Johanna Ristien

Seven pace per Seven. Forty-nine slabs. A bed, a toilet and a window. A very small window.

Less then an hour before her jailor would come to bring her before the Court. She had slept in much worst conditions before and never had trouble finding rest, but this time, it eluded her. So she sat there, back against the wall, waiting, thinking, remembering.

......

They had come during the night. She didn't realise they were there until it was too late and frankly, she wouldn't have acted agaisnt them had she knew. Her and her men were stationed twelve miles east of Hossa; just across the Russian border. The raids were to start in less then a few hours. Create a distraction was her mission, her Superiors never gave orders on how to accomplish the goals they fixed. She didn't even have to make a complete report, only if it worked or failed. They didn't care how it happend and in fact they didn't want to know either.

When Military Police Lieutenant Hans Deeken step in her command tent along two armed soldiers she knew something was not right. He didn't waste anytime.

-Eversti Johanna Ristien, you are placed under arrest. You and your commanding officers will be escorted back to Helsinki to be judge for treason and crime agaisnt humanity.

Before she could react or say anything she was pick up by Hans men and draged outside. She wasn't prepare for what she saw. Her men were rounded up by more then fifty highly armed men and at least three helicopters. Her commanding officers were being escorted to a nearby transport... something was wrong.

-Were is Jolaani? Ericsson!? Where is Ericsson? she asked. It was hard not to sound panicked.
-Luutnantti Jolaani and Pääaine Ericsson tried to make a run-for-it. The Pääaine didn't make it past fifthty pace. My men are still chassing your Luutnantti.

There, about a hunderd metter away laid the body of her Major. One of the few volunteer her squadron had held. One of the few she trusted with her life, with her worries, with the few scrapes of compassion and humanity she had left. Without any consideration for her wellbeing she was shoved in the back of the transport. Shortly after they crossed a Russian unit, heading toward her camp. Hans greeted them with a wide smile. Gunshots echoed through the night...

....


Her own gouvernement had traded her and her hellbound squadron for an uneasy peace with the ennemy. Her officers had been charged with treason agaisnt Man and Country. Three were dead, counting Ericsson. Arvi and Halko had been executed two months ago. Jolaani was still missing. Johanna hoped that she would be able to stay hidden. Her last officer, Junior-officer Halski, had been acquitted of every allegation. Apparently she had threatened to kill him if he didn't follow orders. More likely that Halski uncle, General Jaakob, made sure that no one related to him was charged with something so vile. The rest of her men... well she didn't think many made it out, if any.

The working mechanism of the door made her wake for her reminiscence. She raised to meet the guards that were to escort to her trial.

-Come on Monster, it's time.
Johanna did not speak. She nodded and placed herself between them.
-Your going to burn in hell for all you did, you know that right, Monster?
Again, Johanna did not speak. Pausing for just a second she closed her eye and smiled. It was more like a grin. They didn't speak to her again.

Monster. Yes what she did would be considered horrible and wrong now, monstrous even. She did not regret what she did. The only regret she had was that she didn't die during the War. Yes, if she died now, Hell would be her only reward. Had she died doing her duty, died during the battles, died for her Country they would have buried her a Hero and Heaven doors would be open. Johanna never tought she would have survived so far.

The Court room was modest. A long desk was occupied by six aged men. Four of them had been her direct superiors. One the High General of the army. Only the Grand Judge did not know her personaly. For her, only a small woden chair stood. Johanna sat and the trial started immediately.

-Eversti Johanna Ristien.. you are.. you are.. Are you Johanna Ristien..?
Johanna wanted to laugh. Of course the Grand judge should be startled. She didn't look a day past her fifteen year. She stoped aging years ago when she made the concious choice to kill and die holding a weapon. Her first kill, her first wound. It was still fresh in her memory.

-Yes, I am Johanna Ristien. Colonel to the 306th Military Squadron.
The 306th. Created from 300 concript drawn from prisons and six volunteer, officers. Death row prisoners who had nothing to loose. Either they died in the prisons or on the battlefield. If they made it through the war they would had have received a full a pardon. She had gain respect from these men. Strange they would follow her to hell but would have spit on Heaven's door had they had been leaded by someone else.

-Hmm yes of course.. Eversti Johanna Ristien you are charge with Crimes against Humanity and Treason against Man and Country. How do you plead?

-That depend. On what ground?

-Let see here.. ah yes.. oh my the list goes on and on.. ah yes here. On the ground of Crimes against Humanity, you are accused of genocide against the Russian towns of Kostomuksha and Zaliv...
Johanna remembered every mission she did. It was during the first months of the War. Allied troops had taken the region and were fortifing there position. She had recive the mission to make sure the supply line wasn't disrupted. Kostomuksha was the only town big enough to house organised resistance in the region. She ordered the town burn and any survivor that made it out shot. She lost seven men that day. Zaliv was similar. She had been ordered to keep secret the location of the 49th squadron so they could ambush ennemy soldiers. She made the civilians dig a giant hole. When it was done she had them shot and burried. Some didn't died by bullet wounds. She lost three men there.
-Guilty

-... of mass torture on civilians...
A traitor had been spying for the ennemy and was causing trouble in the borderlands. It took 56 tried before finding someone who knew who he was, and 12 more to know where he was. She had been lucky that time, she didn't loose any men.
-Guilty

-...of massive rape through out the country side...
Johanna almost chuckled. That had been Halski's idea. During the end of the War, Russia was able to take back it's lost ground and even stage assault on Finland. To make sure the population would not allow Russia to move freely about Halski sugested that some men should commit crimes in the many villages near the borders. Disguised has Russian soldier they would upset the population, pushing them to take arms agaisnt the invaders. It was Halski's idea but she orderded the rapes. To mobilize a man, target his women. To this day this was the only order she felt remorse giving, proof that Johanna still had some remnant of humanity. She had lost all fifty man to angry mobs.
-Guilty

-...and of using inhuman weapon on the battlefield and on civilians.
Mines and flame thrower. Se had use the flame thrower to get rid of barricaded ennemy, to burn down bulding and to make exemple out of some people. You really can't ever forget the smell of a burning man. The mines had been use on numerous time. Each time they would leave a position to an ennemy she would order that no less then fifty mines were left behind. More in a city. Never had an ennemy bben able to press hard his soldier to catch them up. Numerous time did the Russian had to completly abandon strategic position because they could not set camp in fear of mines.
-Guilty

-And on the charge of treason?

-I never betrayed my Country. Neither did any of my men since the begining of the war until we were forcefully extracted.

-Colonel, you were arrested in Russian territory, clearly about to launch strikes against civilians target. Namely an Hospital. You were arrested six days after the signature of a peace treaty with our new allies.

-I had my orders.

-Yes.. those order that told you that your target was a military research station. We read your report. Stop this masquerade. Who gave you your order? You could not have gone acros the border with so much military equipement without an accomplice. Who is it Miss Ristien?

-Not guilty.

-Very well... suit yourself. Gentlemen, escort Eversti Ristien back to her cell. You will be transfer in a week to a military prison were the proof of you treason will be heard in front of a military court. You are dismiss.

Rising to her feet Johanna realised why her commanding officer had been present. They wanted to know. They wanted to know who gave her that order. She gave them a wide grin. If they tought she would betray Tania Frejanar, Queen of Finland they were sorely mistaken.