The Rise of Konokov

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

i.

Alexie felt himself swaying slightly, his eyes were closed but he could still hear the talking. From what he heard, the battle ended soon after the mass of reinforcement arrived on Mount Koniv. Yuri had released his military duties to some IKA General called Bonne; he felt a tap on his arm “I’ll tell her you’re alive, wounded but alive” Yuri’s voice was soothing to hear after the night of fighting. The clang of machine and voices suggested he was on an IKA troop transport vehicle which soon drove away from the Mountain base. The engine sounds kept him awake despite the sedation the medic gave him, his muscles relaxed, and his ears soothed from the ringing, the tuck drove smooth across the road once they hit the main highway south. “We’re taking these to the main Sports arena for medical treatment, the most serious wounds are going to the main hospitals”.

Alexie opened his eyes, above him some hundred meters above was the closed metal roof of a sports arena; he sat up slightly feeling a twinge in his stomach. There was little lighting around, several small light lit the routes between the hospital gurneys the wounded were laid out on. Soon a middle aged nurse arrived, “You, young man. Guardsman” she took a look at the cap placed at the end his bed “Oh, Commissar, forgive me” Alexie lifted his hand and waved it off “You didn’t know ma’am” he replied, his voice was croaky, the nurse frowned. “Another one? You were in surgery twice. I hear the second bullet broke a button and they had go in a second time to find the brass bugger” he smiled “you have a slight post-operation illness but it’ll disappear if you’re a good Commissar and go back to sleep”. Alexie smiled “Gladly” he head flumped back onto the pillow and he close his eyes.

He was awoken by the hustle and bustle the next morning, nurses were attending to their patients. As he sat up and figure turned around and forced him onto his face “Lay still my Commissar, I need to remove these carefully” Alexie lay back confused before looking down. He saw Eleine leaning over his stomach carefully removing the stitches’ from his scars. “Confused?” Stefan chuckled standing by your head. Yuri passed word down the moment he found you wounded; my mother ensured you’d be in the best hands, Stefan jerked his head in Eleine’s direction. “Damn surgeon missed a bullet” she murmured as she removed the last stitch, “no, he missed a torn brass button, he got the bullets out, and he wasn’t expecting to need to remove a brass button as well” Stefan said sternly. Afterwards the head nurse sent Eleine away to look after another patient.

“Stefan” Alexie spoke “how long have I been here?” Stefan looked down. “You beat the Empire back two weeks ago. Oh, by the way; your mother and sister are staying in the palace. Your guardsmen wouldn’t let Yuri leave the mountain till they were safe and sound in Penin” Alexie was perplexed, what was the need to bring them south? Alexie lay in his bed, his muscles still felt weak and he doubted getting out of bed would result in anything less than multiple bruises, and an upset Eleine. After another day, many of the recovering soldiers were up on their feet and moving, for some it was just standing up and talking to the soldiers next to them or greeting their comrades who come to visit; other wanted to see how far they could go and had started walking around. The surgeon came to visit with a nurse and Eleine and advised another two days bed rest before he tried getting up.

Later that day Alexie sat up and shook Lieutenant Black’s hand, Black was also a resident of the stadium having suffered shrapnel would after an artillery shell hit the bunker at such an angle that the shell burst a half-foot hole in the bunker ceiling and sent molten metal chunks bouncing of any surface. Four of Black’s men were killed, three of them were almost torn into large pieces. “Glad to see you survived Commissar” Black smiled, the two scars on his face made visible by the lighting. “Pinged by shrapnel” Black turned his face, one scar ran from his left jaw to his left nostril, the other from the side of his head to his left eye socket. The conversation with Black was moderate, he explained how the last shell brought the bunker down on top of them; Black and his men were dug out by Imperial soldier who then preceded to try and execute them for “crimes against the Empire” only to be gunned down by IKA infantry as the first man cocked his sidearm.