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Hauptmann (Captain) Irisdina Bernhard is one of the main heroines of Schwarzesmarken and a secondary heroine in Bernhard im Schatten. She is the CO of the 666th TSF Squadron and her call sign is Schwarzes-01.
Bernhard im Schatten[]
Irisdina was the child of diplomats and the only sister of Jürgen Bernhard. Because her parents were never home, Irisdina and her brother developed a very tight bond.
Irisdina was extremely popular at her school. Charismatic and always excelling at anything she put her mind into, Irisdina was a natural school idol. Her position as one of the top students was virtually unchallenged until she met Beatrix Brehme.
Irisdina's favorite hobby was collecting tea paraphernalia.
Schwarzesmarken[]
A decorated war hero of the Poland retreat, no one doubts that her exemplary leadership and tactical skills are a few of the main reasons for the squadron's continued survival and success on the battlefield. She believes in leading by example, and will be among the first to go into the fray in a battle.
Irisdina sold out her brother to the Stasi and was greatly rewarded by the government, however, it also caused her to be shunned by her peers. In truth, she is involved in a plot planned by certain factions and members of the NPA and GDR governments to overthrow the Stasi and their communist masters so they can reunite West and East Germany.
A shining pillar of hope for the common East German people and soldiers alike, Irisdina Bernhard recognized her ability to have an influence on the country's future and secretly worked toward building her position of power to strengthen East Germany and turn it into a world power that would be worthy of standing beside the West, and remaining independent of the Soviet Union.
All of her actions, including the development and training of the elite 666th TSF squadron, volunteering to participate in "suicide" missions such as laserjagd runs and Operation Neptune, were all done in order to create pilots that could not only survive, but thrive on the battlefield and display East Germany's potential to the world.
However, while many believed Irisdina was the lynchpin of the squadron and later, the rebellion at large, it was the very groundwork she had lain prior to Schwarzesmarken's events that would ensure that should she be incapacitated, there would be others that could carry on her personal mission. Katia Waldheim was an unexpected but welcome arrival that would set into motion the events the rebellion had been waiting for: a sufficient justification for the overthrow of the government, and one that was not already being followed by the feared Stasi.
Lise's betrayal of the squadron was not completely unexpected and, despite the difficult position it put the rebels in, Irisdina's plan of training her pilots well and putting faith in their individual abilities paid off as Theodor Eberbach, Gretel Jeckeln, and Katia Waldheim managed to not only escape capture but return to save their comrades from captivity, despite being outnumbered and at a technological disadvantage.
However, their opponent was the clever Beatrix Brehme, and Irisdina's reputation made her the prime target for the rebellion to recapture in order to use as their rallying call to victory: something that could not be allowed to happen if the government forces wanted to avoid fighting both the people and the NVA. And so, when Theodor Eberbach went to find Irisdina Eberbach in his base's prison cell block, he came back out empty-handed as the commander of Schwarzesmarken had already been moved to another location.
Despite the fact that she was made to endure torture and isolation by Beatrix during her captivity, Irisdina remained resolute in the face of opposition. She refused to reveal any details of the rebellion or the whereabouts of her pilots, and thanks to Beatrix's orders to not leave any "permanent" damage to her body, Irisdina was not forced to suffer under the worst of the Stasi interrogation techniques.
After the rebels acquired the location of Irisdina's prison, Theodor Eberbach began a rescue operation as the rest of the 666th's pilots engaged the Werewolf Battalion in East Berlin. The two had a short but heartfelt reunion that was broadcast for the entire world to see as part of Operation St Ursula.
She was quickly spirited away to the rebel's base and tended to by a medic for her extensive injuries, all the while Theodor began to tell her of the events that led them to her rescue. Irisdina was clearly saddened by the loss of her friends, but hid it well from Theodor's eyes. She said that she was not afraid of dying because she believed in the 666th: that they would come for her. Irisdina reminded Theodor when the war was over, they would go to his family's summer home together where she would finally respond to his feelings.
Unfortunately, the bloody civil war refused to let Irisdina escape from its grasp. While Theodor was out engaging Beatrix Brehme, Heinze Axmann infiltrated the rebels with the intent of assassinating Katia Waldheim in a last ditch attempt to break the will of the opposition movement. Irisdina bravely stood in his way and was shot by him, left with a mortal wound in the stomach that Axmann said would be his reward to her for making it an "easy" kill to let her live a bit longer.
Irisdina, always the selfless one, asked those around her not to grieve for her as her part to play was over. She asked what had become of Beatrix and was relieved to hear she was not made to suffer in her end. Her final request was to be taken to see the now united Berlin, with the wall now taken apart by the people of both sides.
Her last words were of relief that her dream, an undivided Germany, had come to pass. Irisdina died peacefully in Theodor's arms as he completed his flight across the now united capital.
Irisdina would still come to visit Theodor in his dreams for a long time after her death, bringing a measure of peace to him as there were so many questions he still had left to ask her. Her image remained a powerful motif for the reformed government and military of East Germany, as well as the common people of both Germanies. In a way, her death further immortalized her as one of the legends that brought upon the freedom of the people from oppression and signaled the start of a new, independent East Germany that could stand with not only the Warsaw Pact but the European Union and their brothers in the West.
Personality and Beliefs[]
Due to her cold personality, some call her "the Ice Queen". She is a realist who believes that sacrificing a few hundred lives to save a million is worth the price. Her priorities in battle are the completion of the mission, the safety of her team, and protecting her own life, in that order. Despite the fact that the Communist party technically forbids religious practice of any kind, she is a devout Christian.
Irisdina is also noted to have the charisma that draws people to her ideals, demonstrated by her ability to forge an unlikely alliance between many disparate factions.
Irisdina distrusted the West. While she acknowledged that their help was necessary, she did not see them as friends, as she believed that they wanted nothing more then to make a shield out of East Germany. Irisdina's priority was always Germany, with Europe secondary to that.
Irisdina could be extremely ruthless when she had to be. Lise's route provides the best example of this, wherein she handed Lise over to Axmann to be "interrogated," or when she ordered in artillery barrages while fighting in Berlin, leading to much collateral damage.
Above all, Iris wished to realize her brother's will and see a new dawn rise on a revitalized and democratic Germany.
Trivia[]
- Irisdina is associated with lilies in BiS, to contrast Beatrix's rose motifs.
- Irisdina's route name and theme song is "Last Desire."
- Her Name is possible a Transcription mistake of Iris-Dina as a double Name.
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