A Beautiful Lie
Chapter One
Russian Controlled Zone of the City of Stalingrad, Russia
November 1942
"What is this?" I asked in disbelief. Dirt and sweat covered my pale face and I attempt to wipe some of the grim away with my, just as dirty, uniform sleeve of my left arm, without success. My occupied right hand held the former clean piece of paper handed to me minutes ago by a scared runner boy before he disappeared into the smoke of the crumbling city.
"Lieutenant General Chuikov!" I shout over the loud explosions in the not too far distance from our command post. I quickly dodge around other commanders under the busy tent as I approach my superior commander. I salute when he notices my presence, he looks up from a map of the city and pauses his conversation with other commanders. He returns my salute as does the Major and Captain on either side of him respectively and dismisses them with a flick of his hand.
"Captain Belikova!" he acknowledges with a permanent frown fixture on his ageing face. A small smile appears on his face as he notices the dirtied piece of paper scrunched up in my grease stained hand.
"I'm assuming this visit is to do with your new orders Captain?" he asks knowingly with a smirk as the distinct familiar sounds of mortars going off in the distance rumbles ever closer. We don't even flinch, to used to the sounds by now to cause any reaction.
"Yes, I don't understand them, why me sir?" I ask in confusion as I once again glance down at the words that make no sense in my mind.
"Surely I'm most needed here in defence of Stalingrad, Comrade Stalin's order 227 says to take no step back and defend Stalingrad to the end or our entire country will collapse! I can't leave now, I need to help and command my unit-" My rumblings were interrupted by Lieutenant General Chuikov's deep voice speaking over my own.
"You will follow your orders Captain! I am aware of order 227 as is the rest of us and the result of not following it but this order comes straight from the Kremlin and Comrade Stalin himself and will not be disobeyed, understood?" My superior officer spoke up firmly with no room for argument. I straightened up at his tone of voice and was practically at attention when I replied.
"Yes, Lieutenant General" he exhaled after, turned his back and walked towards the edge of the command post made up of sandbags, metal poles and a tarp as a roof. He motions with his finger for me to join him and I slowly make my way past the table with the map and stand at his side as we together look out at the destruction of once a great lively city; now replaced with crumbling buildings, rubble and dead corpses. It reminds me why I fight when I look at the devastation caused by the Nazi's in my beloved country. My commander suddenly spoke, shaking me out of my daydream of how different my life used to be 2 years ago.
"Anastasia, If I could do anything to let you stay, I would," he says after sighing deeply, I look at his face with a frown but he never takes his eyes off the city.
"You must know that, but your needed elsewhere now myshka. You also haven't stopped this constant routine of fighting since the Germans started this offensive in August, you need time to rest." He looked down at me from his greater height with paternal affection.
"No one else has been given rest." I mumbled quietly with a frown as I turn back to the city and see several mortar squads deploying their load onto the German side of the city.
"You know that you're not just anybody else, you're a hero of Soviet Russia. Go to America, rest up, teach the Americans some useful fighting moves and how to shoot straight eh?- Comrade Stalin is allowing you to participate with their 'airborne' as not only a show of good faith between our countries but to improve our military tactics so expect to be asked to write reports for us." I turn to look back at my commander and he looks pointedly at the dark bags under my eyes from sleep deprivation.
"You'll be back home before you know it, I'll take care of your unit as much as I can, your needed elsewhere now myshka!" He finished before lighting a cigar and turning back to the table with the maps.
I sigh in acknowledgement and nod before I angle my head up towards the sky and breathe in the stale smell of sweat, smoke and decay.
Fort Benning, Georgia, USA
December 1942
The Warmth of the unfamiliar country was the first thing I noticed when I step off the ship in New York City, despite it being winter time. I can't help but think about Russia being covered under at least 3 feet of snow minimum by now. The sprinkles of white stuff on the ground is nothing compared to the heavy downpour I was used to.
It has been a month since I left Stalingrad and jumped on a plane to England where an American official was waiting for me before I boarded a supply ship heading for Brooklyn Harbour.
I was ordered before I left by government officials to make a good impression as I am going to be representing my country. So here I was standing at the Docks of a foreign country in my dress uniform suitable to my rank, all commissioned officers wore a blue/green colour uniform with high boots and long grey coats as I was. My rank was projected on the shoulders of my grey coat. My medals recently added included my hero of the soviet union as well as my order of Lenin medal were pinned to my uniform. The bags under my eyes were near non-existent with the 2 weeks at sea to catch up on my sleep apart from the occasional nightmare. My hair was smartly put into a bun at the back of my head and my hat was tilted to the side as is proper for a red army soldier.
I was welcomed by two officers in United States army uniform with a salute before being bundled into the back of the black polished car and driven away, towards my temporary new home.
It was early dawn when we reached Fort Benning and I was grateful to stretch my legs when I hoped out the car, after a long journey in a confined space especially in my uncomfortable dress uniform that I changed into on the ship just as the ship docked in Brooklyn. I squint as I watch the sun rise and I take my coat off and drape it over my arm as I enjoy the warmth in unexpected delight.
"HI-YO SILVER!" I heard faintly, disturbing my quiet peaceful thoughts. The sound of multiple running footsteps could also now be heard, coming closer towards my position. I turn my head to the right to see a dark haired, sweaty man in a white t-shirt and short black shorts running in front of a no-doubt tired company of men. The sweaty man at the front notices me first and slows down his pace considerably. I'm sure I must look like the most unusual person ever: to be standing in a U.S training fort, in Russian dress uniform flanked by two U.S army officers. The other men of the company soon begin to notice my presence too and I can see from here the shocked faces and looks passed between the weary soldiers. The signal for the company to hold up comes from the dark haired man when they were within 10 feet of me. I raise an eyebrow as the company's commanding officer approaches me.
"Ten-Hut!" was shouted from my two escort officers as the obnoxious man approached. He hesitated in confusion before jumping to attention and snapping me a salute, I caught on quickly to what 'ten-hut' meant and returned the salute respectively and dismissed it just as quickly.
"Good Morning, Ma'am" The long nosed man greeted with a nod of his head. I smiled a tight smile and my eyes grew cold at the feminine term.
"Captain Belikova, Red Army Commander of the U.S.S.R." I turned my head to look at the man's company behind him, exposing my 4 inch pink scar that hasn't quite healed yet on the right side of my neck. I turn to look back at the man I disliked already and I saw him start to perspire more when I identified myself.
"Captain Sobel, Commander of Easy Company, 506th regiment, 101st Airborne," He replied in kind in a suddenly meek voice as my cold eyes were still trained on him which caused his Adam's apple to bob uncontrollably. I give a small chilly smile in greeting before moving my right hand to my hip, exposing my once blocked from sight pistol in a leather holster attached to my belt. Sobel notices the hand movement and glanced down to see the strapped semi-automatic pistol to my belt. He seemed to resolve himself before planting a stern frown on his face before opening his mouth next.
"Captain, I'm afraid no weapons, loaded or not are allowed to be present at Fort Benning without authorization from Colonel Sink!" I frown in response of this and take a step closer to the captain in a intimidating manner despite being only 5 ft 5 and Sobel around 6 ft tall.
"My Tokarev is a part of my dress uniform Captain and I would be disgracing this uniform by removing it, now if you may excuse me I have a meeting with Colonel Sink whom I am sure will allow me to keep my Semi-Automatic- it's quite sentimental to me, I shot my first Nazi brains out with it." I said with such cold emotion, I pass the arrogant American officer without another word and left his jaw hanging in disbelief.
As I start to walk past the company of men, who by the looks of things heard every single word exchanged between myself and their commanding officer, we exchanged salutes. Some appeared shocked by my words and others were slightly fearful. However there was one man who was different than the rest: he was quite tall and slim, with dark hair and dark eyes with a shit eating grin on his face directed at me. Our eyes met- emerald green to dark chocolate brown and we shared a smirk together before I passed the company altogether and was directed by my escorts towards the largest wooden hut I could see in the area.
"I can take it from here," I exclaimed, turning to both my escorts as I reached the steps of the large cabin with my escorts still with me.
"Thank you gentlemen!" I said gratefully with a rare small smile, causing my usually cold face to light up. We exchanged salutes once again before we went our separate ways. I opened the door of the Colonel's cabin where a nervous young man shot up faster than a bullet when he spotted me enter the wooden cabin.
"Captain Belikova!" the man, no, the boy acknowledged. His hand with the raised salute had a near unnoticeable shake to it. I decided to give the young male a disarming soft smile that I've heard actually makes me look my real age- 18.
"How'd you do?" I asked with an American accent. The privates eyes widened in surprise and I couldn't help but burst into laughter at his reaction.
"Just messing with you, sorry I couldn't, how'd you say? Help myself?" I asked questioningly uncertain with their language and sayings.
"I am quite a fan of American movies!" I explained with a small grin. Being a fan of American movies was an understatement, John Wayne films especially were high up in my list of favourites.
"That's quite alright ma'am!" The private replied, seeming more at ease with my presence now and it almost felt like there was no officer/enlisted barrier between us. But there was.
"Is Colonel Sink ready to see me?" I asked, the brief moment of acting like a normal person over with and the pressure of being a commandant in the Red army coming back to me all at once like cold water being poured over you.
"Yes ma'am, I'll escort you" he said quickly, realising the brief moment of normality was over. He walked quickly down a short corridor, me close on his heels, before he paused at a door on his right where he knocked two times before opening the door to reveal a grey haired man with a bushy moustache and small dark eyes.
"Thank you, private...?" I asked before stepping into the Colonels office.
"Lorraine ma'am" he replies with a brief smile before letting me step through, into the spacious office before closing the door behind him. As I approach the desk where the older man was sitting, he stands up and we both salute each other as was proper for officers in the army before he reached out and shook my hand with clear respect shining through his eyes before gesturing for me to sit opposite his desk in the leather tub chair behind me as he squats down to sit in his own seat.
"It's very nice to meet you Captain Belikova, I trust you had a pleasant trip." Colonel Sink started talking while leaning back in his chair to get a good look at myself.
"Nice to meet you to sir, my journey to America was as well as could be expected in wartime, I wouldn't mind going without the U-boat false alarms though on my way over here." I replied in a kind and joking way. The Colonel guffawed out laughter with my last comment before nodding in agreement with a eye crinkling smile on his face.
"I've read about your achievements so far in the war, very impressive, one of the youngest ever to be awarded the hero of the soviet union medal," He said happily with a nod of his head.
"Your a good soldier Belikova and from what I've heard from Lieutenant General Chuikov your a damn fine shot too, I'm sure your going to fit in well with my best company in the 506th."
"Thank You sir." I replied with a light blush on my cheeks. I'm not used to compliments and I usually feel uncomfortable when complimented. I glad I'm being put with the best they had, I hate being slowed down and I always wanted to be put with a group with good physical fitness, intelligence as well as good shooting and hand-to-hand combat skills just like my squad I was put in charge of in Russia- I trained them to be the best and now its like starting all over again with getting used to knowing the men you will be commanding and fighting beside against a common enemy.
"I'll be putting you with Easy company, 2nd battalion. You'll be serving under Captain Sobel, the CO of the company," Colonel Sink told me. I was unable to suppress the sour look on my face when I heard I would be put under his command essentially despite still following and answering first hand to my own superior officers and the kremlin.
"I think these boys will really be able to learn a lot from you Captain." He finished with a smile when he looked up from his paperwork.
"I've already met the Captain, sir, I wasn't very impressed when he questioned my uniform." I exclaimed with a frown. Colonel Sink raised a bushy eyebrow with a similar frown overtaking his weary face.
"He questioned your uniform?" the Colonel asked in a not very happy voice as I nodded in confirmation to his question.
"Yes sir, he questioned my authorization of having my Tokarev and suggested for it to be removed from myself, it's a great disrespect to be questioned about your uniform in my country and the suggestion of removing an important element of it, superior commanders excluded of course." I replied and showed the distaste on my face over the whole confrontation.
"Of course, I apologise on behalf of my Captain and I'll have him apologise as soon as I see him!" Colonel Sink exclaimed fiercely with a determined nod of his head. I smiled in thanks and he rose from his seat where he shook my hand once again before calling for Lorraine. The boy quickly rushed through the door, he sort of reminded me of an overeager puppy- always wanting to be helpful and fiercely loyal to its masters. I suppose its time to meet my new American comrades.
Hello! This new story of mine is a bit different compared to others I've read about on the BOB fanfiction page! I do not own Band of Brothers! I only own my original character Anastasia Belikova- who is not based on a real person. The italics earlier in this chapter are to let you know that they are speaking Russian. I can't speak Russian and I don't think google translator is very good with translating the Russian language well so I'll use the italics to indicate a language other than English is being used. Lieutenant General Chuikov is in fact a real person who was involved in the battle of Stalingrad- the way I write him is not accurate towards his true character, I just wanted to use a real name for a bit more authenticity. Secondly the uniform I described my character in may not be very accurate for that era as I had a bit of trouble finding out what their dress uniforms were like at that time so sorry for any mistakes made. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! The chapter is un-beta so sorry for any mistakes made in spelling etc..
I am working on Out of the woods, and a new chapter will be out soon- sorry for the delay!
Thank you for reading and please drop a review down to tell me if you liked it or not.