OVA
Description
Walter von Schönkopf was born in the Galactic Empire in 764 UC (3564 CE). At age six, his family fled to the Free Planets Alliance via the Fezzan Corridor, enduring contemptuous treatment from Alliance customs officials that he remembered throughout his life. He enrolled in a ground warfare school at eighteen, deliberately bypassing the officer academy due to its atmosphere. His tactical skill earned a recommendation for officer training, leading to his graduation as a second lieutenant in 786 UC (3586 CE) and assignment to the Rosen Ritter regiment. This elite unit, composed largely of Imperial exiles, dissidents, and their descendants, possessed formidable combat effectiveness but faced suspicion from Alliance leadership over its Imperial roots. Schönkopf rose swiftly, becoming vice-commander by his late twenties.
During the Battle of Van-Fleet Starzone in March 794 UC (3594 CE), Schönkopf assumed interim command following the regimental commander's death from injuries sustained in an Imperial ambush. He organized a successful defense against a full-scale Imperial assault, preserving the base until reinforcements arrived despite heavy losses. This action secured his formal promotion to captain and permanent command of the Rosen Ritter. In 796 UC (3596 CE), his unit was assigned to Yang Wen-li's newly formed 13th Fleet after Yang witnessed Schönkopf defending a waitress from Alliance officers. Despite widespread mistrust of the Rosen Ritter, Yang tasked them with infiltrating Iserlohn Fortress. Schönkopf spearheaded the operation, disguising his troops as wounded Imperial soldiers aboard the captured cruiser *Bremen*. After docking, they accessed the command center, took Admiral Thomas von Stockhausen hostage, seized control, disabled the fortress's defenses, and enabled the 13th Fleet's entry. This bloodless capture earned Yang the title "Miracle Yang" and cemented Schönkopf's reputation.
Following the Alliance-Imperial War, Schönkopf stayed with the Rosen Ritter under Yang's command, conscious of government surveillance targeting Yang's associates. When Alliance authorities escalated suppression efforts against Yang, Schönkopf collaborated with officers like Dusty Attemborough to plan Yang's rescue. After evading a fabricated police stop by switching to manual vehicle controls, he participated in the abduction of High Council Chairman João Rebelo and led the Rosen Ritter in storming Yang's prison, enabling Frederica Greenhill to prevent Yang's execution. Later, Schönkopf directed the assault on a hotel serving as Imperial Consul Helmut Lennenkampt's headquarters, defending staircases against Panzergrenadiers by deploying Seffle particles to force close-quarters combat. He subsequently joined Yang at Iserlohn Fortress as its commander.
After Yang Wen-li's death, Schönkopf continued serving as fortress commander for the Iserlohn Republic. During the Battle of Shiva in late May to June 801 UC (3601 CE), he accompanied Julian Mintz's fleet against the Imperial Lohengramm Fleet. Recognizing the need for a decisive act to secure negotiations with Kaiser Reinhard, Schönkopf led a boarding party onto the flagship *Brunhild*. While covering Julian's advance to Reinhard's quarters, he was mortally wounded from behind by an unarmored Imperial sergeant. Despite his injury, he asked the sergeant's name and spared him. Unable to continue fighting, he sat down and died at age 37, his final thoughts turning to Rosalein von Kreutzer, the mother of his daughter Katerose. His sacrifice enabled Julian to secure a truce establishing the Ba‘alat Starzone as an autonomous republic.
Schönkopf was characterized by tactical ingenuity in ground operations, loyalty to trusted commanders like Yang, and a complex personal history including numerous romantic relationships. His views on governance reflected cynicism toward both Imperial and Alliance systems, once remarking, "Whether in the Empire or the Alliance, corruption in the military is the same."
During the Battle of Van-Fleet Starzone in March 794 UC (3594 CE), Schönkopf assumed interim command following the regimental commander's death from injuries sustained in an Imperial ambush. He organized a successful defense against a full-scale Imperial assault, preserving the base until reinforcements arrived despite heavy losses. This action secured his formal promotion to captain and permanent command of the Rosen Ritter. In 796 UC (3596 CE), his unit was assigned to Yang Wen-li's newly formed 13th Fleet after Yang witnessed Schönkopf defending a waitress from Alliance officers. Despite widespread mistrust of the Rosen Ritter, Yang tasked them with infiltrating Iserlohn Fortress. Schönkopf spearheaded the operation, disguising his troops as wounded Imperial soldiers aboard the captured cruiser *Bremen*. After docking, they accessed the command center, took Admiral Thomas von Stockhausen hostage, seized control, disabled the fortress's defenses, and enabled the 13th Fleet's entry. This bloodless capture earned Yang the title "Miracle Yang" and cemented Schönkopf's reputation.
Following the Alliance-Imperial War, Schönkopf stayed with the Rosen Ritter under Yang's command, conscious of government surveillance targeting Yang's associates. When Alliance authorities escalated suppression efforts against Yang, Schönkopf collaborated with officers like Dusty Attemborough to plan Yang's rescue. After evading a fabricated police stop by switching to manual vehicle controls, he participated in the abduction of High Council Chairman João Rebelo and led the Rosen Ritter in storming Yang's prison, enabling Frederica Greenhill to prevent Yang's execution. Later, Schönkopf directed the assault on a hotel serving as Imperial Consul Helmut Lennenkampt's headquarters, defending staircases against Panzergrenadiers by deploying Seffle particles to force close-quarters combat. He subsequently joined Yang at Iserlohn Fortress as its commander.
After Yang Wen-li's death, Schönkopf continued serving as fortress commander for the Iserlohn Republic. During the Battle of Shiva in late May to June 801 UC (3601 CE), he accompanied Julian Mintz's fleet against the Imperial Lohengramm Fleet. Recognizing the need for a decisive act to secure negotiations with Kaiser Reinhard, Schönkopf led a boarding party onto the flagship *Brunhild*. While covering Julian's advance to Reinhard's quarters, he was mortally wounded from behind by an unarmored Imperial sergeant. Despite his injury, he asked the sergeant's name and spared him. Unable to continue fighting, he sat down and died at age 37, his final thoughts turning to Rosalein von Kreutzer, the mother of his daughter Katerose. His sacrifice enabled Julian to secure a truce establishing the Ba‘alat Starzone as an autonomous republic.
Schönkopf was characterized by tactical ingenuity in ground operations, loyalty to trusted commanders like Yang, and a complex personal history including numerous romantic relationships. His views on governance reflected cynicism toward both Imperial and Alliance systems, once remarking, "Whether in the Empire or the Alliance, corruption in the military is the same."