Kidnapping

[Lone-Wolf]

I read all the House books and all say that Kidnapping is a crime punishable by imprisonment or worse.
But what about technicians?
In the old Black Widow book it was mentioned that Michael Hasek Davion had some technicians captured from House Liao.
The first question is:
a) Wouldn`t that not be a good point of entry for Death Commandoes to sabotage House Davion equipment?

But back to Kidnapping:
b) I know that House Davion would like it if the technicians stay on their side and if they have families they should join their kidnapped, ahem, liberated brethren on the Davion side.
House Liao may disagree and if the situation is vice versa then House Davion is as angry as House Liao in the first example.
So, is there a rule like: The captured technicians work for one month (or something like that) and then are repatriated or must House Liao pay ransom?
c) If the answer is ransom: What will stop House Liao from taking counterhostages?
You know sending Big Mac / Death Commandoes over and kidnap a big bunch of innocent civilians and leaving a message behind that either the technicians are returned ASAP or the captives will be used and abused for nefarious purposes.

[Paul]

A. No. They’d have to know the kidnapping is about to happen.
Regular Maskirovka might attempt such a scheme, but apparently didn’t.

B. Who would enforce such rules? The Houses answer to no one.

C. Nothing, they could attempt the same. But apparently didn’t.

[Lone-Wolf]

Hello,
thanks for your answer.

First: Is the taking of techs (as described in the story of the Black Widow) kidnapping or capturing enemy personal?
If kidnapping then the law applies.
If capturing then the rules of warfare apply and while they were never laid out our Real Life rules (Geneva cONVENTION) make clear, that while you must work for the enemy (if not officer) but not in combat-related affairs (as far as I remember my own army lecture - that`s about 30 years ago.).
And POWs are exchanged, happened even at the beginning of WWII.

So, you may say, that the Houses don`t care and if I remember The Second Succession War book (sidebar pages 42+43) you are right. Certain soldiers have it easy while the ones who make trouble are sent to the 31st equivalent of Colditz.

So, yes, House Davion may force the techs of House Liao to repair Davion equipment, BUT
Those people want to return home. Because they are loyal to Liao or have families etc.
So they can stop working to be sent home.
Yes, you can force them at gunpoint to work, but they will resist by using sabotage and you have to supervise them. And this makes House Davion weaker.
Why?
Lets assume you have 10 Davion and 2 captured Liao techs. So you have 12 techs. But if those Liao techs decide to strike and you force them or they work and/or you suspect they are not honest, you  have to put a tech of the same level or better to supervise them. So instead of 10+2 techs you have 10-2 because you have to put 2 of your own techs into a supervising role and they cannot repair your equipment.

And last but not least. We are talking about Liao. And Liao and Kurita are given to extreme reactions. Remember Kentares, Helm or Ilsa Liao who executed Davion officers? And Ilsa was sane compared to old Max or Romano.
And House Davion surrendered to Ilsa Liao when she executed Davion officers. So if old Max would go bonkers I suspect the same would happen.
And let`s not forget Big Mac. In the ALPHA STRIKE Mercenaries with the Warhammer mech it is said that Bic Mac unleashed their flamethrower equipped Warhammers and their flamers ran red-hot-implying they committed warcrimes.

We all know that in the First Succession War the various Houses went for the killing strike and the resulting nuclear, biological and chemical repercussions forced the rulers to adopt a restricted form of war (nearly like the Clans without the bidding). So I would expect that the rulers would look at those happenings and adopt a certain set of unwritten rules to make sure that a return to Total War does not happen, especially with "nice" people like Minoru Kurita, Ilsa Liao etc in the past. And yes, Houses Marik, Steiner and Davion have their fair share of atrocities too.

[Paul]

First: Is the taking of techs (as described in the story of the Black Widow) kidnapping or capturing enemy personal?
If kidnapping then the law applies.

If capturing then the rules of warfare apply and while they were never laid out our Real Life rules (Geneva cONVENTION) make clear, that while you must work for the enemy (if not officer) but not in combat-related affairs (as far as I remember my own army lecture - that`s about 30 years ago.).

It doesn't matter: there's no outside body to enforce such laws.

And POWs are exchanged, happened even at the beginning of WWII.

Which is probably the best way to use them.

So, yes, House Davion may force the techs of House Liao to repair Davion equipment, BUT
Those people want to return home. Because they are loyal to Liao or have families etc.

Likely; it's hard to advance in the Confederation without at least faking loyalty to the state.
Though one can hope they find some people that either want to live in the FedSuns, or who can be bribed.

So they can stop working to be sent home.

Why would that be a consequence of stop work?

Yes, you can force them at gunpoint to work, but they will resist by using sabotage and you have to supervise them. And this makes House Davion weaker.

Concur.

In the ALPHA STRIKE Mercenaries with the Warhammer mech it is said that Bic Mac unleashed their flamethrower equipped Warhammers and their flamers ran red-hot-implying they committed warcrimes.

Using flamers isn't a warcrime, provided the targets were combatants.
And absolutely nothing is enforcing penalties for warcrimes.

So I would expect that the rulers would look at those happenings and adopt a certain set of unwritten rules to make sure that a return to Total War does not happen

Hence the nearly ritualized style of warfare.
A return to total war did begin: 4th Succession War.

[Kit deSummersville]

And absolutely nothing is enforcing penalties for warcrimes.

Well, if you're framed for destroying some habitat domes you might be hunted down for warcrimes.

[Paul]

Local vigilantes. ;)

[DarkISI]

You can always hire Bounty Hunters or THE Bounty Hunter.
I hear Kafka has open killing slots.

But aside from that? Why would the Capellan Confederation care about some Federated Suns law? And vise versa.
Comstar could possibly enforce such things, but they never did (at least not openly).

[Lone-Wolf]

Yes,caring about other Successor States is not high on the list. Except if you want to tell the people of the other Successor State that you care about them and are a better ruler then the other Successor State.
On the other hand: We are talking about House Liao, so forget it.

And with Comstar you are right. Sneaky ones...