Another thing that bothered him was her just showing up at the party. That seemed strange in itself. He was going to have to be very careful around Matryona Mihailvo. He would have to make sure he did not say anything in the slightest bit about the function of the base. His career was already on shaky ground. It would not take much more to have him follow Captain Mihailvo.
The following day, Yegor ran a second drill. It was a cruel thing to do he knew but he wanted the men to understand that no matter what, they needed to always be ready.
The enemy would not care if they were having a party the night before or not. While they did not make the fifteen minute mark he had mandated, they did make it in sixteen minutes, a full two minute under regulation time. If they could do that in their condition, they could certainly do it when they had no hangovers.
CHAPTER NINE
RUSSIA
Yegor had just finished an inspection of the number three silo. Most of the snow had melted and there were actually signs that spring might be on the way.
He was more than ready for some warm weather. He started across the compound and glanced over at the gate and was surprised to see two black ZIL cars being admitted. A flag on the front of the second car identified it as one belonging to Colonel General Aleksei Petrov. Yegor could have not been more surprised.
The car pulled up next to Yegor and the driver jumped out and opened the door. General Petrov climbed out of the car.
“Yegor, old friend, it is so good to see you again,” he said, hugging Yegor.
“I was not told you were coming. I have no honor guard prepared,” Yegor said.
“That does not matter. I was only informed yesterday that I was to come to see you,” he said.
“And to what honor do we owe this visit?”
“We can talk about that later. Let us get in out of the cold. I could use a good drink and then something to eat.”
“Certainly General Petrov, this way,” Yegor said leading him across the compound to the officer’s mess hall.
“I should get out of Moscow more often. You have to watch everything you say so carefully. It has gotten even worse than when you were there. I tell you Yegor, you cannot take a leak without someone watching over your shoulder.”
Yegor did not say anything. What could he say? He had been shipped out of Moscow because of what he had previously said.
They sat at one of the tables and Yegor produced a bottle of vodka and had the cooks prepare a hardy lunch. The General filled a water glass with the alcohol and downed half of it without stopping.
“Now that is what I needed. I hate flying. Always have. I like a good solid car under me. So, Yegor, how are things going?”
“Very well General. The efficiency of the men has improved remarkably in the past few months. They can be totally ready to launch in fifteen minutes.”
“Fifteen minutes? That is quite an accomplishment. The standard is eighteen but then you always were a good military operations man,” the General said taking another large drink of the vodka.
Yegor was hoping the food would come before the General polished the entire bottle off.
“General, if I may ask, what really brings you here. After all, this is not exactly a vacation spot.”
“That’s my Yegor. Direct and to the point. I will tell you my friend…” he said but they were interrupted by the waiter bring the food.
Petrov waited until he had gone before finishing.
“It has been decided that this base is to be decommissioned.”
Yegor looked at him in disbelief.
“Yes, yes I know. I was as shocked as you are. It seems the disarmament agreement now will include the R-36 series of rockets,” he said shrugging.
“How can that be? We can fire two rockets to every one launched at us. I don’t understand.”
“Like you Yegor, I am just following orders. They say they are to go so they will go. I was not consulted about this decision. All the R-36 bases are being decommissioned.”
“Starting when?”
“Immediately. You are to begin the initial work and a crew will arrive shortly to remove the warheads and the rockets. Your men are being assigned to various other bases. I have their postings with me,” Petrov said.
“Just like that? I don’t even get a say in where they are going to be posted?”
“I am sorry but it has already been decided.”
“General, I have one request.”
“Just one? I would have thought you would have several.”
“Just the one. Lieutenant Sidorvo. He is a good man and I would like to see that he gets a posting that will benefit his career.”
“That is high praise coming from you Yegor. He must be very good for you to make such a recommendation. All right, I will authorize you to make the posting. Any place but Moscow. Frankly, it is not safe there for any officer that has not grown up in that climate,” Petrov said.
“Thank you. I have a better place in mind for him.”
“Send me the papers and I will approve them.”
The General began to wolf down his food followed by another glass of vodka. Yegor wondered how he could drink so much during the day and still function.
“General, what about my posting?”
“Yes, well that is another issue. You are being posted to Yamantau.”
Yegor’s face registered total surprise.
“Yamantau? I don’t understand. I thought it was one of the most important bases.”
“Yes, it is. The Americans have their Area 51 and we have Yamantau.”
“How did I get posted there? I thought...”
“I still have some friends that owe me. I could do little while Marshall General Andreev was looking over my shoulder. But when he went on a little vacation, I made the arrangements.”
“Thank you General. I am most grateful for the posting.”
“I know Yegor. You did not think much of how I handled your last posting but honestly, I could do nothing without becoming an enemy of the Marshall General.”
“I believe you General.”
“I am sorry to have to deliver this news about the base but I think it will all work out for the best in the long run.”
“Yes. I am sorry to see the missiles being dismantled.”
“You may not be after you get to Yamantau Mountain. I have been there once and it is like nothing I have ever seen before. You will be a long way from Moscow and that is both good and bad. Good in the sense that out of sight is out of mind but bad since I understand Lirisa does not want to leave Moscow.
“Yes, we have spoken several times about it but she refuses to budge. She will never consent to moving even further away.”
“There is not much there outside of the Chelyabinsk-70 Weapons Lab and the base.”
“I will ask her to join me but I do not hold much hope.”
“I know. I talked with her about joining you. I offered to have the military locate housing and to take care of all the necessary arrangements but she seemed to have her made up not to leave Moscow,” the General said.
“You talked to Lirisa?”
“Yes, Yegor. I thought I might be able to sway her but it was to no avail.”
“You have gone out of your way for my well-being. I’m not sure I understand why?”
“Yegor it is quite simple. We need military men who can lead and not be afraid of the repercussions and what it can mean to their careers. Politicians talk and talk but they have no real understanding of how the military operates. Officers like you are the future of Russia, not the Marshall General. Of course I would never say such a thing,” he said and downed the last of his glass of vodka.
“I must be going. They shut down the airport here at dusk. I want to get back to Moscow and see what new crises have come up,” the General said, standing up and putting his hand out.
Yegor shook it and nodded his head.
“Thank you General. I cannot adequately express my gratitude.”
> “You are a good man Yegor. You take care of yourself old friend. I will try to do the same.”
Yegor watched as the General climbed back in the car and gave a brief wave and then he was gone. Yegor sat back down and shook his head. It was a totally unforeseen turn of events.
He would need to let the men know and talk to Lieutenant Sidorvo immediately.
~~
“You wanted to see me, General?”
“Yes, sit down Sergey,” the General said.
The Lieutenant was shocked. This was the first time Yegor had ever called him by his first name. Now what, he thought?
“As you know by now, Colonel General Petrov just left the complex a few minutes ago. I do not want to have unfounded rumors floating around.”
“I understand General.”
“I was just informed that the base is being decommissioned,” Yegor said.
The surprise of the statement registered on Sergey’s face.
“How can that be? We are the guardians of the Motherland,” he stammered.
“I cannot argue with that logic but nonetheless, it has been decided that this base and all the others with the R-36 nuclear missiles are to be dismantled.”
“General, this is crazy.”
“I understand your feelings. They are much the same as mine but it has already been so ordered by the Marshall General. We are to start the necessary process of securing all code machines, keys, programming, and hardware associated with the launch sequencing. The actual warhead removal will be done by others coming from Moscow. I was informed that the men have already been reassigned,” Yegor said.
“Sir, this is unbelievable. Many of the men have families and children in school here. They just want us to pack up and go, just like that?”
“I’m afraid so. I glanced at the reassignments. Most are at good bases with better facilities and larger towns. Only a few have drawn poor stations.”
“When am I to leave?”
“Just before I do. We will be the last to leave. I had no say in the others' postings but I have General Petrov’s permission to assign you to your new post.”
Sergey did not say anything. He just sat there looking at the General in anticipation.
“I am going to send you to the Kyrgyzstan Air Base in Kant. The commanding officer is André Alexandrov, a trusted friend of mine. I have spoken to him about you and he has agreed to your transfer.”
“But General, I know nothing about the strategic air bases. I am not an Air Force officer. He will think I am an idiot.”
“Relax. Do you think I would send you there if I did not think it to your advantage? Give me a little more credit than that. Yes, it is an Air Force base but it also has a ring of very lethal anti-missile armaments. The Captain in charge of the air defense is not of your caliber and so I have convinced him that he needed someone better. He agreed.”
“Thank you for your confidence in my abilities, General,” Sidorvo replied.
“You do not need to thank me. It is your abilities that got you this posting. I just made sure they were going to go where they could be put to good use. Oh, and one more thing,” Yegor said, “It would be better if you were a Captain.”
“I am being promoted to Captain?” Sidorvo said astonished.
“The position calls for a Captain and I want to abide by the mandate,” Yegor said smiling.
Captain Sidorvo. He simply could not believe what was happening. Things like this simply did not happen in the Russian Federation military.
He had come from a slap on the head as a Junior Lieutenant to a Captain in only a few short months. On top of that he was being assigned to one of the newest bases in Russia.
It meant he would have enough of a future that he could now marry his fiancé. They could actually have a life together.
He was still in a daze as he stood at attention with the rest of the men. The General, in his usual way of getting right to the point, explained the circumstances and what it meant to each of them.
The men were given their postings and the date they were to report. The feelings were mixed. Some were happy to be leaving this area of the country and others were apprehensive about having to move yet once again.
After they were dismissed, Captain Sidorvo handed out the work details. They were not very demanding and allowed for extra time off for the men to make arrangements and to enjoy themselves before having to transfer to their new assignment.
“How is the work progressing Captain?” Yegor asked.
“Very well general. Most of the major components are ready to be hauled up. When will the disassembly of the rockets take place?”
“I am told, the day after tomorrow.”
“I suppose that is good. Now that we have come this far there is little left for us to do.”
“Yes but it is still a shame.”
“I agree. The first of the men left this morning. Fifty more leave tomorrow. The rest over the next week,” Sidorvo told him.
Yegor just shook his head. The Captain could see he was bothered by the removal of the base.
“May I ask where you are being transferred to General?”
“I would like to tell you Sergey but I cannot. I can only say it came as a great surprise to me and I am very excited about the posting. It is something I never would have expected.”
“Excellent. I am very happy for you. I was afraid…”
“Yes, I know. That I would be sent to another hellhole,” he said and laughed.
“Exactly.”
“Sometimes when all seems lost, good things happen. It is the way God works.”
The crews from Moscow did not arrive until two days later. A mud slide had made the road impassable so they were forced to make a long detour.
The General watched as they set to work detaching the warheads and securing them for transportation. They had sent twenty-five armed guards with them as well and none of the General's men were allowed to be within thirty meters of the silos. It mattered little. Most were gone by now or getting ready to go.
The General was surprised when many of the enlisted men and officers stopped by to say goodbye. He was not expecting it.
Once the warheads were secured, the large flatbed trucks with the armed guards left. Only the crews that would now drain and separate the two stages of the rockets remained.
Everyone was tense as the fuel was separated into different vehicles but once that was done the rest seemed to be routine to the workers.
Six days later a long line of flatbed trucks arrived and the process of lifting the rocket stages from the silo began. As each was lowered onto a truck it was secured and covered by large tarps.
It was four days later when the last of the trucks was loaded and rolled out of the gate. All of the men had now left and only Sergey and Yegor remained. They ate in silence that night, scrounging up what little food was left.
“I guess it is all over,” Sergey said.
“It would appear so. Tomorrow you leave and I go in four days. You know you have two weeks before you need to report.”
“Yes sir, but I think I will go immediately to the base and then send for my fiancé. I want to see what I am getting into.”
“I understand. I was much like that myself.”
“Was General? If I may say so, you still seem like that.”
Yegor laughed, “I suppose you are right Sergey, I suppose you are right.”
The next morning Captain Sidorvo was packed and ready to leave. A battered old taxi was waiting for him.
“I will be keeping an eye on you my young friend,” Yegor told him.
“General, I can never thank you enough for what you have done. You have taught me so much and I will always remember the first slap on the head. It was a true wake up call.”
“Shooting Captain Mihailvo probably helped that along a little too,” the General said with a broad smile.
“There is that. I will have to say, it was one of the more unique motivational moments in my li
fe.”
“I suggest that is one thing you do not learn from me. I’m not sure everyone could get away with it like I did,” Yegor said.
“General if I can…”
“No, you owe me nothing. It has been my pleasure to have you in my command. Good luck to you Captain Sergey Sidorvo,” the General said and closed the car door.
~~
On Yegor’s last day at the base a newer Russian Lada pulled in the base. It was a step above the usual cars in the town. He watched as Matryona Mihailvo got out of the car. What in the world was she doing here he wondered?
“To what do I owe this honor?” he said skeptically.
“I still want to see what goes on here,” she said.
“Nothing goes on here. Everything is kaput. Nothing remains,” he said shrugging his shoulders.
“Then you would not mind showing me around at where the missiles would have been if they were ever here,” she said smiling.
“What missiles? I see no missiles.”
“General, what difference does it make now? All the men have gone. The base will be full of curious kids and even parents as soon as you leave this place. Does it really matter that much? I think it is not too much to ask to see where my husband worked...when he worked,” she said. She had very little makeup on but she was still radiant.
“Matryona, may I call you Matryona?”
“Of course. And I will call you Yegor if you don’t mind,” she replied.
“That would be fine. Matryona, this base has never existed officially. At least that is my understanding. What is here or was here, is just a matter for speculation. Honestly, there is nothing to really see,” he said.
“Yegor,” she said, pronouncing it so it sounded more like a purr, “Please, I am not a fool. My husband told me and anyone else that he was trying to impress what was hidden under the silos. Some kind of nuclear rocket. It is not a secret. Maybe the people in Moscow think it is but I can tell you for certain it is not. Whomever he did not tell, his tarts did,” she said flatly.
“I see. And what good would it do you to see where all of this took place? What could that accomplish?” Yegor asked.
“Probably nothing but let me ask you this, what could it hurt?”
THE BEGINNING Book Two (THE EVENT) Page 8