Lars Aach (1902–1958) was a Bosken socialist politician, anarchist theorist, and domestic terrorist. Initially a fringe political figure who sought power through democratic means, Aach ran for the presidency of the Federation of Boskenmark three times between 1932 and 1948.
Following the rise of the military hardliner Nielz Metzger in 1948 and the subsequent banning of left-wing political organizations, Aach was radicalized. He founded the underground League of Red Radicals (LRR), orchestrating a campaign of violence against the state apparatus. He is best known as the mastermind behind the 1957 Vost Firebombings, the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in Boskenmark’s history, which resulted in the deaths of 34 people.
Aach was captured, tried, and executed by firing squad in 1958. While reviled by the state and the mainstream public as a mass murderer, he remains a cult figure among the extreme anti-authoritarian fringes of the Bosken left.
Early Life and Political Career
Born in 1902 in the industrial slums of Vost, Aach worked as a typesetter for various labor unions. He became politically active following the Collapse of the Vosti Empire, arguing that the new Federation was merely a continuation of imperial feudalism under a republican guise.
The Electoral Years (1932–1948)
Aach attempted to enter the Federal Diet through the ballot box three times. His platform was a mix of agrarian socialism and radical syndicalism.
- 1932 Election: Running under the “People First, Power Later” slate, Aach campaigned on land redistribution. He received 2.4% of the vote, a marginal result in an election dominated by Stefan Hartschnell.
- 1939 Election: Aach formed the Socialist Party of Boskenmark. Despite the semi-authoritarian atmosphere of the war years, he was permitted to run as opposition. He secured 3.9% of the vote.
- 1948 Election: In the “Khaki Election”, the political climate was polarized. Aach achieved his best-ever result, winning 5.7% of the vote. However, the election was won by General Nielz Metzger, who viewed socialists as fifth columnists undermining the cold war effort against Kresimiria.
Radicalization
The Ban
Immediately upon assuming office in 1948, President Metzger issued the Decree on Internal Stability, formally banning the Socialist Party and seizing its assets.
During the previous administration, specifically the Hartschnell Era, Aach had been able to practice “civic dissent,” publishing pamphlets and organizing strikes. Under Metzger, this was impossible. The OAB (Bosken Intelligence) began arresting socialist organizers. Aach went underground in late 1948, moving between safehouses in the Vost industrial belt.
The League of Red Radicals
In 1950, Aach authored the Manifesto of Ash, in which he declared that “the ballot box is a coffin for the worker.” He formed the League of Red Radicals (LRR), a clandestine cell structure dedicated to the violent overthrow of the Metzger junta.
For the first few years, the LRR focused on sabotage, cutting phone lines and vandalizing army recruitment centers. However, as Metzger’s grip on power tightened, Aach’s ideology grew darker. He began to view the civil service not as innocent bystanders, but as “active collaborators” in the oppression of the people.
The 1957 Vost Firebombings
On November 14, 1957, Aach orchestrated a coordinated mass-casualty attack intended to paralyze the capital.
The Attack
At 08:00 AM, during the morning rush hour, LRR operatives planted incendiary devices at seven bus stations across Vost and eight government administrative buildings, including the Ministry of Pensions and the Bureau of Logistics.
The bombs, constructed using stolen industrial chemicals, detonated almost simultaneously.
- Casualties: The attacks killed 34 civilians and injured over 100.
- The Victims: Among the dead were 28 low-level civil servants, clerks, and secretaries. Aach publicly claimed responsibility, stating that these workers were “the gears in Metzger’s machine” and legitimate targets.
Public Reaction
The brutality of the attack backfired. The public, horrified by the slaughter of commuters and office workers, rallied around Metzger. The President declared a State of Siege, granting the OAB unlimited powers of arrest.
Arrest and Execution
A massive manhunt ensued. On December 2, 1957, acting on a tip-off from a horrified former socialist sympathizer, OAB tactical units raided a basement apartment in the Vost suburbs. Aach and nine of his co-conspirators were captured after a brief shootout.
The Trial
The trial was swift and conducted before a military tribunal. Aach refused to offer a defense, instead using the dock to scream curses at the judges, calling them “butchers in robes.” He was convicted of high treason and 34 counts of murder.
Execution
On January 15, 1958, Lars Aach and his nine accomplices were executed by firing squad in the courtyard of Vost Central Prison.
Legacy
The actions of Lars Aach destroyed the organized socialist movement in Boskenmark for a generation.
- Political Fallout: The stigma of the 1957 attacks allowed the right-wing Bosken National Alliance (BNA) to equate all left-wing politics with terrorism. It was not until the rise of Jannik Vorreich and the Workers of Vost in the 1990s that socialism regained any electoral legitimacy.
- Vorreich’s Distancing: During his 1990 presidential run, Jannik Vorreich was frequently forced to denounce Aach’s memory to prove his democratic credentials.