Location:Vogtland Station Date: 16 October, 824 A.S It would be an outright lie to say that he wasn't afraid. In point of fact it would probably be considered the lie of the century if he had said that. Fighters to the left of him, fighters to the right, bombers up above and large station turrets tracking his every move with gunboat patrols lurking around every other corner. The Hessians took security personally, any attempt at a raid was bound to meet some heavy resistance before they even made it to the station. He'd been waiting for a few, tense minutes while the station's security checked and then rechecked his permission form. A single mishap would have cost him his life and everyone knew about the Hessian's reputation. Alfred Steiner considered himself a lucky man when permission from the control tower came through, finally allowing him to dock. His small eagle snuck into the docking bay and he let out a very small shudder of fear when he heard the clangs and crashes of the great hanger doors seal behind him.
He was in the belly of the beast, and there was no way out. He set his ship down and was greeted by serveral unexpected sights and sounds. Loud voices rang over loudspeakers, Rheinlandic voices of all pitches and genders called out and rang around him. The Hessians were anything but quiet. There were men and women moving everything from cargo to weapons in this particular hangar bay, and although it was large enough to house a dozen fighters, it felt far too crowded. He gathered what he felt he would need for his trip, before steping out and almost tripping over the various cables that lined the floor. He danced out of the way, hoping to avoid the seemingly ill tempered mechanic who was wandering around barking orders. Given that he was in the Red Hessian base, he felt it might be an idea to wear his red doctoral robe, if only to win some points with his new found hosts. He instantly regretted the decision to do so. Not only was the hanger loud, but it was filthy. Unsurprising really, given that they were maintaining and repairing ships. In his attempt to remain out of the way and somewhat presentable, he nearly ran straight into a very proper looking Hessian Officer. It appeared that the man had been waiting for him, a strange yet vicious looking smile crossed the mans face as Alfred looked at him and offered his apologies.
The man simply nodded, and motioned for him to follow. Alfred followed the man, and his two armed escorts, down to what looked liked a security checkpoint. His equipment was taken from him and examined closely, Alfred hoped they would be careful with the camera, and once they were more or less satisfied that there was nothing amiss, let him pass through. He was himself, closely examined as well. But beneath his robe there was nothing aside from plain, yet formal, clothing, and it soon became apparent to the security team that was about as unarmed as they came. The officer who first greeted him lead him on to a small, unassuming room with a row of plain, unassuming chairs, where Alfred was instructed to sit and wait. While the officer went off to get...whoever it was he was supposed to get, Alfred took note of his surroundings. Vogtland was cold and surprisingly dark for a station that was quite busy, and supposedly, highly populated. It's people were loud, and anything but interested in him. He got the feeling they did not see all to many guests here, and those who did arrive were to be treated with suspicion. He, on the other-hand was well out of his comfort zone, armies and guns did not usually make him feel comfortable and he was much more interested in getting about his business. He had bought with him a medium sized satchel, that contained a number of papers, and a few pocket sized books, he had also bought a second, smaller bag that contained all manner of sweets and candies. He'd brought it along specifically for the children he hoped to meet, and while he freely admitted he had no idea what he'd face in regards to the younger Hessians, he made a calculated guess that it would win some favour with the children. After all, Vogtland didn't seem like the place where one would find a sweet shop.
After a time, the Hessian officer returned with an older looking man with a cold face that was marred by many faded scars and a superior rank. Alfred stood and greeted the new arrival with a curt bow and a polite smile.
Guten Morgen, Sir, erlauben Sie mir, mich vorzustellen Alfred began before being quickly cut off
I speak english Bretonian, and I know who you are. The man said with a rough Germanic accent. I am Hermann Kuhl, I have been instructed to show you where you may go and who you may speak to. If you do not follow my instructions, you will not leave this station alive. These two men He said gesturing to a pair of towering soldiers clad in black and red armour Will be your 'protection' here. They will accompany you for the duration of your stay on this station. Is this all understood?
All perfectly clear Alfred replied, although he was not used to such harsh restrictions, he did understand and could not think of any reason why he would need to explore the whole station. With his compliance, the older man promptly marched out the door with the younger officer motioning Alfred to follow, which he did. As you can see, this is the primary security checkpoint, everyone who enters this station goes through it. There are several more scattered throughout this facility. You will be given special clearance to move about certain sections under escort, for now we will show you to your room. Be aware, your room may be subject to random inspections for security purposes. The man continued speaking about various security procedures whilst Alfred quietly listened before they reached his assigned room.
It was unsurprisingly basic, a single bed against one wall with a metal desk on the opposite wall. The ablutions were in their own small room that lay at the back of the main room. Here is where you will stay Kuhl said. For now, perhaps you would like to change from your current...attire..into something more appropriate. I will come collect you in an hour and show you to the classrooms and children's wards so you may do your study. Before Alfred could respond, both officers turned on their heels and left Steiner with his two ominous guards, who took up a position beside the door.
He looked at his new companions briefly, attempting to find out who they were through their midnight coloured helms, before looking away and entering his new room. He began unpacking his clothing and research materials, he compiled lists of what he would need to know and what he would need to ask before arranging his notes, papers and what few books he could find into neat little piles. By the time he was done, the room looked slightly more homely, there were books that were arranged in tidy lines and papers that were all ready for review. He considered the issue of photographs, while he might be permitted to take them, publishing them would be an issue, both for legal and professional reasons. He decided that the best solution would to ask Kuhl, or Heinrich if he happened to run into her again, something he deemed highly unlikely. A knock on his door alerted him to the fact that his hour was up, Kuhl had returned, almost right on time, to lead him further into Vogtland. Alfred gathered a few notepads and pens, along with his small satchel of sweets, before he made his way to the door.
Kuhl had begun almost instantly lecturing Alfred on the benefits of the Hessian educational system, using himself as a shining example of it's rigorous and tough nature, You see, many of the civilian schools want to see everyone pass, so they don't fail anyone, but that means you have people who have supposedly passed, yet know nothing. Our system rewards excellence and obedience, we sort the best from those who are not, and we reward those who succeed
I see Alfred said And how early does this system take children? five years of age? Six?
All children begin school when they are five years old, and they 'pass out' at 20, the last two years are dedicated to specialization of one task or another, for example Navigation.
Kuhl and Steiner continued talking as they wandered down the corridors to the part of the station that housed the schools, while Alfred found Kuhl to be rather arrogant he had to admit the man knew a surprising amount about the intricate details of the Hessian schooling system, including it's changes since he was in it. He knew the curriculum, the different types of exams and the marking schemes as well as what happens to the students once they 'passed out' from the school. In such an ordered society, it was easy to track the movement and progress of each student once they had left the schooling system, a student who was particularly good at physical education would end up in the Hessian ground forces, where he or she would advance his career on the front line, the chances of them changing profession were minimal.
They arrived at the front office of the school complex, Kuhl waved his identification papers in front of the clerk who in turn unlocked the main door for them. This is a secondary school he explained as they walked through the corridors, which were lined with various posters of various clubs students could join, they all had Hessian iconography attached to them somehow, Blood red colours, pictures of victorious Hessian troops marching to new battles or something similar
These are the students we take the most care and pride in, they will be our soldiers of tomorrow you see. We must ensure they are taught properly, I'm sure you of all people can appreciate that.
Oh yes, that's why I'm here after all. Alfred replied. They stopped at a classroom door, Kuhl gave a series of short, sharp knocks before the door opened to a classroom of roughly 25 to 30 children, all smartly dressed in their military style school uniforms. The girls had their hair done up in braids, plats or tight ponytails while the boys hair was all short and above their collars. All the children instantly stood, and in typical military fashion, gave military salutes to Kuhl and Steiner as they entered.
These children are here for your questions Professor, we are their teachers today, if you understand my meaning.
Alfred did understand, and was quite impressed that the Hessian organisation would allow him time with an entire class of children, supervised,
but still that was to be expected. I see. Right then well...where to begin I wonder. he said whilst looking at the suspicious and cold children before him.
He moved to the front of the classroom, his each step tracked by the children and by Kuhl. A bare metal desk was positioned at the front of the classroom and he placed his satchel and his notebooks on the desk and turned to the classroom. No child had sat down and all still stood in a rigid upright stance. Alfred spoke in his rusty Rheinlandic, which was slowly improving, please, be seated and in a well practiced series of movements, they did so. Steiner thought that a good place to begin was to explain who he was and why he was here. Kuhl of course knew, but he doubted that the students knew the exact details.
I am Professor Alfred Wilhelm Alexander Steiner, I'm an Anthro-sociologist which means I go 'round and speak to people about lots of different things. Today, I am here to talk to you all about your schooling and your lives. So I'm just going to ask a few questions, and write down your answers. Now I don't want you to worry, if you don't want your names noted down, just tell me. So, first question: Do you believe that your education is preparing you well for the future?
Silence and confusion set on the classroom, a few children looked at each other, slightly confused. For a moment, Alfred feared he spoke in English rather than Rheinlandic, fortunately on young boy spoke up Of course.. he said No one else is teaching us, and it worked for our parents. We are taught well and we will be ready to carry on the cause when we are done.The boys response surprised Alfred slightly, not only were they all confident that they were being taught well, but they were also all aware of the Hessian cause, at such a young age he'd have thought that more emphasis would have been placed on basic reading and writing skills, but considering the Hessian organisation as a whole, surrounded and constantly pushed on all sides, it was ultimately hardly surprising that the soldiers of tomorrow were trained at such a young age. Using his ignorance to his advantage, Alfred pulled up a chair and, facing the class again, feigned an exaggerated ignorance of the Hessian movement.
So, what is it that Hessians do? what does your organisation do? He attempted to ignore Kuhl's look of surprise at the question while the children slowly managed to find their voices. Are you..terrorists? Alfred asked, hoping to jolt a reaction out of them quicker than they were willing to provide. No! A young blonde haired girl with a shrill voice quivering with fear said harshly We fight for a better Rheinland. We are strong, and Rheinland is weak, we fight so all can be strong. But you use violence, is that acceptable? Alfred asked Yes, sometimes it is the only way make people strong. she said again, finding her voice.
Alfred was slowly beginning to come to the conclusion that the education system of the Hessians revolved partly around brainwashing, unless they actually had some supporting evidence, although he doubted that any high school child would know that. Still, while the child kept talking at him, he began to write.
The door of the classroom opened and the sound of heavy boots on the metal floor announced the arrival of a second Hessian officer. Björn Mannelig, Major of the Red Hessian Army, made his way into the room towards Kuhl whom he started started to talk to just silent enough not to be heard by the class. The Bretonian though could tell from Kuhls nervous look that he was not very comfortable with what he had to report. When he had finished Mannelig indicated Alfred quite clearly to come with him, turning towards the door without waiting for a reaction. He left the door open behind him.
Excuse me for a moment children Alfred said as he got up and followed the new arrival out the door, somewhat annoyed that this man had just disrupted his work.
Yes sir? How may I help? he said closing the door behind him slightly, so they'd have more privacy.
You are now getting hmm... shown around the place, He said in broken english Zhe class has a training now, you are not able to see it.
He then walked on in silence, till suddenly the corridor opened up to give view to a big hangar, bristling of life. They made their way through, towards a tower like building in one of the corners, taking the elevator to a deck from wich one could oversee the entire plane of the hangar, not only by eye but also by many consoles whose operators did not seem to take notice of them. Mannelig headed for a separate room of the deck, in wich there was nothing but a table and two chairs. He took place on one of them, indicating the Bretonian to take place. I heard you speak our language. He said in said in rheinlandic with a hardly noticable accent, waiting till Alfred nodded slightly before moving on. You of course know why you had to leave the classroom. The only reason I do not leave you in the caring hands of the prison guards is that you are a guest, but trying to play games with us is not what you were invited to do. I know that people from the houses do not understand the necessity of shaping the youth into warriors. Your people worry more about lunch than your life but out here things are different. If they can not fight they will be killed. The Corsairs or whatever other degenerates roam the Omegas will not show mercy, The Government will not show mercy. Holding onto the illusion of peace gets you nowhere, but it makes you weak in the face of the enemy. You may think we are monsters but without us the Cretan degenerates would knock at your door a lot more heavy. His voice trembling a little too obvious from supressed anger Consider this your first and last warning, you would do well to remember it in the next days. With that he wove the guards to himself, giving them short orders in a nordic sounding language. Your guards will show you the living quaters. Do not try to make just one step out of their sight, I will see you again tomorrow.
The guards lead him back through the hangar into a structure resembling tower buildings in modern cities, just without a sky above them. Instead, far above their heads, a stone ceiling with strong lights could be seen. Once they got between the buildings the guards stepped back, indicating Alfred to walk around with them following.
Much was to be thought about during that evening's contemplation. Clearly he had over stepped his bounds, although he was uncertain how. Questioning the children in regards to their education clearly made the adults, teachers and military leaders alike, uncomfortable. Although they were no doubt proud of the responses given, it was clear that Steiner would need to approach the issue from another point of view. Logic would dictate that rather than a child an adult would be more inclined to answer his questions and would probably provide far more detailed answers, so long as the questions were worded correctly, the issue with this of course was that he would be required to figure out what was fact, and what was fiction. No small task and certainly not one without it's dangers. Observation had it's place but without some element of participation or statistical record he could hardly count the trip a success.
The man who ushered him away from the classroom had some understanding of the system he sought to look at, and mentioned his intention to see him the next day. Although it was clear this man was steadfast in his belief that the Hessians were a force of good, it was equally clear that he would not tolerate opinions to the contrary. The professor eventually tired of his note writing and went to bed, Tomorrow would hold many more adventures, far better to do them after a good nights sleep.
The next morning at precisely 05:00 a bell rang and woke the professor. Without waiting for him to answer the door Mannelig entered the appartment, today without a combat uniform but in an, even though utilitarian looking, set of normal clothes.
Guten Morgen! Get ready, you are to meet me in half an hour for breakfast, you will be lead to the place by your guards.
With that he left again, telling the guards outside the door where to bring the professor to.
Roughly twentyfive minutes later someone knocked at the door, waiting for the professor to answer.
I'm not in the Navy anymore, for goodness sakes He thought somewhat irritated at having being ordered into a strict regime of requirements, but as a guest, there were standards to uphold and he quickly opened the door to find a younger soldier waiting to lead him to what Alfred assumed to be a mess hall. Breakfast was hardly what he would call nice, but it was fulling, and as the cook had pointed out, contained all the required minerals and calories that one would need for a tough day. While waiting for someone to pick him up, he sat in the now empty mess reviewing and writing more notes from the previous days events.
Content of courses appears (at face value) sound, mathematics, written language and physical education all part of curriculum.
Students held to high standards of academic discipline.
Corporal punishment still used.
Nationalism prevalent in content of courses that have a social outlook (History for example).
Execution of courses different from content, motivation of students is still unknown, details of content still unknown, gradual impact on Hessian society will need to be investigated, questions will need to be remade into a less invasive series. Critical examination of content and practice also needs to be done.
He was beginning to understand that the Hessians didn't like being questioned as to what their methods were, but he did hope they would allow for some improvements in the 'mechanics' of their teaching style, only time would tell and his new guide hardly seemed like the jovial type.