Union State’, though we’d hopefully link up with Kalasinese Union forces who’d be doing a lot of the heavy lifting with liberating their homeland.”

Onizuka: “Did you meet any resistance on the way?”

Konishi: “Oh, no. Well, I mean there was that ambush in Ko Samet on the first day, but generally speaking, as we pushed along Highway 3, we were met with… Well, an eerie calm. I want to say that from about the time we left Songkhla until we hit Kathu. People were just scared. I mean, we’d hit Kalasin hard in the weeks prior, don’t get me wrong, but that was almost exclusively against military targets. We hit things like power stations and telecommunications equipment, knocked out a couple oil refineries and destroyed the utility of most dams, yes, but we did our best to mitigate civilian casualties whenever possible. No, there was something terribly wrong. But you know, everything west of the Pa Sak river was at least relatively orderly. It was certainly more than anything we found from the east bank to Ranong. As the gods are my witness, there was just… nothing.

Onizuka: “How did people greet you?’

Konishi: “It depends, honestly. Many didn’t do anything, as it happens. I think they just went on about their day as though there was nothing that had happened. Old women complaining about the price of bread in stores, men playing shogi in the parks. I couldn’t believe it since we were all so unnerved by the silence, but I figured at the time that they just got used to the constant shelling. ‘What the hell, we might die, but we should at least enjoy what time we have left.’ I imagined they thought at the time. Now, however, I have reason to believe that what they’d seen, what they’d heard, what they knew had caused something in their minds to just break and they just switched off, because facing the horror of what had been going on was just something they couldn’t comprehend.”

[...]

Konishi: “Others greeted us as liberators, some genuine, others because the alternative was almost certainly worse. They were worried that they’d be next, that they’d be killed or worse. And of course, there were those who were loyal either to the government or to the old regime who either refused to greet us or actively hampered our efforts. Many of those just crumpled to the ground, realizing that their hope for independence had been crushed like a pile of refuse under a tank tread.”

Onizuka: “When you say worse, you’re referring to Aleywa, yes?”

Konishi: “Mhhm. ‘Holding Camp No. 5’, as the Kalasinese government called it.”

Onizuka: “What did you know about Aleywa before you arrived?”

Konishi: “We’d heard from the scant few locals who weren’t too scared to talk to us about the rape camp rumors, the brainwashing camp rumors, but to be honest, a lot of people, especially those who weren’t reading the broadsheets or even checking the news on their phones didn’t believe it. I don’t blame them, of course. The thought that camps like it had existed since before the war, and under the noses of practically every government was too hard to believe. A lot of people just assumed they were exaggerating in order to demonize the Kalasinese or to further justify the war despite the attacks on Awara and Pyrettania. I don’t really know what I believed back then, but whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t what we found.”

Onizuka: “I understand if it’s difficult for you to remember, but due to the rise of online denial culture about things like the rape camps and ‘Plan Khaw’, can you just say what you saw when you arrived?”

Konishi: “We arrived at ‘Holding Camp No.5’ pretty early in the morning on the 17th of November. The orders apparently came from pretty high up to confirm some of the rumors that were going on there. The guards had all left—ran before we came because they knew what we would find. We arrived at the gate and, you remember those images of some of the camps in the Amami islands and the Ardian POW camps during the Greater East Ardia War with the emaciated inmates waiting around the gate? It was like that, but they were all women and girls. Most, but not all of ‘em looked slightly different than the average Kalasinese, and our translator said that’s because they were related. Lanna, Vax, Antawsai, T’rung, those sorts of people. Others looked more Ardian, so I had to guess they were descendants from back when the old Empire ruled the place. Some were bald because they desperately tried to make themselves less attractive to get less attention. Almost all of them had bruises or black eyes, even bite marks. A lot of them actually ran in terror from us because after what they’d all been through they were terrified of the sight of a man, any man. So we already knew what had happened and were shocked—even though we’d heard all the rumors, they don’t prepare you for seeing what had happened.”

[...]

Konishi: “We went inside of a barracks in the camp and we all fell silent. We were met with a vile smell, something like decay mixed with waste and blood. Lines of women had been literally chained to the wall, some dead and many more wishing they were. Solely because it’s still too painful to think about, you’ll forgive me if I don’t go into more detail other than that we all knew what had happened there. The bruising, the rashes, it all told us what had happened. On that day, in that room, part of me died, the part that believed there was a god, because if there was, then either we were in hell or this wouldn’t’ve happened.

Onizuka: “I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything else that stuck with you from the camp?”

Konishi: “Yes, of course. I recall… I’m sorry, I just need a moment.”

Onizuka: “Take all the time you need.”

Konishi: “I recall, when we first entered that camp, I felt something tugging on one of the pockets on my pants. It was so weak, but I knew what it was. A little girl, no older than four or five I thought, so horribly emaciated that it had to hurt just to walk. And yet, there she was, her eyes watering, perhaps in fear or joy that she’d be free, that the torment she’d gone through was over, begging for me to give her a bite to eat. Anything to push back that horrible feeling when the body starts to break down its own muscles just to survive. So of course, I contacted our battalion over BCTNet and requested ‘immediate support’, specifically requesting medical personnel and additional rations.”

Onizuka: “Whatever happened to her?”

Konishi: “The girl? She died that day. Refeeding syndrome, one of the medics said. Essentially, we gave her too much to eat, which caused a ‘metabolic disturbance’ in her body. We didn’t know at the time, but we should’ve. Admittedly, I blame myself for that. She would’ve been fourteen last June, per the records we found in one of the administrative buildings in the camp.”

Onizuka: “Were there any guards left in or around the camp?”

Konishi: “Well, when we went to the camp headquarters, we expected that, like everywhere else in the area, it’d be completely empty. Instead, as we went inside, we saw a boy crawling across the floor. It was the first male we’d seen in the camp that whole day, and we later found out that he’d been transferred from the mens’ camp a few dozen kilometers up the road. He couldn’t’ve been more than ten at the time, very naturally innocent looking, and he was crawling across the floor, really cautiously, looking at us and then back to the room behind him in terror. His face looked okay but we could quickly realize he was in severe pain. It turned out that he’d had both of his legs broken and that he’d been ordered to walk around on them for the amusement of his abuser for months. Not just his legs, this boy had essentially been tortured daily by the man who was just behind him in that room.”

[...]

Konishi: “Now, the man who had done this, it turned out he was actually quite infamous among the Kalasinese. His name was Wittaya Sriroj, and he had the nickname of “Pisac”, or “Demon”. Now, I’m sure you can guess how I feel about him, but suffice to say, that was an apt nickname. He took particular delight in abusing and torturing the children in the camp, particularly but not exclusively the Lanna. We walked, guns at the ready, right into the room to see Sriroj at a desk just reeking of Raon khao. He’d apparently had a nervous breakdown—not because of what he’d done, but because he’d been abandoned by his men. When he woke up he saw three guns practically in his mouth. What blew my mind was how young he was—he would've been a university student back at home, but here he was, committing things that were beyond what we thought anyone was capable of.

Onizuka: “How hard was it not to kill him?”

Konishi: “Well, as I said, when I saw those women before, I told myself there could be no gods. So when I realized that I sort of had the choice of killing him right there, punishments be damned, I realized how stupid it would be to kill him. He dies, then nothing. That’s why I sorta never understood why so many people were in support of the death penalty. ‘Oh, if we don’t have the death penalty, then we’d force him to suffer’, among other arguments. Exactly. He’d die and then he wouldn’t get to suffer. If he was going to suffer, as I wanted him to, I wanted him to live as long as possible—in that sense, it was a good thing he was so young. We beat the shit out of him, obviously. I think we must have taken half his teeth out.”

Onizuka: “What did you do after liberating the camp?”

Konishi: “Well, we were ordered to stay in the area for a few days while our sister company went up the road to that other camp I told you about. During that time, our priority was to provide as much assistance to the survivors as was possible until more aid could arrive. Honestly, I think those days were some of the hardest of my life—maybe not physically but mentally and emotionally. But eventually, we had to move on. Ranong awaited us, after all, and from there, well, all roads lead to Pattani, I suppose. Every so often, as we continued on our way, we’d pass through villages which had been entirely emptied out. Some had no signs that anyone had lived there, since I figure the PAFK had done a good enough job clearing out the bodies, but far more often than not, the slain were left out in the open, some brutalized beyond recognition in some grizzly act of desecration against people who were, just a few months prior, their neighbors. And now, because of that, Kalasin as a single country just doesn’t exist anymore… And many of us, the boys who liberated that infernal country, well… We were never the same again.”

Onizuka: “What do you think about the denial of not just the rape camps, the idea that the camps were just holding camps that gets spread by some far-right and even sometimes far-left types on the internet?”

Konishi: “Well, it’s like the attacks in July, the idea that the bombings of Awara and Pyrettania were actually done by us in order to discredit the Rangsitpol regime and the PAFK. We can’t use facts and logic to untangle that mess because no adult in a society with access to information has ever been a genocide denier out of facts or logic. The only thing I can say to the people who say the rape camps didn’t exist, that it all was made up to justify the nuclear strike, I wish you were right, mate. I really wish you were right.”

Onizuka: “Thank you for your time.”

Konishi: “By all means, you’re welcome.”

Achkaerin:
Silla

The town of Silla had been viewed, by those who knew the plan, as the gateway to Pattani. The Achkaerinese had expected a hard fight here, what they got was the open door, an eerie feeling to say the least and for the man in charge Lt Colonel Sebastian Brandt highly suspect, after all any military commander worth their rank knew that this front could have been opened and knew therefore the importance of Silla in that respect. What hit him first as he took his squad into Silla was the smell, something wasn't right, something had been unleashed here, tapping his radio button he took a breath "Colonel Brandt to all squads anyone got eyes on any inhabitant or sign of life?" he said
"No sign boss." came one response
"Nothing seen." came another
"Negative" came a third
"Major Skarsgård?" Sebastian asked
"Not found anything yet." came the response of Major Ezri Skarsgård
"Where are you?" Sebastian asked
"Northern sector just cleared a police station." Ezri said "I don't like this."
"Neither do I." Sebastian said "It screams trap."
"But where's the cheese?" Ezri asked
"I don't know but let's be vigilant." Sebastian said, he took a deep breath, he had to admit it was clever of the PAFK, the nature of urban warfare meant that they'd have to search and clear every building which would take time, however that didn't help nor did it explain the missing civilian populace.

It happened about an hour later as the Achkaerinese military units pushed closer to the centre of the small town, the sound of gunfire punctuated the silence out of nowhere "Contact." the word lit up the radio frequencies followed by positions, Sebastian and his squad found themselves pinned down by fire coming from what looked like a school.
"Colonel Brandt pinned down by fire coming from the school in grid Juliet fourteen." Sebastian reported
"I'm right next door Colonel, Lima fourteen." Ezri said responding "School complex has several buildings."
"We'll draw fire you go in." Sebastian said
"Copy that." Ezri said
"Go." Sebastian said, he and his team began laying down covering fire while Ezri's squad got inside.
"We're in proceeding to clear." Ezri reported
"Have that." Sebastian said, it took a few minutes but eventually the fire directed at them ceased but the gunfire itself didn't, taking the chance Sebastian led his squad in through another entrance, it was an explosive breach, it had to be it seemed like whatever was going on in Silla this was a big part of it.

It took about another hour to be able to satisfactorily clear the school, but that was just the beginning of the discoveries, each classroom was full of people almost like overcrowded dormitories, they didn't look that well nourished or clean either. "Contact base let them know we need medical and support here." Sebastian said
"Colonel can you come down here?" Ezri asked over the radio "I'm in the sports area."
"On my way." Sebastian said, he walked down the stairs and across to the sports building to where Ezri was waiting "Report?"
"Changing rooms are where they've stored dead bodies." Ezri said "The five enemy working in here surrendered when we entered, they thought we were going to kill them when we burst in. They told us there's a mine a couple of miles north of here that's part of this."
"Take your squad and investigate that." Sebastian said

The Marble Palace

The sound of a phone vibrating prompted a mumbled and slightly chaotic affair as Serenity opened her eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them before carefully reaching over to the bedside table and picking up her phone "Yes?" she asked before listening "I'll be right down."  she hung up before nudging Euphy who was asleep on top of Serenity, her head on Serenity's chest "Euphy." Serenity whispered running her hand through Euphy's hair as the Rokkenjiman Princess stirred a little "I've got to go to work."
"I guessed." Euphy whispered
"I'll be back soon." Serenity said as Euphy rolled off of her.
"How much would asking you to take the girls to school cost me?" Serenity asked as she got out of the bed
"That bad?" Euphy asked
"It's a war in Kalasin it's bad." Serenity said
"It'll cost you a night out dancing with me." Euphy said
"All right." Serenity said

When Serenity walked into the Round Table Room she raised an eyebrow at the room "What you've never seen an Empress attend a meeting wearing Pokemon pyjamas?" she asked "Don't answer that... what's going on?"
"Rokkenjima surfaced three submarines in what looks like in relation to what's coming out of Kalasin." Rion said "They say something else but there's no such thing as a coincidence."
"And King David is offering assistance to the survivors of these camps." Nettie said
"Admiral Rankin?" Serenity asked looking at William Rankin
"There's a legal reckoning coming for everyone involved in this." William said slowly "When this is over we're going to want everyone from the Rangsitpol regime, the Kalasin military and anyone else in a courtroom to answer for crimes whether that be the Uppsalla Convention or the Historical Crimes Treaty. It's already murky, we don't want it getting murkier."
"It's high stakes." Serenity said "Adam, when are we expecting Daito's advance to hit Ranong?"
"Within the next forty eight to seventy two hours, we're continuously touching base on that." Adam said
"Ok let's time a humanitarian insertion with that, create a safe zone." Serenity said "Meanwhile let's not let this get out of control. The separatists aren't winning this war so let's start focusing on not letting them win the peace as well."
"Do I put people on the ground?" William asked
"Yes let's get that rolling." Serenity said "Anything else?"
"When do we hit Pattani?" Peter asked
"Could be any point within the next week." Adam said "And the fight within that city? Who knows how long that'll take."
"Keep me updated." Serenity said "Nettie speak to Emerson, you know what to do."
"Yes." Nettie said
"Adam you talk to Captain Watson, you know what means." Serenity said
"Yep." Adam said
"I'm going back to bed, let me know if anything else happens." Serenity said

Daitō:
Chiang Dao, Kalasin
11 km West of Ranong
3 December, 2023
1709 Hours

   The sun hung low on the horizon, to the west from whence they came. General Hayao Okuda, the commander of Daitōjin forces in Kalasin, had arrived only a few hours prior in order to visit the troops, at least officially, but there was more to his visit to the front than he let on. It had been a short trip by air, having taken an Ikuchi from Songkhla to a location just a few klicks west of here before arriving at this command post, yet even from above, it had been a sobering one. He had a list of names burned into his head; those members of the Kalasinese government and military who had planned the war and who had exacted the worst excesses of human depravity upon the world. And today, he was going to accept the surrender of one of them. He had to be polite, to maintain a sense of decorum as befitted a man of his station, yet every fiber of his being hated the man he was soon to meet with, to have his photo taken with. He could only take solace in knowing that his counterpart in Ranong would face justice for his crimes.

   General Korakod Sanya, the commander of the Southeastern Theatre, the man who had overseen the capture of Ranong and who aided in the continued operation of the camps. A man so vile, the aged Daitojin general, a man who had been in the country more times than he could remember, couldn't help but shudder at the thought of meeting. What kind of man could engage in such actions so willingly? What soldier would disgrace the uniform they wore so proudly? Such a contemptable individual, he thought as he looked out towards the city. It was hardly recognizable, or at least it was from the air, owing to the smoke from the many fires that had raged for the last few days, not to mention many of its buildings were in a poor state due to shelling. He could only take solace in knowing that they had been able to get as many innocents out as they could, and even that was tainted by the knowledge that not everyone had fled.
   "Okuda-taishō, sir, he's here." One of his subordinates, a Maj. Yōichirō Ishida, reported with a salute.
   "Very well, Ishida." Hayao replied before turning around and following the Major. "Anyone else with him?"
   "No sir, other than a few members of his staff, he's alone."
   "Good. Let's hope he's actually here to surrender." Hayao nodded as he glanced over to him. "Oh, who am I kidding, in this day and age you don't come all this way to say you won't give up."

   A few moments passed, but soon enough, they'd round a corner and see the Kalasinese delegation. Three men: the driver, a young lad no older than twenty-four; an adjutant holding the rank of colonel; and of course, the man of the hour. The driver was leaning against the side of their vehicle, while the Colonel and General Sanya were discussing amongst themselves in the native tongue. Of course, what it was, exactly, Hayao couldn't say as he didn't speak Kalasinese, but that didn't matter too much. Ishida would be translating for him anyways.
   "General Sanya." Hayao said, almost biting his tongue as he offered to shake his hand. It would be a moment, but his counterpart would reciprocate the gesture.
   "Your terms, General Ishida?" Korakod replied, his words translated by Major Ishida. "I propose-"
   "No proposals. The terms won't change, only thing we'll accept is your immediate and unconditional surrender."
   "Sir, listen, we need to offer terms." Major Ishida tried to interject. "The people in that city, if the Kalasinese refuse to surrender they're gonna suffer."
   "No."
   "At least think about how we're gonna handle the defenders. That's at least twenty thousand prisoners we're going to need to process." Ishida replied.
   "General?" Korakod said, still waiting for a response as Ishida had not translated what was said.
   "Immediate, unconditional surrender. You have until ten o'clock this evening or we take the inner city by force." Hayao stated plainly. "Good day." He added before walking off. The ball was now in General Sanya's court. Whether or not he would agree was on him, but Hayao hope he would. Any sane man would hope that.

Achkaerin:
"That one was way too close." the voice of Fleur Mishima said as the Shadowfox tank she commanded just avoided an incoming projectile, this was battle for Pattani, for days the area outside the city, the open terrain had been the site of a fierce confrontation between the Achkaerinese and Kalasin forces, and then the balance had tipped and the Achkaerinese had started to push into the city. This wasn't unexpected, a hard fight was what they'd prepared for and now in the urban environment the pace of the advance had slowed, this was methodical block by block, clearing insurgents and Kalinese military from each area before moving on. It wasn't anything Fleur hadn't seen before she'd been in charge at the battle of St Catherine's in the Seaforth Eugenics War and that had been brutal, the devastation of both the city and the surrounding countryside was something she wouldn't forget in a long time. As for Pattani well this was a far more dangerous battle, the separatists were beaten, they were cornered but they were going take as many of the invading force with them as they could. There was a loud explosion off to one side "What the hell was that?"
"These insurgents just collapsed a building." the voice of Caspar Schiffer came over the radio.
"It's their last stand." Fleur said "Keep pushing we're almost into the government area."

Ever since Ranong had fallen this had become the primary focus of the push in Pattani, forcing the hand of the separatists, making sure an end was put to this and that those responsible were in custody and would go on to face justice for what they'd done. As each block of Pattani had been cleared, those who'd surrendered had been put under guard. Fleur had hoped for an easier time of it if Ranong had fallen first but while the Kalasin military seemed to be prepared to surrender other militia associated with the enemy had other ideas. It did take time but eventually the advance into the centre of Pattani brought the Achkaerinese forces to the home of the Separatist Government, it was deathly quiet, after a few moments Fleur put her head up out of the tank megaphone in hand "This is Major Mishima of the Achkaerinese military, the building is surrounded, come out now with your hands up or we will come in, let's end this now."

It took a couple of minutes but eventually the white flag was flown out of an upstairs window, much to the relief of everyone in the square, shortly followed by the procession of officials coming out of the building, a fair number of whom would be facing up to the legal reckoning heading their way and once the dust settled the full extent of that would be known. Regardless in the official sense the white flag and the nod from the man standing under it was enough the city was taken. "Get on the radio to command." Fleur said ducking back down into the tank "Rangsitpol and officials in custody, Pattani has fallen."

Daitō:
Mepale, Kalasin
72 km Northwest of Ayothaya
20 March, 2024
2200 Hours

   The town of Mepale was quiet, the nearly-full moon hanging overhead. Off in the distance, a dog was barking, and there was the occasional rumble of an engine which passed through onto parts unknown. It had been a few months since major combat operations had ended on the part of the Fusanese, but the war was hardly over. Nintau would be sure of that. This war would not end until either men like him were dead or Kalasin was free. Free of exploitation, of domination by foreign powers, of a so-called "democracy" which represented only the interests of shareholders and the one percent. Free of foreign lapdogs like Kaikaew and Montri, yes, but also self-serving butchers like Rangsitpol. To think Prateung would ally with him, even after all of that... It was unconscionable, but at the same time, they had a shared enemy, one which now occupied this sacred land. Eventually, the middle-aged Kalasinese found his way to grate, entering the town's sewers through it before reaching the hideout. To the outside world, it would've been as though he had simply disappeared.

   Inside, the hideout was abuzz with activity, even at this hour. The contrast was like night and day, truth be told, and it was clear that something was up. What it was, however, eluded Nintau, though he ignored it for a moment, instead pulling out a map from his bag before walking over to his commander, Parat Anand.
   "Sir." He spoke up, "I have the map you asked for." He added before placing it on a table. The map, which showed the local area, charted out what appeared to be supply lines for the enemy forces, with several of them converging on a bridge not too far outside of town. "If I may make a suggestion, we should hit them this week, blow the bridge over the Ping, and cut their supply lines up to Lamphun. I-"
   "We will do no such thing, Vipavakit." Parat cut him off. "I appreciate the work you've done, but... For now, our orders are to stand by. Prateung's got something big in the works, and he wants us all ready."
   "Big, sir?" Nintau asked. "What do you mean?"
   "I don't have the details, but whatever it is, it's going to send a serious message to the Fusanese."Nagatoro, Shinkyo Metropolis
16km East of Shinkyo
21 March, 2024
0430 Hours

   Another long night at the office, Jiro thought as he poured over documents. He didn't like being kept this late, not being home to see his kids head off to school, or even just getting to sleep in his own bed. But alas, fate seemed to have different plans for him. Fate, or the orders of his superiors. He might've complained, but the truth was, there was scarcely a nobler job than furthering the security of his nation. It's why he'd been so eager to go to work for CIRA, now nearly a decade ago, and it was a job which he took much pride in, even if it had its drawbacks. "Military Analyst." That was what his title was, and it was a role he personally thought he excelled at. But this morning had been filled with dull work, just reviewing files and dossiers about Kalasin, the PAFK, and other groups operating in the region. Compared to a few months ago, just after the attack on Awara—an attack he felt in some way culpable for not finding out sooner—it had been awfully quiet these days. No word about Prateung, no signs of any major offensives brewing, nothing. That was, at least, until a few hours ago, when he found something.

   It might've seemed like a good thing, having a large number of PAFK cells in Kalasin had go dark and leaders go into hiding, but it seemed too sudden, too organized to simply be a response to the continued peacekeeping mission. But in his line of work, it paid to be vigilant, and so, over the last few hours, everything seemed to be falling into place. It seemed, at least in his eyes anyways, that the PAFK was preparing for something big. If he was wrong—and he hoped he was—then this was nothing and the war might be over sooner rather than later. But if he was right, then Fusan was going to be struck hard and a lot of people were going to die as a result. By the gods, he hoped he was wrong.

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