Red Hessian Army
| Rote Hessen Armee | |
| Origin | |
| Alignment | {{{alignment}}} |
| Profile | |
| Date of founding | ± 810 A.S. A.S. |
| Date of dissolution | still active A.S. |
| Founder(s) | Admiral Heinrich Kessler |
| Current leader(s) | Flottekapitan Kaspar Meisnerr (commander-in-chief) |
| Base of operations | Vogtland Base, Dresden |
| Primary role | |
| Destruction of the corrupt Rheinland elites | |
| Secondary role | |
| Protection of Rheinland from outside threats | |
Tag: Hessian
ID: Red Hessian ID
Naming Convention:
- For fighters and bombers: [RHA]Firstname.Lastname or [RHA]Callsign
- For gunboats: [RHA]RHGB-Callsign
- For cruisers: [RHA]RHC-Callsign
Operations:
- Offensive and defensive actions against immediate threats and attacking targets of opportunity
- Humiliating our enemies in the public eye by decisive victories
- Heavily taxing or stopping altogether the military and luxury material trade in Rheinland (especially the diamond trade)
- Maintaining reconnaisance data about our immediate area of operations and our enemies ships and loadouts
- Disrupting and emptying corporate transports
- Home systems (Dresden, Omega-54, Omega-11, Omega-5 and Omega-47)
- Influenced systems (Hamburg, New Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich, Omega-3, Omega-7, Omega-41 and Omega-15)
Synopsis
While the typical Red Hessian has the reputation of a pirate or brigand with nothing but personal gain in mind, the leaders of the Red Hessian Army (RHA) have not lost sight of their goals: resisting the corporate oppression of Daumann and Kruger, implementing their views on society and government, establishing a recognisable presence in the Omega sector and finally freeing Dresden from the choking grip of Rheinland.
History
Although being the third largest unlawful group in Sirius, the Red Hessian movement is not much older than a hundred years. It originated from the ashes of the Popular Revolution of 700 A.S. after the Rheinland industrial machine finally crumbled from the eighty years of strain and war time economy. Rheinland companies on the edge of collapse pushed their workers more and more, even though the massive inflation made it unable for them to pay wages. Revolts fueled by the populist Bundschuh party started taking over, and Rheinland was forced to sign several pacts with Liberty in order to save the economy. The currency became worthless overnight, and the majority of the corporations declared bankruptcy.
The Revolution finally took place after mining stations in Dresden were seized by enraged miners, and the system slowly spiralled out of Rheinland control. With the Bundschuh delivering supplies to the striking workers and Rheinland's mineral resources being effectively held hostage, the government finally agreed to hold a meeting with the representatives of the working class. Three weeks from the beginning of the revolt on Von Rohe's Day, the Bundschuh political leaders legally walked into the Reichstag on New Berlin for the first time since the creation of the movement. Surrounded by prominent revolutionary figures and common miners, the people gathered there signed the document abolishing imperial rule and electing a democratic government. It was a breakthrough, many laws were declared to keep worker abuse to a minimum and wages to a respectable level. New economic plans and subsidies for foreign companies halted the inflation that wrecked the currency, and Rheinland slowly began to rebuild.
A few years later the democratic government was a mockery. Corruption raged unchecked as the formed political parties continued to sell themselves out to foreign companies and rich manipulators, with the only opposition being the Bundschuh. Eventually a rigged and setup vote was passed, and the Bundschuh were once again outlawed from the Rheinland government and forced to go underground. Outraged at this course of events, large groups of workers abandoned their posts in Dresden in an attempt to restart the Revolution by once again disrupting the mining industry. They attracted lots of followers: compatriots, victims of the arising gluttony and abuse of the new major players in the mining industry, defectors from the Rheinland Military and the government itself as well as simple people with nothing to go back to after losing everything to the economic crash.
This attempt however did not go so well. The people of Rheinland, being effectively disinformed by the new government, did not jump out in support this time around. The miners were left without a heavy handed hammer to force the needed change with, and were brought down to piracy and attacking transports to prevent the corporate cargo from reaching it's destination. As time moved on, they constructed large bases in various nebulas or asteroid fields close to major trade routes in order to attack transports quickly and efficiently. They also changed from a small group of revolutionaries to a major unlawful group in Sirius, dealing in stolen corporate goods to keep their movement running and expanding their influence into the uncharted Omega sector and further towards Bretonia. This inevitably put them at odds with the ever-oppressive and expansive Corsairs and eventually sparked one of the bloodiest persisting conflicts in Sirius, very much rivaling the Outcast-Corsair war.
Close to a century of strife and conflict later the Red Hessians were embroiled in a stalemate on all fronts. Support in Rheinland was wailing with the progress of the reactionary forces stalled, aside from stopping the Corsair advance into Stuttgart and severely hurting their operations in Omega-3 and Omega-7. The ideological element finally decided to act. A structure for an organisation within an organisation was formed, a militarised and disciplined group with good funding and a heavy handed approach, enough to mire even the brute force of the Rheinland Military. New ship designs were drafted specifically for use of the Army, and a specific modus operandi was created. The Army was dedicated to taking control of Rheinland territory and holding the line in the Omega sector. With funds acquired primarily from whatever spoils the rest of the Red Hessians would manage to bring in as well as anonymous donations from all across Sirius, the Red Hessian Army could completely focus on eradicating threats to house Rheinland - including the Rheinland government itself.
In the hard times of 816 A.S., Rheinland is a fascist dictatorship in the hands of a madman. As the opposing movements of Rheinland rally with the Unioners' return to the fold, the Red Hessian Army is always at the edge of any attack against the oppressive government. With outside support and an extensive supply ring, the Army wages a massive offensive against the Rheinland Military, and continues to strike against the terrible and murderous Corsair threat. A war to bring a revolution upon a nation that sorely needs one...
Equipment
Ships:
- Asgard line (Loki LF, Odin VHF, Thor Bomber)
- Borderworlds line (Dagger LF, Scimitar LF, Stilleto HF, Sabre VHF, Falcata Bomber)
- Red Hessian Cruiser, Rogue Gunboat, Lane Hacker Gunship
Weapons:
