OR2-EP1: Perun Awakens (18)
Pavlyuk was not a hardened opponent or a coward willing to pander to the strong, he used his rational judgment to determine that the Ukraine could only survive if it continued to cooperate with the United States. The OUN might be right, the Ukraine could not afford to sell itself out indefinitely, but the situation was such that the OUN was unlikely to survive the Russian invasion, and the army's stubbornness would only serve to stall for time. With the assistance of Lt. General Pavlyuk, the STARS team blended in with the escort of the Acting Ground Force Commander and prepared to join the rest of the guards on their way to the Presidential Palace. Boris Pavlyuk would be meeting with Hetman Stepan Golivin today, the outcome of which would directly determine the strategy they would adopt. Hetman probably wouldn't give in, so they would have to take control of Hetman and the other senior OUN cadres by force as soon as the talks were over, forcing these guys who were compelling civilians with their nonsense to recognize reality.
"I can't imagine we'd end up choosing to infiltrate the presidential palace in this form." McNeil raised his submachine gun and carefully checked the model, he really didn't like the Ukrainian Army's equipment. Compared to the U.S. Army, the Ukrainian Army was as poor as beggars, and could only barely pick up scraps from the American to arm themselves. Lt. Gen. Pavlyuk reluctantly explained to them that the widespread corruption and selling of equipment within the Ukrainian Army before was also a result of financial constraints.
"I see this as a good method, otherwise this mission would probably fail if we infiltrated the presidential palace on our own." Captain Shields put on his mask, now he looked like a completely ordinary Ukrainian soldier, no different from the Ukrainian Army officers and soldiers around him, "You see, we lacked a strong figure who could make assurances before ... With General Pavlyuk present, there was no chance for Hetman to backtrack. "
After saying his prayers, Pavlyuk set off with his men. Even though the OUN had a high level of support among the Ukrainian civilian population, the army they were facing was a violent group that only recognized force, and any act that might offend the army would spell doom for the OUN. Hetman, who was recuperating from an assassination attempt, invited the acting Ground Force Commander, with unquestioning sincerity, to discuss matters of state, the so-called big issue being, naturally, the counterattack on the Eastern Front against the Russians - the Russian-backed rebels in the east, to be precise. However, General Pavlyuk did not carry any battle plans with him, and it appeared that he had no intention of discussing the war itself with the OUN.
The general in the limousine eyed the two Americans in front of him, unwilling to speculate on whether there was a conspiracy behind it. From the moment he decided to take this step, the way back had already disappeared, and even if these American soldiers deliberately lied to him, he had no room for regret. Besides, the golden-haired one who looked slightly older and spoke Ukrainian was a Magician, in case the two sides clashed, the one who would die first would definitely be Pavlyuk and not them.
"Without a battle plan ... you're a bit of a slacker OUN." Captain Shields smiled and made small talk with Lieutenant General Pavlyuk.
"Almost everyone thinks we can't possibly defeat the Russians ... unless we have your help. Any plan will only delay it, and with the east of the Dnieper now almost completely fallen, there's no way for the American forces near Kharkov to break out."
"Kharkov is still defended by American troops now?" Captain Shields was a bit surprised, "I would have thought they would have just withdrawn to the west bank of the Dnieper after taking that devastating blow."
"This is the result of our dereliction of duty." Lieutenant General Pavlyuk was a bit bitter, "After the OUN seized power, the Eastern Front was in disarray, military orders were changing from one day to the next, and there was a great deal of confusion among the units. The only consensus in the army is that this chaos must be ended, but even if we do overthrow the OUN, no one can come up with a clear roadmap of where we need to go after that ... Sorry for the joke, you Americans will probably be laughing in your hearts at the idea that we, Ukrainians, are the losers that can't be helped up."
"Ukraine can be safer counting on the EU than relying on NATO and our country-" McNeil suddenly interjected. Captain Shields looked at McNeil in surprise, and Lt. Gen. Pavlyuk's eyes widened in surprise. No one had expected McNeil to blatantly say something capable of embarrassing his country, leaving Captain Shields at a loss for a moment as to how to retort or continue the conversation. The EU had never really embraced Eastern Europe, and in the relatively mainstream conservative opinion, Eastern Europe, which had been invaded by the Mongols, did not deserve to be called a civilization, or to be on par with Western Europe. This was another reason why the Russians had always been viewed as barbarians by the EU.
Lt. Gen. Pavlyuk was unimpressed with McNeil's proposal. The United States sees Ukraine as a tool and the EU has never seen Ukraine as a fellow countryman. As soon as the economy fluctuated, the EU became the best platform for relatively developed Western Europe to pass on the pressure, and the suffering Eastern European countries almost became beggar nations once again against the backdrop of famine and a new ice age, with many organizations openly calling for withdrawal from the EU to avoid further oppression and plunder. With no remorseful intent, the self-righteous EU fought against the United States on the one hand and moved eastward with NATO on the other, turning all of Eastern Europe into a forward base and buffer zone against the Russians. Eastern Europe was the necessary price to pay, Western Europe was not. If such illusions were widespread in Ukraine at the end of the 20th century, by the 1940s of the 21st century even the illiterate detected the true nature of the so-called allies.
"Archangel, be careful what you say ..."
"I already care, but I'm not very good at bullshitting." McNeil immediately changed the subject, he didn't want to continue criticizing the United States, he had long considered himself a citizen of the world after decades of service in the GDI anyway, "General Pavlyuk, how do you plan to coerce Hetman into submission?"
Captain Shields translated McNeil's words to Lt. General Pavlyuk, who replied in a serious voice, "It depends on the situation. If he's willing to accept the revised agreement, then there's no need for us to move against him today; assuming he rejects the agreement but shows goodwill toward his allies, I'll try to find a way to persuade him to at least militarily release you ... Of course, the worst and most likely outcome is that he's hell-bent on isolationism, and by the time the negotiations are over, we'll have move to take the Presidential Palace."
"How many Magician bodyguards does Hetman have with him?" Captain Shields asked the vital question, "You should be aware of their importance."
"We can't effectively monitor OUN's contacts with foreign organizations, and if what you say about OUN stealing or acquiring magical technology from White Russia is true, they may well choose to hire Magicians from abroad to fight." Pavlyuk sighed, "We have a serious brain drain in Ukraine, we won't be able to keep Magicians."
With Lieutenant General Pavlyuk's name on the line, the OUN militia didn't even dare to search the guards. After symbolically checking the guards' weapons and confirming that no one was carrying explosives, the OUN militia decided to let Lieutenant General Pavlyuk's guards enter the presidential hall. Unlike the Presidential Palace that McNeil had imagined to be austere and imposing, the hall was now spartan, and several OUN militiamen were pointing to paintings that had been unloaded in the corners. The OUN was intent on promoting a whole new culture, one that did not approve of the original fake culture that had been poisoned, and had requested that the new works of art first be used in the Presidential Palace to decorate the building on a trial basis. A huge OUN flag hung in the upper part of the hall, red and black being particularly blinding, and the white Rurik insignia hung in the center, as if it was as abrupt as a bouquet of flowers at a funeral.
"Головнокомандувачу, ваша охорона не може йти за вами." The OUN militia on either side of the group stopped them as they reached the stairway, "Будьте впевнені, що Гетьман подбає про вашу безпеку."
Commander-in-Chief, your guards cannot follow you in.
Please rest assured that Hetman will ensure your safety.
Lt. General Pavlyuk looked back at the five Americans mixed in with the group, and with a heartbeat, agreed to the OUN's arrangement and left the scene under the protection of the OUN militia, while the other guards had to stand outside and wait. Captain Shields led the others to retreat silently to the back half of the group, they could not attract the attention of the OUN militia at this time, as long as any of the OUN militia suddenly started chatting with them, just based on the few words of Ukrainian that Captain Shields could not pronounce with a curled tongue, it would immediately be detected as fishy.
With OUN militia on all sides, loaded guards at the stairway, militia at all entrances and exits to the hall, and the guards that Pavlyuk had brought with him outnumbered, McNeil had to find a way to resolve the fight as quickly as possible. He gestured a few times to Captain Shields, hoping that the Captain would understand his intentions. No one could speak, and speaking would attract attention; the OUN militia had only been reassured by Lt. Gen. Pavlyuk's favor that they were able to enter the Presidential Palace without being disarmed.
Captain Shields saw McNeil's movements, which were a surrogate for their pre-negotiated plan for the raid. Plan A was to make a quick attack, doing everything in their power to break through the blockade and get to Hetman; Plan B was to stall for time, figuring out a way to create a localized advantage by disabling the OUN militia or preventing them from charging into the fray; and Plan C was to destroy the Presidential Palace, using the other magics Captain Shields possessed to inflict enough damage on the Presidential Palace to cause it to fall over of destruction and bury most of the OUN militia - possibly resulting in Hetman's death. Now that McNeil had opted for Plan B, Shields, holding his holstered gun, was ready. All they needed was an order, a gesture, and for Lt. Gen. Pavlyuk to return with the message. The OUN militia with their relaxed expressions had no idea that death was imminent, they were optimistic that these soldiers with the same blood as theirs in their veins wouldn't turn their guns on them, wouldn't it be suicidal to be in the same room in front of the enemy?
The sound of footsteps came from far away and the serious looking Lieutenant General Pavlyuk reappeared, he said a few friendly words to the OUN guards behind him and those guards turned their heads and returned, leaving Lieutenant General Pavlyuk alone as he continued to make his way down the hall. He was a few paces away from the guards at the stairway and raised his left hand to signal his men not to do anything rash, before drawing his pistol with his right hand and aiming it at the guard standing to his right. He had given his sidearm to the guard at the door for safekeeping before entering the office, and when the negotiations were over, the OUN militia respectfully returned the pistol to Lt. Gen. Pavlyuk, who hadn't considered the possibility of the Acting Ground Force Commander storming off and killing someone halfway across the room. With a few crisp gunshots, all the militiamen near the stairway fell dead, and the other militiamen who were just about to return realized something had gone wrong, but they only had time to look back before the whizzing bullets killed them on the stairs. Unperturbed, Captain Shields lowered the submachine gun in his left hand and used his right hand to pull out his spell-casting machine, aiming it at the gap between the back four pillars in the hall and firing something unidentified. The OUN militia that arrived later were stopped by an invisible wall, and when they realized that the bullets couldn't penetrate the barrier, ten thousand times more annoyed, they began to look for other paths to stop the ill-intentioned traitors. The other guards checked their weapons in preparation for a final assault. If they failed, they would never get out of here alive, and only by capturing Hetman would they have any hope of surviving.
"What kind of trick is this?" Looking at the Air Wall in the rear, McNeil smacked his lips repeatedly.
"It's a difficult protective measure that uses nitrogen in the air to form a solid armor." Captain Shields patted him on the shoulder, "Man, hurry up and move forward, Hetman must be arrested by our hands."
Stepan Golivin's paranoia couldn't keep up with his idol, he had placed most of his guards on the exterior of the Presidential Palace and the outer ring of the building, Hetman had a very limited number of loyal fighters he could rely on in the event of an enemy attack directly near the office hall. A dozen or so Ukrainian Army soldiers made their way up the long staircase, several OUN militiamen had appeared at the top, first stepping back slightly, and then counterattacking the assassins with their guns. The uncovered Ukrainian Army soldiers took heavy hits, several were shot and tumbled down the stairs, while McNeil, who had rushed to the front, had to use the dead center of the protrusion where the decorative paintings had been hung to cover himself. Captain Shields on the other side made several attempts to lead the charge, all of which were beaten back by the guards, and had he not put a layer of armor in front of his body, he would probably have been lying at the bottom of the stairs groaning and waiting to die like the others.
"... Не використовуйте вибухову зброю, це президентський палац ..." Seeing McNeil take out a grenade, Lieutenant General Pavlyuk, who was hiding behind him, hastened to stop it. However, McNeil did not understand Ukrainian and he just threw the grenade in the direction of the enemy. Unbeknownst to him, a parabolic trajectory hit the grenade with uncanny precision, and the grenade was sent flying down to the bottom of the stairs, where it blossomed among the dying wounded. Witnessing the tragedy before him, McNeil knew that a difficult enemy had arrived. He was about to exchange battle plans with Captain Shields when a dragon of fire, even more spectacular than the maximum power of a flamethrower, jetted down the stairs all the way to the bottom, igniting all the corpses or seriously wounded along the way, regardless of the enemy, and some of the soldiers who were too late to run away from the jet route let out miserable howls, crashing into others who hadn't yet been caught by the wave, and tumbling down the stairs together. McNeil sighed as he activated a communication that had been silent for a long time.
... Don't use explosive weapons, this is the Presidential Palace ...
"Is there a plan?"
"There is, but you have to be prepared for oxygen deprivation." Captain Shields, standing on the other side, said. He took advantage of the interval between enemy attacks to step out of the dead center, fired a few quick shots at the enemy, and in the process rolled with incredible speed to the dead center on the other side of the stairs. The next spurt of flame seemed to meet some barrier, first stopping abruptly in the air, and then exploding on such a scale that McNeil, who was already feeling pressure on his eardrums, almost spat out a mouthful of blood, and had Shields not warned him to take precautions, he feared that he would have suffered internal injuries just like those Ukrainian Army soldiers who had already collapsed to the ground.
As soon as the gunfire stopped, Sgt. Salas led Tom on his charge, taking down the suspected Magician standing at the top of the stairs. Close behind, McNeil quickly caught up with them, guided by Lt. Gen. Pavlyuk that they had to get to Hetman's office as soon as possible or capture him on his way to escape. Halfway there McNeil spotted another OUN Magician, but the other was not skilled enough in his tactics to pull out a tool similar to Captain Shields' model before McNeil shot him dead and collapsed next to a flower pot. Captain Shields examined the opponent's equipment and said with a sense of relief that this kind of guy using specially enhanced tools was not easy to deal with, and McNeil had taken the burden off them by eliminating the opponent so quickly.
"Even Magicians, if they can't take out their spell-casting machines quickly enough due to physical reasons, they're still not going to be simply annihilated by ordinary soldiers ...," McNeil muttered.
"Don't be paranoid, you think all devices are the same as this gun I'm holding? No, more convenient devices exist, like rings or knives ..." Captain Shields laughed, feeling sorry for McNeil's naive thoughts.
McNeil's backpack had broken during the battle and Tom suggested that he get rid of the unnecessary equipment, which McNeil refused. The group moved deeper into the Presidential Palace along the narrowing corridors, with Hetman's room just ahead. Corporal Randal is the first to notice something unusual up ahead, and he asks the group to stop moving forward, as he faintly hears several people talking in Ukrainian. However, a box fell out of McNeil's knapsack, which rightly attracted the attention of the enemy. When Stepan Golivin and several bodyguards appeared in front of the group, all were so surprised that they forgot to fire immediately. Hetman had four bodyguards, while Lt. General Pavlyuk had five guards (though all were Americans), and the two sides were evenly matched, with no one having a clear advantage.
"Вбити їх усіх." Hetman ordered dryly.
Finish them off.
The bodyguards acted, pulling out similarly modeled gun-type tools, only to find to their horror that they were unresponsive. Not only that, but even Captain Shields, who had been planning to counterattack, found his magic malfunctioning - in a flash of lightning, McNeil made a snap decision to open fire, taking the lead by aiming at the bodyguard at the front of the line and pulling the trigger, with Tom and Sergeant Salas following suit and taking down two of the bodyguards. The last bodyguard was disarmed outright by the strong Corporal Randal, leaving Hetman standing alone in the middle of the circle.
"Damn, what just happened?" Captain Shields picked up the box McNeil had dropped from the ground in annoyance, "I bet this thing has a ghost in it ..."
Stepan Golivin did not display the anger he deserved, he simply said to Lieutenant General Pavlyuk with disdain, "I have seen long ago that you are a dog bred by the United States, it is a pity that I lacked the wherewithal to eradicate you before without endangering our homeland."
"Гетьмане, у нас ще є шанс ... Покинувши наших союзників, ми не зможемо вижити поодинці." Lieutenant General Pavlyuk approached Hetman under the protection of the STARS crew, "Ви справді хочете чекати, поки росіяни повністю підкорять нас, перш ніж усвідомлювати свою помилку? Сполучені Штати милостиво дали нам шанс покаятися, і поки ми погоджуємося на запропоновані ними умови, все йде як завжди, і ми все ще матимемо доступ до їхнього фінансування ..."
Hetman, we still have a chance ... After abandoning our allies, we cannot survive alone.
Do you really want to wait until the Russians have completely subjugated us before you realize your mistake? The United States has mercifully given us a chance to repent, and as long as we agree to the terms they've proposed, it's business as usual, and we'll still have access to their funding ...
"Зрадник, який разом з американцями штурмував президентський палац, має нахабство говорити зі мною про російську загрозу, звідки ви взяли, що американці будуть дотримуватися угоди, якщо ви не здатні вигнати окупантів, що окупували схід?"
The traitor who stormed the presidential palace with the Americans has the audacity to talk to me about the Russian threat, where do you get the idea that the Americans will honor the agreement since you are incapable of expelling the invaders occupying the east?
"... Don't waste your time!" McNeil shouted at Captain Shields, who was still thinking about life, "Tell Pavlyuk to get Hetman to make a statement quickly or the OUN will surround the place and no one will get out."
Hearing Captain Shields' reminder, Pavlyuk strengthened his confidence. He told Stepan Golivin in no uncertain terms that if Hetman didn't want to cause even more tragic infighting, he'd better give in now, it would be a better end for the Ukraine. Seeing that Hetman was unresponsive, McNeil stepped forward and dragged Hetman back to his office while telling Captain Shields to block off the nearby passages. He had Lt. Gen. Pavlyuk place a copy of the agreement on his desk, took out his pistol and pointed it at Hetman's head, slowing down his speech:
"You should be able to understand English, or I can't imagine how you've been receiving CIA remittances all these years. If you want to save this life and your OUN, do what I say now."
"Stupid, don't think-"
"Or I'll say that you and the OUN have been receiving CIA funding for decades and have an unspoken relationship with White Rus, and with CIA and Marine Corps documents to prove it, I'm curious to see if your loyal followers and the underfed citizens will decide to purge you of your traitorous ways because they feel betrayed." McNeil laughed out loud, "A few of us are deadbeats who escaped from the hell of the Eastern Front and had no intention of staying alive, trading five of our worthless, rotten lives for the total collapse of your Hetman's country is good business."
This vulgarity shocked the others for a moment. Not all of them were as ready as McNeil to have to go without a return; they would not easily give up the chance of living, and still less would they make light of their lives because they should have died in some battle. But these men in high places must be made to believe that they were already outlaws, and only by putting up a fight could the politicians, who loved their lives and careers, be made to hesitate.
"There's a lot of Yankee bullshit going on."
"Judging by the subject, who should now be called Dixie, I humbly ask you to correct your previous designation." McNeil held Hetman hostage at his desk and sat the other man in his chair, "The situation couldn't be worse, the Russians don't have a chance to parade their troops in Washington and New York, we will always have a way back, you don't. Take your choice, Hon. Hetman, if you don't want the Ukraine to disappear from the map, the only option is to work with us. Of course, you can dream and fantasize that with your army of third-rate fighters you can take on an enemy that even our country does not dare to despise. God will not come to your rescue, you are not Christ the Savior, miracles are not for you."
A few minutes later, the OUN militia that had surrounded the Presidential Villa at the behest of other senior cadres received an unexpected order to retreat. Despite their various interpretations of the order, under Hetman's absolute authority, they were bewildered as they de-alerted and returned to their original garrisons. When the sun rose again, an uncertain future would present itself to Ukraine.
TBC
