[Code Name] Hoederer
[Gender] Male
[Combat Experience] 21 Years
[Place of Birth] Kazdel
[Date of Birth] Apr 22
[Race] Sarkaz
[Height] 185cm
[Infection Status]
Confirmed Infected by medical examination.

[Physical Strength] Standard
[Mobility] Standard
[Physical Resilience] Standard
[Tactical Acumen] Excellent
[Combat Skill] Excellent
[Originium Arts Assimilation] Excellent

The early career of former Sarkaz mercenary captain Hoederer is unclear. He participated in the transfer of Babel as part of the guard detail, leaving after Babel was dismantled. He was then spotted at Chernobog alongside Ines and W as a mercenary hired by Reunion, before disappearing after the Chernobog Incident. His next appearance was as a member of the Military Commission in Londinium. After obtaining certain key information, Hoederer left them and reestablished contact with Rhodes Island, once again signing a memorandum of strategic cooperation with us after discussions with Amiya.

Imaging tests show the indistinct outlines of internal organs, obscured by abnormal shadows. Originium granules detected in the circulatory system. The subject is confirmed to be infected with Oripathy.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 15%
Hoederer shows obvious symptoms of Infection, but he has declined Medical's recommendation for further examination.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.27u/L
Having spent extended periods in Kazdel and other battlefields, Hoederer's condition is serious, but he does not seem concerned about his status as Infected. Perhaps, for Sarkaz mercenaries living near Kazdel, Oripathy is as much a part of their everyday life as their weapons.

For most young operators, a 'Sarkaz from Kazdel' usually means someone you should stay well away from. The behavior of some of our operators has undoubtedly contributed to this thinking. There is an impression that Kazdel is a place filled with people like W or Flamebringer, and even Mudrock can seem imposing in her thick and heavy armor.
Hoederer's arrival has changed some of these preconceptions. Not to say that he isn't dangerous, as his performance in battle and his sheer muscles clearly demonstrate, but there is something different about him. Mercenaries who spend their lives on the battlefield killing for a living are often rough or cold, living in the moment and indulging in pleasures like there is no tomorrow.
Hoederer, however, lives by a strictly regimented schedule while at Rhodes Island: He will show up at the training room at 5:30am every day, and do strength training for one and a half hours before having breakfast, usually boiled fowlbeast (he has also been seen asking Hibiscus to put together a healthy menu for him). He will then spend the rest of the morning reading, take a quick break around noon, and spend the entire afternoon in combat training. This is obviously very different from his lifestyle as a mercenary, but he seems to enjoy it. Perhaps he desires to feel in control of his life, compared his time on the battlefield where tomorrow is far from a given.

He's out of his mind. Is he just really insecure or something? We might all be dead by tomorrow, and the last thing he'll remember are the boiled vegetables he had for his last meal. —Anonymous Interview Log 1
Would a last meal of salted potatoes be any better? —Anonymous Interview Log 2

There is a scholar in him, but unlike any of the Victorian or Columbian academics we are familiar with. He says that his studies are not for personal growth or academic curiosity. When he visits Rhodes Island's library, he is not seeking pure knowledge, but methods. His writings and records serve a single purpose: to relieve his own pain and doubt. He is currently writing a book on the history of Sarkaz wars, and operators who've had the chance to review the draft speak highly of it, calling it 'more than just a chronicle, but a unique way of studying history from a micro perspective.'

Hoederer needs a publishing agent. Now, I want to be clear that I'm not trying to make money off of this. How much money many could there possibly be in putting out a textbook? Written in Sarkaz, no less! But I'm Sarkaz too, and there are plenty of us on Rhodes Island who'd want to read our history in written form. I'll get his request for more books on economics approved immediately, as long as he lets me handle his publishing rights. —Closure
You can come talk to me about the copyright stuff. And I suggest you reject Hoederer's request for books on economics; I just wanted him to help with bookkeeping. —Message to the Procurement Department, author unknown

Diary with yellowed pages:
...I didn't have the money. So I pulled the cart out of town and found a spot. Sobie told me everyone was buried there. There were no tombstones, but the ground was filled with Originium crystals, small ones, not the big formations that Catastrophes leave behind. Mom wasn't very tall, but it took hours to dig a hole she could lie in. The sun had risen by the time I got back.
Maybe there will be crystals growing there the next time I visit. I hope I can still find it.
......
I didn't expect him to struggle.
I waited for him to fall asleep. I practiced the stab so many times. I got the spot just right. Why didn't he die immediately? I still have the scratch marks he left on my wrist. It will take days for them to fade. On the whole though, it wasn't that bad. Not as scary as Madtree said. I watched him expire before my eyes. Blood everywhere.
Scarface gave me a small piece of refined Pure Gold as a reward for a successful mission. Told me mercenaries don't need to ask questions. All that matters is results. Said I did well.
......
Kroche finally agreed to teach me how to drive. I still have to reach for the pedals, but I think I've got the chops. We drove on a wide open piece of the barrens. Kroche was always concerned that I'd crash the car, but there's nothing to crash into out there, and there wasn't much left of his car to crash anyway.
I got tired after a while and Kroche took over. We drove aimlessly the entire day, until sundown. I thought I'd get to see a beautiful sunset, but the black smoke from Kazdel obscured everything.
Kroche seems to be a decent guy, although he still won't increase my pay. Isn't he the one who said scouting was an important job?
......
Those damn angels have been after us for three days, and show no sign of being willing to let us go. I didn't even have time to change my bandages. My wound has already gone numb. Not a good sign.
If you're reading this, I'm probably dead. If you're the Sankta who killed me, then abi in malam crucem.
If you're just a Sarkaz passing by, pray that I return to the myriad souls. There are a few pieces of Pure Gold in my pouch. Take them, if you haven't already.
(Scribbled) I have a fever. I think I'm dying.
......
I learned the name of the man who stabbed me. Cannoli. The target our squad eliminated three days ago was his father. I should thank him. The doctor who stitched up my wound gave me a quick screening. He told me I was Infected, like he was talking about the weather. I guess the burning ashes I saw that day were my Arts. What good is that? Fertilizer? I admit, I'm disappointed.
I don't really care that I got Oripathy. Everyone here gets it, sooner or later. I'm one of the lucky ones. Funnel's little girl is five, and her left hand is almost entirely covered in crystals.
Her sixth birthday is a few months away. Funnel's birthday present for her? A coffin.
......
Broketooth didn't want me in his group because I was too young. I'll go and find Schwab. I think he wants to form his own mercenary band.
Heard that a Leithanian caravan is passing through the birch forest to the north tomorrow. They picked the worst route possible, and gave it away to boot. More than one group of bandits have them in their sights, but the mission that Scar Market gave us is to rob the bandits. Who'd make a request like that?
Hope tomorrow's operation goes well. Maybe I can pick up some good Leithanian stuff.

The diary ends here.

The other day, I saw Hoederer chatting in the bar with an old ship-hand dating back to the Babel days. W said Hoederer was a crazy grass-eater, but he looked normal enough to me. Later, I had the chance to talk to that ship-hand about their conversation when he came to me to get some paperwork done. —■■■

Oh, that. To tell the truth, I didn't even know his name until we drank together a couple days ago. Hey, don't blame me! It's not like he remembered my name either. So many people came and went while the Chairman was still around, you hardly had the chance to remember the name of someone you might only have seen a few times. Plus, the Sarkaz mercs changed their code names so often, I don't know who has the patience to remember them all.
We didn't talk about much, just old times. I met Hoederer's band in 93. I remember that because that's the year my son died, not long before they came aboard. Times were hard at Babel back then. We were always moving, and we lost a lot of good people... never mind that. I was part of the operation to recover his squad. Only a few of them made it. I remember him and Ines mostly because they came with that nutjob, W. And the fact that they eventually left Babel... without taking her with them!
I joined Babel and worked with people like the Chairman and Kal'tsit because this was my dream. I still believe in the Chairman's path, but I also understand why so many people left. It's not just Theresis we're fighting, it's all the hatred behind him as well. But Hoederer and Ines were different from the others who left. I could tell that they didn't leave because they were afraid of Theresis, because they worried about their families in Kazdel, or because they were pessimistic about how the war would go. If you ask me, I think they looked tired and sad when they left.
When we drank together that day, Hoederer asked me which race I thought had killed the most Sarkaz. I gave a few answers, but they were all wrong. Finally, he told me it was the Sarkaz themselves. Be it Victoria, Leithanien, or any other country or faction, the best way to destroy a bunch of Sarkaz is not to waste their own precious troops, but to hire another group of Sarkaz to solve the problem. No need to pay restitution to the families of the fallen, after all, unlike their own soldiers. Hoederer said he used to think this was normal; that was the job of a merc, after all. But could they still remain sellswords for the highest bidder in the civil war between Theresa and Theresis to determine the ruler of Kazdel?
Hoederer and Ines didn't want to pick a side. They wanted to remain free. But who can truly stay above such a conflict? I don't understand him, really. He wanted to get away from it all, but in the end we ran into each other here again. Maybe there are some things you just can't get away from, just like you can't get away from eating and drinking.
Anything else? Oh, I've heard that theory too, that they left W in Babel to keep an exit route open... Whoever said that needs to use their brain. W? Keep a path open? You're lucky if she doesn't get on literally everyone's bad side... Hey, you're not going to tell her I said that, are you?

[Classified Log]
It's been a while, Doctor. Our brief cooperation in the Babel days is irrelevant now. I doubt you remember it, anyway.
I stood on the other side in the Chernobog Incident, and killed Scout with my own hands. I'm not going to try to justify it. I'm the direct culprit.
I also served Theresis's Military Commission for a long time, answering to Manfred. I was involved in numerous purges of the Londinium council, helping Theresis establish control and forcing Londinium to kneel.
Yes, we had a closer partnership in Victoria. We fought alongside Rhodes Island through fire and brimstone, with the tacit understanding not to bring up the past, either the good and the bad. Let me make this clear, Doctor: I'm not bringing this up now to casually apologize and seek forgiveness. On the contrary, I need you to remember that I did all that. And I can't and won't feel guilty about it any of it. I'm a mercenary, a killer, and I must face all the choices I made, as well as any consequences they bring about.
I read the terms of the agreement, of course. It's similar to the one Ines got. It's true that we'll have use of one another for a long time to come, but I'm not W, and I have no intention of chasing after Her Highness's footsteps like her. You and I both know that no matter who we have with us now, Her Highness Theresa's Babel is no more than a footnote in history.
Frankly, being part of Rhodes Island offers me many advantages, personally. Our cooperation extends beyond the realm of Oripathy and Infection. You're the experts in that field, and the Sarkaz have long been plagued by Oripathy, but it's the least of Kazdel's problems right now. It's a gentle killer, compared to war, starvation, and instigators.
I need your help because you're more complex than you let on. No need to deny it. I know what kind of people this place has. Both heroes of days gone by, and children of the future. The extraordinary pretending to be ordinary, and revolutionaries who've yet to realize who they are... Far more influence than any pharmaceutical company should wield. I claim no authority in Kazdel, and perhaps it's not even my place as a humble mercenary to worry about that city's future. In the end, though, it's our home, and we all know that Kazdel's crisis has only just begun.
I'm not an idealist like Her Highness Theresa, believing that sincerity begets selfless cooperation. But I'll leverage every bit of power I can, even if there are ulterior movies behind them. We're constantly walking on the edge of a cliff. Over the long course of history, many cities have been given the name Kazdel, but it's never changed the fact that the Sarkaz continue to wander. It's time we found an anchor for our people. We must consider how to find a true, lasting home, rather than being swept into the abyss once more by the tides of anger and ambition.
If you're no longer that destroyer, Doctor... then I need your advice.

Hoederer received a letter of invitation from the Military Commission of Kazdel.
Following the conclusion of the war in Victoria, the nations of Terra have yet to organize an offensive against Kazdel. The return of the Lord of Fiends to Kazdel is hardly the only reason.
But the Military Commission these days... Hoederer's brow furrows just thinking about it.
He decides to spend a few more days at Rhodes Island before setting out.