Good description of arrival to Camp Suvorov. This is indeed a harsh place. What's going on in Russia? Preparations for incoming war, raging conflict with other countries, maybe even a civil war in Russia?
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Hey guys,
Sorry for the slow updates and the lack of replies, but I've been terribly busy lately and tomorrow, I am in fact going to take an Aptitude Test, Medical Exam, and an Interview with the Canadian Armed Forces about the Regular Officer Training Plan. Wish Me Luck !
Also, I saw the post about Writaar of the Week, and I would like to say that I'm honoured. I will likely post in the thread tomorrow when I have more time.
Have a good one guys!
Sorry for the slow updates and the lack of replies, but I've been terribly busy lately and tomorrow, I am in fact going to take an Aptitude Test, Medical Exam, and an Interview with the Canadian Armed Forces about the Regular Officer Training Plan. Wish Me Luck !
Also, I saw the post about Writaar of the Week, and I would like to say that I'm honoured. I will likely post in the thread tomorrow when I have more time.
Have a good one guys!
“You heard the Colonel, move out!” the Guard called. We turned in poor fashion. I myself was even out of sync with some of the others, but most of us probably had very little experience. I know I did. “What the hell was that?” he yelled at us. “How do you expect to win a battle when you can’t even walk?” he added.
“I am Lieutenant Kirov, and if you will not act in an orderly fashion, I will shoot one of you here and now. Do not doubt that I have that authority.” He said. As if we needed anymore encouragement, we walked in formation as best we could. We all watched the man in front of us, trying to time our steps with his.
We marched, if you can call it that, down from the landing zone and into Camp Suvorov proper to find it was even more harsh than what we had anticipated from the sight at the landing zone. The ground was not paved, nor did it have any sort of foundation for the various tents and shacks that soldiers had erected throughout it, but was instead a thick mud with pools of water scattered about. Some of the men gathered around trash bins and open pits where a small fire gave them their only warmth and comfort. Most of the others who I saw, were all wearing the crisp, distinctive uniform of an OMON Guard.
The Command Centre and Living Quarters of the OMON at Camp Suvorov. Those stationed here often called it the "House of Iron." It was as much a refuge, as it was a prison.
The only building that I could see was a large concrete structure, towering over the base at its far end. With two guards posted at its front, and two more patrolling its roof, it must have been the Command Centre of the base, and the living quarters of the OMON.
Much to my surprise we continued past it, and soon found ourselves staring at a small shack that looked like it had been built on the remains of an old house. A white sign above it, worn and faded, read “Prisoner Dispertion Office” in red print. We lined up in front of it, and a frail looking man, at least in his sixties, came to the counter in front of me.
Efreitor Ubashi Khan had served with the Russian Armed Forces since the time of the Soviet Union. He spent a large part of his career in Afghanistan, where he was promoted. Upon his return to Russia however, he was subject to racial persecution for his status as a Kalmyk. On June 6 1983, he was attacked by members of the Soviet Airforce. He, and two comrades, defended themselves but the brawl ended with his comrades killed by one of the Airmen armed with a pistol. At that point, he drew his own weapon and killed three of the five airmen. Soon after he was arrested and assigned to the 255th Spetsnaz, in lieu of his past service.
“Papers?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
“Right here, Sir.” I said, uncertain what to expect.
“Ha! Sir. We rarely hear that word here, especially among inmates. Or recruits, whichever you would rather go by.” He joked, tapping me on the shoulder. He looked down and checked the papers once, before looking through a stack of others on his left. It wasn’t long before he found one, and pulled it from the pile.
“Now, then, your orders, I528491, are to report to Lieutenant Romov.” He paused as he read out the information. “You’ll be joining the “Steel Tsar” Platoon, 2nd Squad.” He said, squinting as he finished. “They should be, over in that direction” he said, pointing past a group of huddled soldiers.
“Hurry up!” called out one of the OMON.
“You’d best get there soon. Good luck.” He said with a nod.
“I am Lieutenant Kirov, and if you will not act in an orderly fashion, I will shoot one of you here and now. Do not doubt that I have that authority.” He said. As if we needed anymore encouragement, we walked in formation as best we could. We all watched the man in front of us, trying to time our steps with his.
We marched, if you can call it that, down from the landing zone and into Camp Suvorov proper to find it was even more harsh than what we had anticipated from the sight at the landing zone. The ground was not paved, nor did it have any sort of foundation for the various tents and shacks that soldiers had erected throughout it, but was instead a thick mud with pools of water scattered about. Some of the men gathered around trash bins and open pits where a small fire gave them their only warmth and comfort. Most of the others who I saw, were all wearing the crisp, distinctive uniform of an OMON Guard.
The Command Centre and Living Quarters of the OMON at Camp Suvorov. Those stationed here often called it the "House of Iron." It was as much a refuge, as it was a prison.
The only building that I could see was a large concrete structure, towering over the base at its far end. With two guards posted at its front, and two more patrolling its roof, it must have been the Command Centre of the base, and the living quarters of the OMON.
Much to my surprise we continued past it, and soon found ourselves staring at a small shack that looked like it had been built on the remains of an old house. A white sign above it, worn and faded, read “Prisoner Dispertion Office” in red print. We lined up in front of it, and a frail looking man, at least in his sixties, came to the counter in front of me.
Efreitor Ubashi Khan had served with the Russian Armed Forces since the time of the Soviet Union. He spent a large part of his career in Afghanistan, where he was promoted. Upon his return to Russia however, he was subject to racial persecution for his status as a Kalmyk. On June 6 1983, he was attacked by members of the Soviet Airforce. He, and two comrades, defended themselves but the brawl ended with his comrades killed by one of the Airmen armed with a pistol. At that point, he drew his own weapon and killed three of the five airmen. Soon after he was arrested and assigned to the 255th Spetsnaz, in lieu of his past service.
“Papers?” he asked in a hoarse voice.
“Right here, Sir.” I said, uncertain what to expect.
“Ha! Sir. We rarely hear that word here, especially among inmates. Or recruits, whichever you would rather go by.” He joked, tapping me on the shoulder. He looked down and checked the papers once, before looking through a stack of others on his left. It wasn’t long before he found one, and pulled it from the pile.
“Now, then, your orders, I528491, are to report to Lieutenant Romov.” He paused as he read out the information. “You’ll be joining the “Steel Tsar” Platoon, 2nd Squad.” He said, squinting as he finished. “They should be, over in that direction” he said, pointing past a group of huddled soldiers.
“Hurry up!” called out one of the OMON.
“You’d best get there soon. Good luck.” He said with a nod.
Check out the new Update.
We shall see where it goes.
We shall see where it goes.
Thanks!
Thanks! I hope to hold your interest.
We shall find out more about Russia soon, perhaps even in the next post. For now though, I want to get Alexei to a point where I can get a snippet from Putin's plot line.
Thanks!
Thanks, but I'm sure you're a great writer. Send me a link to your AAR, or a sample of some offline writing, and I'll be free to review it or offer suggestions if you'd like.
I like the "inmates. Or recruits" idea. You capture their bewilderment really well.
So that's the gramps that could probably beat half the camp to death singlehandedly.
We shall see where this goes.
Thanks! Camp Suvorov is, at least right now, a terrible place to be, and I'm doing my best to show it.
Thanks! I plan to expand on it more as the story progresses.
Maybe, though I envision him, and much of the older population of the camp, as being frail from years of living in squalor, poor health conditions, poor rations, and abuse by the OMON. Keep in mind though, this is a camp for a military unit, a severely neglected and purposely punished military unit.
It wasn’t long before I had found the Steel Tsars at the far end of the camp. Their ‘living space’ consisted of a deep pit, filled to the brim with burning wood and scraps of paper, embers still smoldering below it all. This was surrounded by a few huts that looked like some of those I had seen in the stories of American Indians, before they had been all but wiped out. The smell of this area was unlike that of the rest of the camp. The smell of burning wood was present, but the smell of decadence and filth was less severe than what I had so far encountered.
Around the pit were three men, each of them in standard army camouflage and wrapped up against the cold with gloves on and hoods over hats. I doubt it helped them much, being outside to no end. Just past them, was a larger tent, and I could hear, as I walked closer, full of conversation.
“We are not ready for deployment yet! We don’t have half the men we are supposed to, not after our last operation.” Said one voice, deep and hoarse.
“The debacle in Chechnya was your own fault!” said another.
“We were never given Intel! Intel which I know you had!” the first voice said again.
“How dare you speak to me like that. I could have you shot, or whipped if you prefer to live with the pain! You have orders, and by God, I expect you to carry them out.” The second voice said. The men around the fire seemed to be ignoring it.
Lieutenant Dimitri Rudnev had joined the OMON in 2001. As the OMON attache' and Commander to the Steel Tsars, he is often present in an observer, advisor, and even combat role. So far he has served with them multiple times in Chechnya, and has been advocating sending the veteran unit on higher value missions. A recent escapade saw much of the team killed when Rudnev refused to share Classified Intelligence, based on their status as members of the 255th,
As I came up to the entrance of the tent, I peered in through a slit in the worn canvas flap, catching a glimpse of one of the men. The one who had just finished speaking, yes, it was him. I watched as he regained his composure, flanked by OMON guards. He had a goatee that looked as if it was still flushing itself out, and somewhat chiseled features. He still looked young, which in a place like this, must have been hard to hold on to, and even rather handsome, given the company.
He turned and saw me waiting, looking at me with dark, questioning eyes. “You have 3 days before we move out. Be ready.” He said, walking out of the tent and even though there was no protest, the other man in the room followed him out.
Staryeshina Nicholas Romov has served with the 255th for the last 44 years, and been involved in countless missions in a wide variety of locals.
The man I assumed had disputed his orders was much older than his superior, something which I imagined was a rarity in the army. His hair was graying, and he wore a brown leather overcoat. Perhaps it was his eyes that stuck with me. They had seen much of the world. Maybe even too much for their own liking.
The lieutenant, judging by the markings on his shoulder, brushed past me without so much as a glance of acknowledgment. The older man watched him for a moment before acknowledging me.
“Forgive the Lieutenant,” he said. “He’s not very good with people. You must be one of our replacements.” He added, glancing behind me. “Our only replacement.” He sighed as he finished.
“Well, Comrade Tataryn, we don’t have much here, but what we have, we have to share. Is that understood?”
“Yes Sir.” I said. He smiled and chuckled to himself.
“I am a mere Staryeshina, Tataryn. Furthermore, I am part of the 255th. We don’t get the honour of the title, Sir. Save it for the OMON.” He said. I thought about it for a second, remembering what the Kalmyk had told me at the dispertion office. It certainly seemed that the army had been different from anything I had known, and now, just as I grew used to the army, I was being thrust into a world with a new set of rules, and a new set of enemies, both foreign, and those in Command.
“Now, Comrade. Have you dined recently?” he said, gesturing towards a steaming pot near the men huddled by the fire. The sight of it rekindled the hunger I had lost upon arrival, though the smell reminded me of tulips and onions.
I looked back at him to see a smile. Even if the 255th and its members, and the OMON, and everything we did put us through hell, I realized in that moment, that I had absolute confidence in this man.
Last edited:
Great updates, I enjoyed reading them. Very detailed descriptions, keep up a good work!
What rank is Alexei? Private? Because that Staryeshina might be a bit too cozy with privates.
Homosexual soldiers FTW?
I hate a small part of what you're doing here. It's just like Call of Duty. Everything is awesome, everyone is very colourfull and cool. But we don't get even one glimpse of the main hero! I want to know who I'm cheering on damn it.
I too liked this update. Also, the person in the second image is familiar, but his name escapes me for the moment.
Thanks! Any specific direction you would be interested in seeing this go?
Thanks! Anything I could improve on?
Alexei is indeed a Private. The source I found to get accurate Russian ranks compared it to a Master Sergeant but translated Starshina to Senior Sergeant. Also, thanks for the spelling of it, I'll make a note.
Homosexual soldiers FTW?
I hate a small part of what you're doing here. It's just like Call of Duty. Everything is awesome, everyone is very colourfull and cool. But we don't get even one glimpse of the main hero! I want to know who I'm cheering on damn it.
In due time, my friend, in due time.
Jeremy Irons is his name. The actual image was, I believe, taken from Kingdom of Heaven, I merely cropped it down to a reasonable size.
Indeed. The first image, is of Timothy Oliphant. That picture, I believe, was taken from The Crazies. I just had to crop it to a reasonable size.
Also; with my exams going well and a break of studying in order, we may see another update today. Possibly one which will introduce other characters, and maybe explain some more of the political and economic back story of Modern Russia.
