It was a cool summer day on the Trans-Siberian Railroad.
Vast hilly steppes and taiga dominated the landscape, dotted by freshwater lakes and streams along the way. Occasional stallions - wild and domesticated alike - trotted along, although wolves, caribou, and bears trudged along the more rugged forestlands and embankments. This was Russia's majesty in it's purest geographic form - something Mikhail Vyacheslav Dobrynin (Konstantin Khabensky) respected with humble reverence.
Resting his chin against his right hand, the scenery swept behind him, tainted only by the muffled clanking wheels outside. His face appeared in a rightward reflection in the window, faintly presenting a partial frontal profile of his Caucasian face. His lackadaisically half-slit eyes were barely seen, never mind his short, albeit steep, right-triangular nose, never mind his dark amber hair and irises.
It took a few muffled knocks outside his compartment door to break his attention, albeit slightly.
"Do not enter." He sternly and simply commanded.
Despite this, the door slid opened, with a lieutenant standing in the doorway.
"Comrade Commander, you have an incoming call."
"From whom?" He apathetically questioned, not batting an eye at his subordinate.
"Comrade Premier Cherdenko."
Almost instantly, he turned his head leftward, staring at the lieutenant with a blank face. His eyes glanced downward and saw an austere, aluminium-esque briefcase in the lieutenant's right hand. Without further hesitation, Dobrynin reached his right hand towards a wall-mounted table near his right leg.
"Patch him through."
With a curt nod, the lieutenant set the case down, opening and activating its operating system. Meanwhile, Dobrynin straightened his posture and collar, followed with a gentle brush of his hair beneath his peaked cap. After his subordinate left, the Commander reached into his left pocket, slipping his ID card into a slot left of the keyboard, where he promptly commanded, "Avtorizatsiya Dobrynin, chetyre, pyat', Anna, Fyodor (Authorisation Dobrynin-4-5 AF)."
Instantaneously, HD live footage came online, where Dobrynin saw Premier Anatoly Cherdenko (Tim Curry). Fortunately the Premier had his eyes on another screen, located on the left. For a moment, Dobrynin was confident, but upon noticing his faint reflection against the computer screen, a little 'French' manoeuvre straightened his tunic.
The Commander could have sworn he heard the familiar, albeit minute, beeps of the screen on the other end, as the Premier promptly turned and greeted, "Ah, Comrade Commander."
"Comrade Premier." Dobrynin subtly nodded, motionlessly saluting him.
"As you can see, our situation is shocking grim." He motioned towards the screen, presenting something no Soviet never wanted to see.
"The Japanese..."
"Mhm. When I got wind of THIS, I expected that you be unavailable, under the assumption that you, and perhaps every commander, would be overwhelmed. But you surprised me of all people."
"I was never aware of the invasion until now, Comrade Premier."
"Of course not, they attacked this evening, 6:30pm Vladivostok Time." Cherdenko grumbled, "Yet here you are on a train heading west of Irkutsk. What's the meaning of this?"
"With all due respect, and of upmost humiliation, I've been deemed unfit."
"Unfit? On whose orders?"
"General Staff of the Armed Forces, Comrade Marshal Kulikov's orders."
"Viktor Kulikov?"
"Da, Comrade Premier."
"Huh, then allow me to reiterate." He stood in front of his desk and crossed his arms, "The KGB sent me your file earlier this morning, and I can see why the General Staff had dismissed you. Your evaluations in live-fire exercises have shown remarkable steadfastness and passion, earning you the respect and trust of the troops. Yet you willingly thrown yourself in the face of danger, risking your life over your comrades, thus 'death by tank', as they put it."
"Da." The Commander dully responded.
"Yet you're in one piece, neither in a body bag or stretcher."
"Needless to say, I'm going home in shame."
"Home?" The Premier parroted ... unconvincingly?
"Da."
"Home? Home, you say?"
"Da, Leningrad."
A moment later, Cherdenko sighed, disappointingly, "Comrade Commander, I'm afraid that is no longer possible. This Empire knows very well that we're stretched thin, preoccupied in our glorious march across Europe. They will be expecting us to fall swiftly, and at this very moment, their invasion force moves relentlessly towards Leningrad."
"They? Then, my family. I need to call them and-"
"There will be no need for that. I already authorised a full evacuation; your family will be safe."
It took the Commander every urge not to break his emotionless facade, deeply relieved of the news above all else.
But...
"That is why I have chosen YOU to defend the USSR in this difficult hour, because I need a commander who does not believe in defeat! I need someone who will not simply drive our enemies back, but ultimately, annihilate them, humiliate them, and show them no mercy! YOU are the hero we've been looking for, because you offer something the others don't have..."
Unfortunately, Cherdenko stopped mid-sentence when another transmission patched through. Splitting the screen in half, the Premier was now on the right side, with an unfamiliar official appearing on the newfound left side.
"Ah, Comrade General Krukov." The Premier greeted the new participant, "Would you like to meet our new commander?"
"New commander?" General Nikolai Krukov (Peter Stormare) parroted ... suspiciously.
"Da. We're sending him to protect Leningrad."
"Even though I told you it was foolhardy to try and defend that city?"
"If Leningrad falls, the Soviet people will begin to lose hope."
"Da." The General curtly nodded before turning his attention to the Commander and 'congratulated' him, "Well, I wish him luck, then. The Empire's technology is highly advanced and he will likely be vastly outnumbered, but of course, it is an honour to sacrifice one's life for the Motherland. Is it not?"
"Indeed." The Premier agreed, although the Commander could sense the uneasiness in his 'smile'.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a nation to defend."
Almost instantly, the General's transmission fizzled into static and the following notification appeared:
СИГНАЛ ПОТЕРЯН
But as soon as Krukov left, the Premier regained his stern look, where a new official appeared in the General's place.
"Comrade Dasha will be your information officer and will coordinate all our communications." Cherdenko briefed, identifying the newcomer in question.
"Spasibo, Comrade Premier." She thanked as she was finishing some paperwork, promptly turning her attention to Dobrynin, "Comrade Commander, the armies of the Empire are closing in as we speak."
"Understood, Comrade Dasha." He sternly nodded, taking very little note of her black WWII era female uniform (garrison cap included), "With all due respect, I'm three days away from Moscow - I won't make it in time."
"That is none of your concern." The Premier informed, "Your final stop will be Novosibirsk in twenty hours. You will understand once you arrive. Until then, familiarise yourself with your newfound powers - you're officially reinstated."
"Spasibo, Comrade Premier." The Commander humbly, albeit briskly, saluted.
"Make haste, Comrade Commander. Time is of the essence."
A second later, the signal was terminated...