Background

Born in 1965, Nikolaev is just any regular Russian kid from rural Volgograd. He was not particularly poor nor wealthy, but he was able to have a decent life and education. His father was a honest farmer but strict to Nikolaev. His mother was a housewife and always kind. Both raised Nikolaev into a well disciplined kid who is daring but also caring. Just like any other boy, Nikolaev dreamt to become a soldier boy. It was a proud title and also could offered a decent pay for his family. Despite protest from his parents, He signed up for the Soviet army as soon as he reached 18 when the Afghan war was on full swing. At the age of 20, he was deployed to Afghanistan from 1985 to 1987. Being a soldier was easy, but being at war was tough. The war scared Nikolaev badly. living in constant horror of guerilla attacks, Nikolaev went from a sunny guy to a bitter old man in the spam of 2 years. His openess was replaced with silence. Luckily, his captain was a great moral support during the time and they developed some kind of father-son relationship. The captain kept him alive both physically and psychologically. Without the captain, Nikolaev could've been worse in his state. Returning home in 1987, He found out that his parents' health were not in a good shape. His father injuried himself in the field making him unable to perform any more work, while his mother developed lung cancer from his father's smoke. Nikolaev was discharged from the army and focused solely on his parents. Without a decent income, Nikolaev was unable to treat his mother's cancer and soon in 1990, his mother passed away. Not long after that, his father commited suicide due to guilt. Left with nothing and literally everything went to shit, Nikolaev was in a bad shape. The horror of the war and his parents death drove him into abusing alcohol for coping. And the civil unrest in the soviet union made him grew even more bitter to the government and his military past. Then in 1992, not long after the collpase of soviet union, he received a letter filled with American dollars from his old captain. The captain invited him to come to the US and join him for "opportunity". The letter didn't explain what "opportunity" is but captain's words ignited hope in Nikolaev. He decided to serve once again, but this time only for the only person he had left to care. He then used the money to get himself into the US. Between 1992 to 2000, Nikolaev was working for the "Black Lagoon", A crime organization based in Boston. Nikolaev was able to regain his happiness, from protecting the business and the captain (who is the founder of the organization) by smuggling illegal stuff, producing drugs and removing any problem that came to the face of the "black lagoon" with any mean necessary. Around 1995, the captain stepped down from the head position due to health and passed the power to Nikolaev. One day in March, 2000, on the sea for some deal negoitation, Nikolaev and his company were stopped by the military and directed to an island without knowing much of detail. There's nothing he could do to not comply because the military people were dead serious with guns and masks. And thus, the story on Braddock island begins...