A/N: Well, since "Another Day, Another War" is by far my most reviewed story and the story that's gotten the most favorites, I've decided to write it from Ivan's point of view.
Many people wanted me to continue "Another Day, Another War", but I have really nothing left to write of it, unless you guys want me to turn it into some kind of fluff-fest. That I could do in another separate story.
The idea of writing it from someone else's point of view had been a likely idea for me, since there were so many things happening at once while Toris had been going off on his own journey. I had a hard time choosing whom I wanted to write it as though. At first I was going to go with Feliks, but I figured that would end up pretty complicated. Then I was going to do it from Eduard's, but the majority of his time in the story is spent being injured. After that, I finally decided to do it from Ivan's point of view, since I could include in there how the war started, where he was, how he contributed to the war, what he was doing every step of the way that led up to his capture and eventually the end of the war with China.
Anyways, this story starts off as a sort of flashback about how Ivan was raised as a child, leading up to his military life and practical insanity. Here's a note before you read- Yegor Plushenko is my name for General Winter.
So, without further a-do, here's the first chapter of "Another Day, Another War: Through the Eyes of Ivan".
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December 14th, 2032- 7:23 PM
Slightly East of Bol'Shaya-Kheta, Russia
Residence of General Yegor Plushenko
Yegor was a proud, ruthless, Russian-born genius General, but when faced with the challenge of raising three homeless children on his own, he was stuck. How these kids had ended up at his home, no one would know. He had no choice but to take them in. It was intensely cold and the kids were starving.
Yegor lived alone, and had plenty of food. For a 61 year old man with leadership of an entire army, you would expect him to have no time for such things as children. But there had been a terrible war the year before, and no one was looking for a fight. As expected, after the war Yegor had nothing to do but sit and wait for the next parade in Moscow or St. Petersburg so he could be in attendance.
When he took the three children in, the oldest was an 8 year old by the name of Yekaterina Braginskaya. She was a frail young girl, but she had a heart of gold. She insisted that the elderly General feed her younger brother and sister first before Yekaterina herself consumed anything. Yegor complied with the young girl's will, and fed the younger two first.
The youngest was a small girl whose name was Natalya Braginskaya. She was a 2 year old, who was quiet and had beautiful eyes that Yegor couldn't help but admire. She practically clung to her older brother, and was very protective of him even if she was only two years of age.
The third child was the middle one, the 5 year old Ivan Braginsky. He tried to act tough, but in the condition he was in, a piece of dust could have scared him away. The fact that Ivan was fragile and weak, being so young and starved, was hidden behind a mask of cheerfulness and a smile that Yegor always saw even when the boy was raised in such a hellish environment.
By the time the kids were teenagers Yegor had retired from his military life, and had rebuilt his home to function properly underground. Ivan had grown to be a tall, strong, intelligent young man, while Yekaterina and Natalya both grew to be beautiful young women. Ivan was skilled with weaponry, and was a great tactician. He loved the art of war, and was always asking Yegor about the Nuclear War of 2031, or the wars before that in which Yegor had been a part of. The old Former General had no problem in telling him all about the wars before the one in 2031. It was a touchy subject, and Ivan understood why most of the time.
But what Yegor didn't know, was the day he last saw Ivan, when the young Russian boy he had raised was 18 and left to go into military service, that he had made a big mistake in teaching him so much about warfare. The Former General had raised the next tyrant leader of Russia.
OooooooooIvan's Point Of ViewoooooooooO
I can't remember too much of my childhood. When I try to remember anything before my military career, it's so hazy. I can remember being taken into Yegor's home, being raised with my sisters, and then leaving in 2045 when I was 18 years of age.
When I became a Private in the Russian Army, I had so much information crammed into my head that I was forgetting simple things like my birthday, and along with that; my age. I finally got fed up with forgetting and struggling to remember, so I got tattoos on my arms of my birthday, my sisters' names, and their birthdays. Thankfully they were the correct dates and the correct names.
Within a few years, I had grown to be one of the most decorated soldiers around, but I hadn't served in a war. Not yet. I had medals for my amount of time in the military without a fault in my record; I had medals for training soldiers and succeeding, but no medals for war. No medals for defending my country. No medals for saving lives; nothing that I felt mattered. Sure, I was a good soldier, but anyone could have done that.
At the age of 24, I was a Junior Lieutenant of the Russian Army, and had a pretty nice foothold in the influence of soldiers below my rank. I took orders from only those above my rank; usually I got them from someone pretty close to the source of the Russian orders, like a Colonel or a Major, who got their information either straight from the General, or from slightly lower ranks like the Colonel General or the Lieutenant General.
In 2051, a war finally erupted. Russia and China were at war due to Chinese soldiers planting a camp on Russian soil after gathering troops at the border. I was sent out on the field by the orders of Major General Vikenty Kondrashchenko. He gave me control over a small regiment of about 200 soldiers, some of which I had known throughout my career, others I didn't know since they were fresh out of basic training.
I rallied up my soldiers with a smile on my face; mounted atop my white Orlov Trotter I had named Ruslan. He was a young horse, one that had been presented to me as a gift from one of the superior officers just before the war had been declared. I began to speak to the soldiers to boost their morale before we marched an hour south to our destination.
"Soldiers, men serving under the flag of our fathers; we have been called into the line of duty. I, Junior Lieutenant Ivan Braginsky, have received orders from Major General Kondrashchenko to attack the camp that has started this war. You two-hundred men, of varying rank and age, have been put into this newly formed Regiment, the Second Winged Regiment, in hopes to fight off the Chinese and keep them off our land. Grip your rifles tightly, straighten your uniforms, and show no mercy to those who have endangered Russian lives. We are the Wings of Russia; we will fly into war with the eagles of our shoulder patches, and defeat our enemies swiftly." I turned Ruslan towards the road that would lead my regiment and I to the Chinese camp and took a deep breath.
"Now, we march. We march for the Wings, for Russia."
And with those few words, I made Ruslan trot forward at a pace my soldiers could keep up with. The two-hundred men behind me marched along, and I grinned; I was finally getting what I wanted. I now had a war to show my skill. I now had a war to fight; to prove my worth, to show that I could be far more than just a good soldier; I would become a war hero. I, Junior Lieutenant Ivan Braginsky, would surpass all of my superiors.
No one would ever stop me.
When we arrived at the camp it was almost midnight; there were hardly any guards outside of the stone-walled camp the Chinese had constructed. With silenced weapons, I had a few snipers kill those who could have been in our way. Once we knew no alerts would come from outside the camp, we rushed in the main gate, two-hundred men surging into the unsuspecting camp, shooting and mercilessly killing even the unarmed men who attempted to surrender.
Within an hour, a Russian flag was raised over the camp and it was given a new name; Camp Braginsky. I had some of my soldiers remove the bodies of the Chinese and bury them about a mile away from the camp in a mass grave. I had only lost three soldiers during the entire attack of the camp leaving 197 men plus me to do whatever was needed to secure the camp for good and report back to our command center a few miles away in Khabarovsk.
I made a call through radio to get some soldiers stationed permanently at Camp Braginsky, while I led the Second Winged Regiment back up to Khabarovsk. I received an astonished reply from Major General Kondrashchenko himself.
"Are you serious, Junior Lieutenant? You took the camp with only two-hundred men and suffered only three Russian casualties?"
"I am quite serious, Major General."
"I am sending down the Seventh Zapadnyĭ Regiment to take your position over. Stay in the camp until the Regiment arrives. Once everything is secured under the leadership of the Zapadnyĭ, come up to Khabarovsk with the Second Winged Regiment. You and your soldiers are all receiving promotions and you, Junior Lieutenant, are receiving an award for your astounding leadership and flawless victory and capture of the Chinese camp. I will have General Bazhukov informed of your sudden victory; he will be pleased, I am sure."
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it."
"See you when you get back to headquarters, Junior Lieutenant. Major General Kondrashchenko over and out."
I leaned back in my chair and grinned largely. I was finally getting an award for actually doing something; and I was receiving a promotion as well! All for just capturing a single camp. It was amazing. It was one of the most amazing feelings you could possibly have at two in the morning.
When the Zapadnyĭ Regiment arrived, I greeted their leader with a smile and a handshake.
"Good morning Major Volsky. I trust you will have Camp Braginsky in good hands, yes?" I said, chuckling a bit. Major Volsky smiled and laughed a little, patting my shoulder.
"You have done a good job here, Junior Lieutenant. I've been watching you far a few years; so to be honest, I expected this kind of victory from you. You are an amazing soldier, and an even better leader. You will be the one to end this war; I just know it." He told me. I couldn't help but grin; I mean, what were you supposed to do if a man of higher rank told you that you would be the one to end a war?
"I am sure you are exaggerating, sir. I cannot end a war; only protect our land." I replied.
"You never know. Anyways, gather up your regiment, Junior Lieutenant. Head back up to Khabarovsk. Major General Kondrashchenko is waiting for you." Major Volsky said. I nodded and saluted to him before assembling my Regiment and heading out.
When we arrived at our base in Khabarovsk, we were met by a slur of high-ranking officers.
Major General Kondrashchenko approached me with a wide grin. He saluted me, and I saluted back as I dismounted my horse.
"It is good to have you back, Junior Lieutenant." He said, offering his hand to shake. I took it firmly as I replied.
"It is good to be back, sir."
Major General motioned for me to follow as he began walking towards the more senior officers, including the General of the Army himself, General Antoniy Bazhukov.
"Good morning, Junior Lieutenant Braginsky." General Bazhukov addressed. "You've caused quite a stir, and we're not even a few days into this war. You, young sir, have achieved a special ranking meant only for those who have shown amazing leadership and an increasingly remarkable skill in the arts of war. We have not had a Commander of the Russian Army since 2031, when the Nuclear War called for a great leader. The last man to hold this rank was Yegor Plushenko, a man who had taken up being a General before and after the war, but was a Commander in between." He turned to his left, where Colonel General Martin Tupikov stood, holding a polished wood box of medium size. General Bazhukov opened the box and pulled out a shining, gold, star-shaped medal.
"This medal is a medal worn only by two men in history. Yegor Plushenko; and now, Ivan Braginsky." With those few words, he pinned the star to my uniform. I knew the ceremony wasn't over yet, so I held my position.
General reached into the box yet again, this time pulling out a polished silver revolver and a holster.
"This revolver, this Nagant Model 1895 Revolver, is the weapon of the Commander. This revolver that I give to you has survived all the way from the year 1895 to today in 2051. It is now yours, Braginsky. Treat it well." He strapped the holster to my belt, and placed the old revolver inside it.
"And now, the final change you undergo today is of uniform." General reached into that polished wood box and retrieved a white uniform and a pair of black boots. He placed the articles of clothing in my arms, and placed the boots on top of them. He reached into the box one final time and pulled out a white officer's cap. He placed it atop my head with a smile.
"You are now only one rank below being the General of the Army, yourself Ivan Braginsky." He said, turning me to face the soldiers I had led here.
"They await your orders, Commander."