“Our hero has returned!” Returning from Germany, on a spy mission, I was excited. I thought to myself “wow, I’m being welcomed as a hero, I may even get rewards. But most importantly, I’m going to be able to fight alongside my older brother, Dimitri, once again.” Dimitri was always my true brother. I can trust him with my life. Growing up with him taking care of me because my parents were never really home, I trusted him with everything. Id take a bullet for him as he would for me. A whole year, I was alone without my brother. A whole year of realizing how important fighting with my brother is to me. A whole year of looking forward to fighting alongside him once again… and a whole year wasted.

I was welcomed with “Welcome back, our hero!”, and my good feeling began. My good feeling continued when my commander told me to come to his office for a meeting. He told me “Niko you did it! Now let’s talk about what plans you have discovered.” And so, I began.

“The Germans are planning an attack at the river of Somme, in France. They are planning to invade. They are preparing mimes and machine gunners at the front of their trenches for protection. I believe it is only right to notify the commander of France, and have Britain go along with them to go up against Germany” My commander stated: “A logical idea Niko. Although don’t you believe that many of those soldiers will go to waste in a battle where the Germans are untouchable?” “Yes sir, although we are willing to fight for what we believe in. I believe these men will do it for their country”. My commander agreed, and so the letter to France was sent.

I was on my way to the bunkers, to go see Dimitri. My god, I haven’t seen my brother in a whole year! As I walked into the bunkers, I started to search. I saw my friend, Oleg. “Oleg my good friend! Have you seen my brother?” Oleg’s response changed me completely. “Niko.. I don’t know why they didn’t tell you.. Dimitri is missing.”

My face turned red. I wanted to punch a hole in the wall. I ran to my commander, taking my pistol out of my pocket, screaming at him: “HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME MY BROTHER WAS MISSING!?! I DID THE MOST DANGEROUS MISSION FOR YOU, AND HERE WE ARE ONE YEAR LATER AND YOU DECIDE NOT TO TELL ME THAT POSSIBLY MY BROTHER MAY BE DEAD!?” My commander sighed. He told me: “Niko, put the gun down. Killing me won’t give you any answers.” I went against my gut feeling to pull the trigger, and I calmed myself down. “What happened?” … “Commander tell me what happened”. “We lost him at the last battle. No one is aware of where he went, nor if he was killed. He just.. disappeared.” I had one answer to my commander, not ashamed of the disrespect I was showing the man that has been commanding my life since this dreadful war started; and that was: “I’m going to the battle at the river of Somme”.

“ABSOLOUTLEY NOT!” I have never heard him scream that loud at me. At first glance, I was scared and ashamed of telling my commander, rather than asking. Although. The next second, I screamed back at him, confidently; I am his best solider. He needs me. “Commander I did a mission that saved the Allied Powers from loosing this war. I LOST my brother. I demand permission to travel to either Britain or France to join this battle!” “There is no way I am risking my best solider because of his devotion to get revenge. I’m sorry Niko but no. Das Vidanye.” I didn’t chase after. Of course, I had a plan. But I needed to act fast.

My former profession. My former job. My former life. All one thing I knew I needed to do in order to get what I wanted. Good thing I was a professional at creating documents as well as forge signatures. After all, I did create the commanders layout of creating his documents, and I have seen his signature so many times, I can probably write it better than he can. That’s exactly what I did. I wrote 2 documents that basically paved the way for me with no cracks or interruptions down the road ahead.

“I hear by grant Sir Niko Slavsky the right to approach contact along side with you and your army, and highly recommend you give him his own force, in which he will lead….”. I continued to write this letter to the commander of France with a guilt feeling internally. “Maybe I shouldn’t- no. I have to avenge Dimitri if he is truly dead.” This was what I was mainly thinking while writing this document, but the guilt faded slowly.

The second letter gave me immediate access to a jet. It looked just as it would if the commander himself would have given this to me. I went to the Jetport only to find out, that my best friend, Oleg, was in charge of this.

“Should I tell him? No! of course not. I cannot trust anyone with this. But maybe…-no. I cannot.” The last painful thought I had before leaving. “Oleg my friend, I must take a jet. This letter from the commander grants me the access.” “Alright Niko.. good luck… stay safe old friend.” I started to walk away but then I remembered something. “Wait Oleg, I almost forgot! Give this letter to the commander. I am trusting you that only he will see it and no one else.” “Of course Niko, you can trust me”. The letter I handed him to give to the commander was a letter of my apology to him. Although, in the future he may not believe that I was apologizing at all. I was on my way to France, my letter to him said I was going to Britain.
“Unit 5, you are not to leave this trench until I say so! We have Germans dead ahead of us. One wrong move can cost you your life.” My first words speaking as a general in the French Army. I was scared, but confident. It was day time, and no German suspected we would be there. “Commander! Ill send my unit out last.” “Are you sure Niko?” “Positive commander. I have a plan.” 5 minuets later, I heard him scream: “MEN, GO OVER THE TOP!! DO NOT STOP AT ANYTHING. THIS IS THE TIME TO FIGHT FOR YOUR COUNTRY AND LOVED ONES. NOW GO!”. My unit was still in the trench and I was discussing the plan. I had a sniper group that I told to stay in the trench to protect us from a distance. I was done speaking, and my battle began.

I jumped over the top running straight ahead. I thought this would be a surprise attack. It wasn’t. we had already lost over 500 men in the 1 hour I stayed behind. I was watching after my men carefully. Until one shot scared me internally. I saw a bullet pierce right through the skull of who is probobally my best fighter. I ran to him, out of fear. He was dead. Seeing his blood put modivation in me. I had to kill as many Germans as I could. I started running, and then I saw someone running towards me, throwing his sniper to the floor. “Solider! Get back to your station this instant!” He ran as fast as he could to me, dived in front of me taking a bullet to the heart. I hit the floor. I was laying next to my dead brother Dimitri, that took a bullet for me.