The Oncoming Storm
General Dmitri Dmitrivich Reznov stood at attention, his crisp black uniform standing out against the bright white garb of the Imperial Guard. They eyed him warily but dared not say anything. Besides being one of the most infamous and influential generals in the Imperial Russian Army, he was also a distant relation of the Emperor, who had summoned Dmitri here personally. He had been in the Army since he was sixteen, serving with distinction in the Great War and one of the first members of the elite Emperor’s Hand brigade. In his more than 30 years in the Imperial Army, he had advanced in rank and prestige at the loss of social station. When he had been promoted to Colonel, shortly after his father had become bed ridden with cancer, he had had to choose between staying in the Army or taking up the mantle as Count of Riga and take his place in the Royal Court. The choice had been simple. The next day, in a small ceremony overseen by Emperor Mikhail personally, Dmitri had foresworn his birthright and the title of Viscount had passed to his younger brother Vladimir. Dmitri had never looked back and when their father had died, Vladimir had proven himself to be an excellent count and trusted advisor of the Emperor, while Dmitri continued to be a dominant force in the Army.
The Emperor emerged from his study, the once strong soldier bent with age, his weight supported by a gnarled black cane. His usual regal garb of the court, fine furs and bright colors, were supplanted now by a simple black cloak with a heavy cowl to cover his face from the harsh night’s wind. “Walk with my young apprentice” he said with a crooked smile on his lips.
“By your will Emperor” Dmitri responded with a bow and followed the older man outside to the palace promenade.
The two walked in silence for several minutes, allowing Dmitri to muse on their relationship. They were distant cousins, the first Emperor of Russia having made his favorite cousin the first Count of Riga after unification. Despite separation of both blood and distant, the two families had remained closely allied. When Dmitri had turned 16, he had joined the Army and been placed under the command of the Emperor, who had then merely been General Mikhail Obolensky, brother of the Emperor and commander of Third Army. The two had bonded, the younger man reminding the General much of himself at that age and taking him under his wing to train. When not in the presence of others, they had taken to calling each other “nephew” and “uncle”. Mikhail had tutored Dmitri not only in warfare, but in leadership, tactics and various forms of combat. When the Great War had begun, Dmitri’s father had attempted to gain his son a post well behind the lines. Both Dmitri and Mikhail had successfully fought to negate that. When the Emperor asked his brother to form the new elite Emperor’s Hand, Dmitri had been one of his first selections for the officers’ corps. After Nicholas died and Mikhail ascended the throne, Dmitri had become his eyes and ears in the Army and had quickly risen through the ranks. He had led troops in both Azerbaijan and Pontus, proving himself an able commander time and time again. He had been given command of the Russian Expeditionary Force in Abyssinia, the failing of which was the single glaring black mark on his otherwise impeccable record. As both men had gotten older, the Emperor had come to rely on Dmitri more and more.
“I have a mission for you, nephew” the Emperor said, finally breaking the silence. “You shall go to Poland and take command of the Second Army. There you will begin preparations for war. The time is at hand for us to leave the shadows of other nations and take our rightful place on the world stage”
Dmitri turned his head ever so slightly to his right to look at the Emperor, but his face was hidden by the heavy cowl of his robes. “Is it time, my liege?”
“It is. Commence Operation Oncoming Storm”
Dmitri let out a breath he had not realized he had been holding. “At last we will reveal ourselves to Europe! At last we will have our revenge!”
OOC: Continuing the theme of favorite video game trailers, here’s mine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjhJcm-lpjc