Gellert Stoss
From Acw
Contents |
Vital Statistics
- Name: Gellert Lasslo Stoss
- Age: 37
- Profession: Planetary Governor, Neuostland; Holder of Arthurian Colgrevance Seat
Childhood
Gellert Lasslo Stoss is the only child of Georg Laslo Stoss (A wealthy ball bearing manufacturer) and Dagmar Von Trauer (a famous concert pianist). As a child of mixed parentage (Georg is Hungarian and Dagmar German), it would be presumed that baby Gellert would have been shunned and mistreated by society at large, given the GDL’s attitude towards non-Germans. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Stoss’ early life was anything but carefree and uneventful, with his father’s wealth and his mother’s social contacts and prestige possibly sheltering him from any ill-treatment.
Events appear to change for Stoss soon after his 3rd birthday, when his father’s application for full citizenship of the Reich was denied. With both of Gellert’s parents possessing a notable public profile, the news of the denial was quickly spread by gossip mongers and the Stoss’ social standing was rapidly eroded. Many former friends and colleagues distanced themselves from the family. Even Dagmar’s parents and siblings were quick to reject the Stoss’ for fear of being dragged down with them.
This social rejection led to the rapid decline of Georg’s business, which for many years had depended on Dagmar’s contacts in order to obtain the government contracts that had kept the business thriving. The family was facing serious bankruptcy and the possibility becoming destitute. This seems to have pushed Georg over the edge and, in late 2334, he abandoned his wife and child. His current status is unknown.
One month after this, presumably because she was unable to deal with being abandoned by her husband and rejection by her family and former friends, Dagmar abandoned Stoss at the Heiliges Herz State Orphanage and committed suicide.
Stoss remained at the orphanage until the age of 18. Very little documentation exists concerning the time Stoss spent at the orphanage with a few exceptions. One classified GDL Polizei report (Document No. T64214) implicates Stoss as a suspect in the death of 5 other boys at the orphanage. However, the investigation proved inconclusive and Stoss was cleared of any wrong doing. No-one was ever prosecuted for the crime and the case was abandoned due to lack of suspects.
The remaining documentation obtained concerns Stoss’ military service. Like all boys in GDL held territories, Stoss’ was drafted into the Deutschejungvolk at age 10 and proceeded to reach the rank of Oberscharführer by age 17. This then qualified him for a commissioned position in the Wehrmacht and on his 18th birthday he enlisted in the regular army and was promoted to Leutnant, assigned to the 69th Infantry Division, 159th Infantry Regiment.
Military Service
Stoss would complete three tours of duty with the 159th. Notable actions in which he was involved include the Battle of Neuheimat, after which he received a promotion to Oberleutnant, and the Battle of Vigo 5. Stoss distinguished himself in both these actions and by the end of his final tour with the 159th he was promoted to the rank of Hauptmann.
Notably, with the completion of his third tour of duty, Stoss qualified to apply for full German citizenship. Unlike his father, Stoss’ exemplary military record ensured that his application was swiftly processed and that, at the age 27, Gellert Stoss finally became a full citizen of the 4th Reich.
Following his obtainment of citizenship status, Stoss transferred to the now infamous 78th Infantry regiment. After three more years of service, Stoss was promoted to the rank of Major and then shortly after that, to the rank of Oberstleutnant.
Neu Hessen Massacre
It was during this time that Stoss was to first come to the attention of other international powers, following what has now become known as the Neu Hessen Massacre.
Following the death of Oberst Helmut Muller, commander of the 78th, during the initial invasion of Wiesbadenklein, the capital city of the colony of Neu Hessen, Stoss took command of the entire regiment and proceeded to try to retake control of the city. With the 78th forcing the colonists back on all fronts, the rebels retreated with their families deep into the city itself and prepared to make their last stand.
Rather than engage the colonists in urban warfare, Stoss instead ordered that Wiesbadenklein be bombed from orbit. When Stoss informed the Raumswaffe captain assigned to the operation of what he required, the captain refused, not wanting to have any part of an action that would result in the deaths of millions of innocent civilians, mostly women and children. In the middle of a briefing room crowded with Wehrmacht and Raumswaffe officers, Stoss drew his pistol and shot the captain through the head. With no other Raumswaffe officer willing to challenge him, the bombing commenced.
Between the bombardment and the 'mopping up' operations that followed, the 78th, with Stoss in charge, wiped out every man, woman and child in the city, a total of over 35 million individuals. When the events in Wiesbadenklein came to international attention, American and British media reports dubbed the operation a senseless massacre and a war crime and conferred Stoss with the title 'the Butcher of Neu Hessen'
Reassignment to the Reichs Ministry of the Outer Colonies
Stoss’ actions on Neu Hessen brought him to the attention of the Reichs Ministry of the Outer Colonies. Although all the colonists had been killed, officials within the ministry were pleased with Stoss’ actions as the massacre on Neu Hessen had sent a clear message to other colonies that may also have been considering declaring independence of what the repercussions would be.
The ministry made Stoss an offer. They asked him to take over governorship of the GDL colony of Neuostland. There had been problems on Neuostland for some time, with a much more organised resistance than previously present, beginning to gain a foothold on the planet. Stoss’ job would be to crush this rebellion before it grew any greater in size and return order to the colony. Seeing a chance for further advancement, Stoss’ eagerly accepted the position.
It has become difficult to determine what has occurred on Neuostland since Stoss began his governorship. With only minimal communications allowed to and from the planet, it is virtually impossible for those outside the GDL chain of command to know what the state of the colony is at this time. What is clear is that, in the two years since Stoss became governor of Neuostland, he is yet to fully suppress the rebellion and, its leader, known only as Tedesceau, still eludes capture by Stoss’ forces.
The Neuostland Crisis
Stoss’ part in the “Neuostland Crisis” is still under debate. After his shouting match with Tedesceau in the initial stages of the negotiations and almost being ejected from the proceedings, Stoss seemed simply content to make small talk with a number of the delegates not directly involved in proceedings.
However, in an act, for which the motivation still seems unclear, Stoss completely changed the nature of the negotiations, when he activated the Arminian defense systems, threatening to wipe out every living being currently on Neuostland, including the 45,000 Russian troops currently occupying the planet. This led to Admiral Natasha Ivanova Petrova threatening to destroy Arminius and everyone on it, including all of the delegates at the negotiations. The threats by Admiral Petrova seemed to have had no effect on Stoss’ resolve, and it was only the actions of Markgraf Gustav von Paulus which prevented the destruction of Neuostland and the subsequent annihilation of Arminius.
Some commentators have suggested that Stoss was intentionally trying to goad the Russians into destroying Arminius. This would have resulted in the death of both UISA and SBE representatives and forced both these governments to take action against the USSR. Others, however, have suggested that Stoss’ actions were simply that of a madman and typical of a man dubbed “The Butcher of Neu Hessen”.
The Arthurian Incursion
Following the events that would become known as the Neuostland crisis, Stoss suffered at the hands of Grossdeutschland High Command for his flight from Arminius at the height of the emergency. Despite his claims that his departure from the Arminius was necessary in order to preserve a representative of Grossdeutschland authority in the area, Stoss’ actions were interpreted as an act of cowardice and he was removed from his position as planetary governor. Most expected that Stoss would suffer an “unfortunate accident”, however he resurfaced a few months later as an adjunct to Reichs Ministry of Information Director Egon Hessler during the Arthurian Incursion incident. Stripped of all military rank, it was not immediately apparent what Stoss’ role now was.
The answer became moot fairly rapidly when Stoss suddenly disappeared early on in the proceedings. It was only discovered later that Stoss had, in fact, defected to the Arthurians and been incorporated into their collective. The idea that Stoss, whose loyalty to the ideals of the 4th Reich verged on fanaticism, would defect to another power, suggests that his position must have been particularly precarious. Why Stoss chose to offer his services to the Arthurians is still not immediately apparent but what is clear is that the Arthurians eagerly accepted Stoss into their faction, likely due to the knowledge he could provide them, not only about Grossdeutschland but also the other major earth based nations.
With the death of Colgrevance Prime at New Iowa, Stoss was an obvious choice to fill the role, based upon his experience in military and planetary command.
Tiananmen Peace Congress
Stoss would remain unseen until the Tiananmen Peace Congress where he turned up as a member of the Arthurian delegation in his new role as Colgrevance Prime. Now fully invested with cybernetic implants, Stoss now bore little resemblance to the man who had previously caused such havoc on Neuostland. It quickly became apparent that the Arthurian's were using Stoss to liase with his former compatriots, as Stoss spent a great deal of time in conversation with Doktor Franz Detweiler. The nature of these conversations were unclear at the time, but it is suggested that Stoss was either distracting Detweiler whilst Arthur-2 rallied support amongst other nations for an attack on the SS, or that it may have had something to do with the energy beam weapon that the Doktor would later use to destroy the Earth, considering that that weapon seems to bear similarity to Arthurian weaponry used at New Iowa.
When the attack on the SS began, Stoss was seen helping Admiral Petrova to escape Tiananmen Station. The fact that the Third Extra-Solar Fleet engaged the SS fleet soon after would suggest that Stoss did some sort of deal with his former opponent, helping her to escape in exchange for her support in the conflict.
Following the end of the congress, Stoss departed with the rest of the Arthurian delegation. Soon after, the following transmission was broadcast across all frequencies
“The end of Grossdeustchland is here. The destruction of the Earth was just a beginning. When I am finished nothing will remain. Every man, woman and child who has sworn loyalty to the Reich will cease to be. In a war such as this, there are no civilians. I am a carnivore. A carnivore never stops. It shows no mercy. Mercy is a chimera. It can be defeated by the stomach rumbling its hunger, by the throat crying it thirst. I am always hungry and thirsty.
I will be ruthless. Life doesn't forgive weakness. So-called humanity is religious drivel. Compassion is an eternal sin. To feel compassion for the weak is a betrayal of nature. The strong can only triumph if the weak are exterminated. This is a law the Reich has taught me well. Being loyal to this law, I've never had compassion. I've always been ruthless when faced with opposition. That's the only way to deal with it. I have identified the weak and it is you Grossdeustchland. Your time is ended. It is time for a new power will rise in your place.
I will squeeze you Grossdeustchland. Squeeze you until the rotting pus that is contained within you oozes out and then I will cauterise the wound. When I am done, your existence will be a faded memory, washed out and discoloured like an aged watercolour painting. Fear me, for I come for you. Behold your pale horse.
I am destruction. I am Death. I AM STOSS!”
