The Fall of Night Read Online Free
Author: Christopher Nuttall
worthwhile; Nekrasov controlled what was perhaps the most powerful land force on the continent.
As the doors closed, Nekrasov tapped the table. “My Friends, it has been over thirty years since the power of Russia was broken by the Americans and their European lapdogs,” he said. “We were cast down and forced to be humble; our power and prestige was stripped from us and we were outcasts, always the target of jibes, always prevented from gaining the help we needed to develop ourselves. Our people starved as America abandoned us and Europe lectured; military bases moved ever closer to our powers and America deployed ABM systems intended to ensure that our nuclear arsenal was no longer dangerous. I remember the final withdrawal from Poland…
“I swore then that we would return.
“For the past ten years, we have been pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps,” Nekrasov said. The room was very quiet. “We have developed our energy sources and have been using them to earn hard cash, that we have in turn used to develop and reform our military, and finally give Russia something for us all to be proud of. Now, we have a window of opportunity…and a deadly threat to our very well-being.”
Shalenko listened as Nekrasov listed, one by one, the insults and indignities piled on Russia by Europe. Nekrasov had nothing, but contempt for Europe; Europe wasn't the Americans, who had the military strength and geographic luck to back up their words. Brussels hectored and hounded, persecuting Russian immigrants, while meddling in the endless state of Ukraine unrest and assisting the Baltic States to break their agreements with Russia. Ever since he had come to power, Nekrasov had used the advantages of Russia ruthlessly, from ensuring that the fuel that Russia supplied came at a high enough cost to impede Polish economic development, to using the positions in Belarus to build a support base for the greatest military attack the world had ever known.
“We have been preparing for this for years,” Nekrasov finished. “We have been waiting for the window of opportunity…and now we are ready. In a month, Operation Stalin will commence…and a continent will be brought to its knees.”
The reactions ran around the room. Some of them had known from the start that the operation would be launched unless something very significant occurred to prevent it. Some of them had thought that the entire operation was a pipe dream, or a desperately impossible gamble; they had never expected that anyone would actually try it. They all burned to avenge the multiple insults that Russia had suffered over the years, but Operation Stalin…
Nekrasov smiled at them all. “General?”
“I have completed my review of the units that have been assigned to Operation Stalin,” Shalenko said shortly. “The security requirements were quite high – most of the units have little idea that they will be going to war within a month – but training and supplies are excellent. The logistics chain has been carefully prepared and the logistics units will be able to supply the advance forces with everything they will need to maintain the offensive. It would be nice to be able to capture European supplies, at least of fuel and rations, but we are not dependent upon it. We just completed RED STORM, a major exercise, and I am pleased to report that the battlespace management system worked fairly well. Striking the balance between control from the rear and local awareness of conditions was tricky, but we believe that we have successfully mastered the art.
“The Special Forces units have been largely prepared for their own missions, although we have been unwilling to assign them any specific intelligence on their targets,” he continued. “Their role in the operation is absolutely crucial, but until we are ready to inform them of their targets, further training is likely to be
As the doors closed, Nekrasov tapped the table. “My Friends, it has been over thirty years since the power of Russia was broken by the Americans and their European lapdogs,” he said. “We were cast down and forced to be humble; our power and prestige was stripped from us and we were outcasts, always the target of jibes, always prevented from gaining the help we needed to develop ourselves. Our people starved as America abandoned us and Europe lectured; military bases moved ever closer to our powers and America deployed ABM systems intended to ensure that our nuclear arsenal was no longer dangerous. I remember the final withdrawal from Poland…
“I swore then that we would return.
“For the past ten years, we have been pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps,” Nekrasov said. The room was very quiet. “We have developed our energy sources and have been using them to earn hard cash, that we have in turn used to develop and reform our military, and finally give Russia something for us all to be proud of. Now, we have a window of opportunity…and a deadly threat to our very well-being.”
Shalenko listened as Nekrasov listed, one by one, the insults and indignities piled on Russia by Europe. Nekrasov had nothing, but contempt for Europe; Europe wasn't the Americans, who had the military strength and geographic luck to back up their words. Brussels hectored and hounded, persecuting Russian immigrants, while meddling in the endless state of Ukraine unrest and assisting the Baltic States to break their agreements with Russia. Ever since he had come to power, Nekrasov had used the advantages of Russia ruthlessly, from ensuring that the fuel that Russia supplied came at a high enough cost to impede Polish economic development, to using the positions in Belarus to build a support base for the greatest military attack the world had ever known.
“We have been preparing for this for years,” Nekrasov finished. “We have been waiting for the window of opportunity…and now we are ready. In a month, Operation Stalin will commence…and a continent will be brought to its knees.”
The reactions ran around the room. Some of them had known from the start that the operation would be launched unless something very significant occurred to prevent it. Some of them had thought that the entire operation was a pipe dream, or a desperately impossible gamble; they had never expected that anyone would actually try it. They all burned to avenge the multiple insults that Russia had suffered over the years, but Operation Stalin…
Nekrasov smiled at them all. “General?”
“I have completed my review of the units that have been assigned to Operation Stalin,” Shalenko said shortly. “The security requirements were quite high – most of the units have little idea that they will be going to war within a month – but training and supplies are excellent. The logistics chain has been carefully prepared and the logistics units will be able to supply the advance forces with everything they will need to maintain the offensive. It would be nice to be able to capture European supplies, at least of fuel and rations, but we are not dependent upon it. We just completed RED STORM, a major exercise, and I am pleased to report that the battlespace management system worked fairly well. Striking the balance between control from the rear and local awareness of conditions was tricky, but we believe that we have successfully mastered the art.
“The Special Forces units have been largely prepared for their own missions, although we have been unwilling to assign them any specific intelligence on their targets,” he continued. “Their role in the operation is absolutely crucial, but until we are ready to inform them of their targets, further training is likely to be
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