The snow crunches under my boots as I continue to march through the forest and towards the base of the nearby mountain range. Winters in The State are always quite snowy, and that is even more so in the northern regions, which is where the military base I currently call my home resides. But apparently that wasn't north enough, because now I'm heading even more north in search of a small cabin. I had barely made it through basic training when I was saddled with this job, and I got the impression that nobody wanted to make the trip, so they just pawned it off on the rookie. Not that I got a lot of details regarding what exactly my task is, either. All I really know is that through this forest is the foot of the mountain range, and over there, I will find a small cabin currently inhabited by some sort of high military official on a vacation. When I find it, I am supposed to support that official, basically functioning as some sort of servant.
Now, this doesn't exactly sound like a glamorous job, but you don't get far in the military by questioning orders, so here I am. At least I can see the trees starting to become less dense, so I'm probably making it out of here pretty soon. Indeed, after about five more minutes of slowly stomping through the snow, I finally get to leave the forest. And as I leave the forest and look over the snow-covered plain that leads to the mountains, I realize that I didn't really get any directions, but thankfully, looking over the vista before me does lead to me spotting what looks to be a small cabin, down at the foot of a mountain and near a frozen lake, past a bridge over a frozen river, so I make my way over there.
After arriving there, I look around to try and find whoever this official is. Eventually I make a loop around the cabin and find someone taking stock of the firewood outside, who turns to face me with a smile. "The State provides, comrade! You're far off from home, aren't you? Closest base's a good walk away from here," he asks, and... I know this face from somewhere, but I just can't place it.
It seems so familiar that I'm caught off guard a little, and it takes me a moment to respond. "Ah, um... the State provides, comrade. CO sent me out here to help out some official that's supposed to be vacationing out here, is that you?" I ask him in return.
To that, he scoffs a bit and shakes his head. "Tsk, I told them I didn't need any help. As page 29 of the First Comrade's teachings say, 'Help your comrade when he asks, but trust him to ask when he needs it'. Well, now that you're here, are you interested in two weeks of vacation, then? It's not a hotel in the capital city, but our country has beauty everywhere," he suggests. Man, where have I seen his face before?
I mull the whole thing over for a moment. I am supposed to stay here for the length of his stay, after all, and do what he asks. If he's not going to ask anything of me, that's not my fault, right? "Alright, sure, I can work with that," I reply, reaching out for a handshake. "I'm Ovechkin."
He accepts, and we shake hands. "Comrade Fedorov, though you might have known that already, no?" he tells me. Fedorov, Fedorov... oh, crap, he's that elite from the 3rd! Right, he's all over the posters touting him as the New Man of The State, a new ideal for others to aspire to. Shit, he looks just like on those posters, too, now that I think about it. I always thought that was some idealized portrayal, artistic license and whatnot, but no, he looks immaculate. A very cute, even feminine face with a gentle smile that seems like it could soften even the most choleric of men, and a short black head of hair that's just messy enough to give him the appearance of merely being one of the grunts rather than some stickler for rules like some officers are. It's clear he can tell just how surprised I am now that I realized that, and he lets out a sweet little chuckle. "Ah, no need to be starstruck, comrade! It's just the two of us out here, after all, no need for red tape and chain of command to be such a burden on us. I'm a soldier, like you, nothing more. Come on, I'll show you around."
With that, we head into the cabin, and it really is a rather nice place. It's no luxury hotel, like Fedorov said, but it has a large, comfortable looking bed with warm blankets, a stove for cooking, a fireplace... this definitely beats the barracks, and with plenty of firewood outside, it should be nice and cozy at night. But there is one thing that I'm wondering. "Wait, there's only one bed here. So where will I sleep?" I ask him.
At first, it seems like he's genuinely confused I asked that question. "Hm, did they not teach you in basic training? 'Making the most of limited resources' and whatnot? Page 23 of the First Comrade's teachings. 'A tight-knit army stays together in the morning, stays together at day, and stays together at night.' We're going to be sharing it, of course! There's plenty of room," he explains. I do remember hearing that, but I didn't think it was that important... and he's actually sticking to that? He's got these quotations on tap like it's nothing, it's crazy. And honestly, the thought of sharing a bed with him doesn't even seem that bad. "Now come, let's head outside."
The two of us head back out, and for a while, we just take in the scene. Fedorov takes a deep breath, and I feel compelled to do the same. The air really is clean and fresh out here, and now that I'm really taking a look at it rather than trudging through it looking for the cabin, the surroundings are beautiful. White snow blanketing the plains, a soft layer giving a calm, serene appearance to it all, the forest draped in white, the majestic mountains rising into the sky behind us, and the frozen lake is also such a relaxing sight. Everything is so quiet. "You know... I think I like this," I tell him.
Fedorov laughs, a warm, joyful laugh that practically radiates mirth. "The State is beautiful, Comrade Ovechkin, and we should appreciate it more often," he says, and for just a split second, the thought of replying "So are you," crosses my mind, but I push it back for now. "So, should we go for a walk? Perhaps some ice fishing? We won't be relying on it, the cabin has plenty of rations, but it livens the diet up. Weather service is predicting some heavy snowfall for tonight, but we still have some time before nightfall."