The Rise of Konokov

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

i.

Yuri stood over his in the morning, “I’m afraid your stay in Penin is over Alexi” Yuri said reluctantly. Alexi sat up. “I’m returning with the arms?” Yuri nodded. “Sadly the Empires threat is substantial now to the point that the weapons much be sent now” Alexi accepted the fact and stood up and dressed. After one final breakfast, he said his goodbyes, promising he’d return once the Guard were competent with the new weapons. He sat inside the limousine, Yuri rode with him. As they left, Alexi waved through the window. The guards saluted and Eleine hid her face.

At the train he saluted General Malik and Marshal Corren who congratulation his on his efforts to unite the nation, “you can’t just unite them over night, it takes time and effort. But you have begun the process” Corren said. “I hope he’s the one to finish it. It’s cliché but I’d prefer it” Yuri said as they shook hands, “We’ll write to you soon”. Alexi boarded the train and sat in a leather seat, as fitting with communist ideology, all the seat were leather and ironically red. As the train departed he watched the city zoom past before closing his eye again.

At Mount Koniv, he was a hero. Guardsman, communist or not were chanting as the new weapons from the IKA storage facilities were removed from the train and placed into transport vehicles. Alexi opened up a box and ripped back the protective foil. Inside was a new IKA submachine gun. He held the weapon in his hands, the stamp metal frame, a small wooden grip parallel to the frame, a folding metal stock. It was quite a marvellous weapon to see, Alexi placed the submachine gun back into its box and waved the station staff to load it on a transport truck.

A week later, Alexi had finally got used to the loud metal clang of the machineguns mechanism, the submachine gun fired in bursts, the new artillery guns ripped holes in target bunkers. Morale amongst the Guard was high, and they were nearly full trained. Alexi picked up a submachine gun and fired a burst at his target, the recoil took him by surprise and he took a step back and laughed. He left the Guards training post and headed along the tarmac road the led to Krenik. Along the way, he passed Lilya’s school which he stayed outside to wait for her. She exited the school and saw him; with a gleeful smile she ran into her brothers arms and they walked home together.

Lilya ate her dinner fast that night, Alexi looked out the window at the re-built north. As a child it was dull and muddy, the only road led from the industrial heart-land through Gruchin and down south of Penin. The Communist first actions was to rebuild the North’s infrastructure, turning the often muddy dirt roads into blackened tarmac. But the Communists built a new road network and began built small towns, made of “block-house apartments”. There were no homeless in the North because there were more houses than people to accommodate the necessity.

Lilya enjoyed books, in fact their mothers only bought her clothes and books as presents. An entire wall of her room was a bookshelf with more books than her brother had probably looked at. She lay in bed that night listening to her brother read her a story, but not a book. She wanted his account of the revolution; the one thing she couldn’t get from a book was a “front line” spectacle of the seven days of war. Once he’d finished her received a kiss and closed her eye, sleep come upon her quickly.

Alexi left his home and walked along the road, he headed toward the fortification on Mount Koniv. He no longer drew a smile, he was petrified, his sister was miles from the summit, but close enough for artillery and planes to kill her if they sought target beyond the defences. He stopped outside the kiosk for the Mountains tram system, he showed his NBGF, now named “The Guard” ID card and the gate opened. He sat down and fell asleep.  Twenty minutes later to a tap. A young Guardsman looked at him “we’re at the summit Commissar” Alexi went to correct her, still wasn’t used to his new rank. The Summit looked quite stunning at night, half-a-mile of ground stood between; flood lights littered the military base situated along a slope, most it was built underground. The base was surrounded by battlements. Only The Guards seemed ready for an engagement with the Empire.