Nikolai Kalinin

Nikolai Kalinin is a Spetsnaz operative and a major character in the TACITUS saga. He served in the Russian Ground Forces, joining fresh out of high school, considered to be the best soldier in the unit, before a family tragedy led him to transfer to a Russian Special Ops unit embedded within the Spetsnaz, known as Kasatka (Russian for Killer Whale).
==Biography==
===Early life and military career===
Not much is known about Nikolai's past, but it is known that in 1999, he foiled a home invasion while on vacation in New York City while visiting relatives in New York City. He was seventeen years old at the time
===In the Spetsnaz===
Main article: St. Petersburg Saboteurs
Nikolai enlisted in the Russian military after graduating high school. In Vapor in the Wind, it is revealed that he served in the Russian Ground Forces' 8th Combined Arms Army. As a Russian Ground Forces soldier, Nikolai was very efficient and very resilient when it came to combat. He was described as a man who could "kill without second thoughts." He was also very loyal to his comrades, which earned him some close friends in the Spetsnaz Unit. While in the Spetsnaz, Nikolai and a few of his colleagues formed the Saint Petersburg Seven (named after hte fact that Nikolai himself was among six other people who were from St. Petersburg). 
As the Saint Petersburg Saboteurs, Nikolai and his buddies fought tooth and nail against the Chechens during the Second Chechen War. Under Nikolai Kalinin's lead, the unit was able to inflict numerous casualties against the Chechens.
However, disaster struck one day in early 2011 when a stray mortar from a Chechen militant killed multiple people at Nikolai's forward operating base in the Caucasus. Nikolai and the rest of the St. Petersburg Saboteurs escaped with their lives, but his girlfriend and younger brother were killed, leaving Nikolai grief-stricken, angry, and obssessed with vengeance. His friends in the unit also desired payback, but feared that Nikolai's obsession would put himself, as well as other people, in danger.
Later that same year, Nikolai's commanding officer Konstantin Petrov decided to give him a chance at inflicting his vengeance upon the Islamist funddamentalist world. Six months later, Nikolai transferred to a top secret special operations unit within the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate, known as Kasatka.
===Kasatka===
In Kasatka, under the careful guidance of friend and mentor Konstantin Petrov, Nikolai quickly grew to be a ruthless killing machine. Powered by rage and hatred, Nikolai had eventually become the ultimate weapon against the Islamic State. In the Islamic State's eyes, he was seen as a "scourge", a serious threat that had to be eliminated. However, at the same time the Islamic State feared him. The Islamic State had put a bounty on his head, but since he was so good at evading his enemies, no one was able to claim that bounty.
Nikolai's first mission came in late 2012; he had orders to find and rescue human trafficking victim Sashenka Danilova, who was a Russian model at the time. After infiltrating the site where an "auction" of some kind was supposed to happen, Nikolai spent some time spying on Sashenka's captors. However, the mission went sideways when a pair of Turkish assassins ambushed the human traffickers, resulting in a vicious firefight involving both Nikolai's team, the two Turkish assassins, and the human traffickers. Though Nikolai escaped with Sashenka, his men suffered heavy casualties. Nikolai himself was nearly killed in the gunfight, but was saved by one of the Turkish assassins. Though Nikolai spent some time trying to question her about her loyalties and who put the two assassins up to this job, she refused to divulge any information and later fled the scene.
At one point during his career in Kasatka, Nikolai met a girl named Amina Kazi, known among her friends as the Angel of Death because she, like Nikolai, was remarkably efficient in fighting against the Islamic State. However, he was suddenly transferred to the Caucasus Region in Russia before he could spend more time with her.
In 2014, during a mission to the the Caucasus Region of Russia, Nikolai met a young woman only known by her codename, Frostbite. They worked together at random times during missions and Nikolai describes their history as a "rocky friendship." At first, the two hated each other because of their unorthodox methods. However, she was soon able to get used to Nikolai's unorthodox fighting style.
At one point, Nikolai learned that his old friend Amina was kidnapped by the Islamic State and was being held captive in the Caucasus. Nikolai surprised the Islamic State by massacring his way through the Islamic State troops, successfully rescuing Amina in the process.
During the mission, Roman Petrovitch Orlov, a traitor within the ranks of Kasatka, secretly ratted Nikolai and his men out ot Islamic State forces in the area. When Nikolai found out, he simply executed Roman and then had the Russian government pin the blame on Islamic State militants. 
Soon after this incident, Nikolai left Kasatka and continued an education majoring in Communications at the St. Louis University of Missouri, maintaining a day job as a staff writer at the student-run newspaper, the Riverside Gazette.
===Beginning of Christian Nihilism===
Later on in his life, it is revealed that Nikolai had gradually abandoned his original view of Agnosticism and adopted a rather unorthodox blend of both Nihilism and Christianity (a form of "Christian Nihilism"). After years of reading the Christian Bible, Nikolai came to accept the basic claims of the Bible-that a holy higher power made the world and that humanity became morally broken as a result of sin. He also grew to accept that Jesus died and rose again three days later. However, in an ironic twist, the message of the Gospel turned Nikolai into a cynical, pessimistic person, viewing all humans as "evil monsters" and guilty of "killing the Son of God" with their sins against the Father. This pessimism eventually became a part of Nikolai's personality for the rest of his life.
===Task Force Reaper===
By 2015, Nikolai Kalinin found himself in Task Force Reaper, a vigilante private military contractor that hired him because of his experience as a former Spetsnaz operative, in addition to experience as a Task Force Kasatka commando. Kalinin eventually became one of the most feared members of Task Force Reaper, second only to field commander Vinnie Crosby. As of 2018, being a staff writer at the Riverside Gazette is his day job, while being a PMC for the Reapers is his night job.
===Becoming a supersoldier===
In early 2016, Nikolai discovered a brand of soda that, according to local rumors and allegations, granted its drinker superpowers. Nikolai decided to investigate, only to find out for himself that the rumors were actually true: the sodas were known as Perk-Up Colas that could enhance the human body in a variety of different ways. After partaking in a soda drinking contest, he found himself with an enhanced body, including (but not limited to) abilities like super-harneded skin, heightened awareness, faster reflexes, and superhuman strength.
===Shocking Discovery===
Sometime after joining Task Fore Reaper, it is revealed that Nikolai is actually a descendant of notorious Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin . The revelation left Nikolai in a life crisis, wondering if Nikolai was cursed in some way.
===Life: A Compilation===
In Life: A Compilation, Nikolai is seen multiple times, giving his view on life and narrating about his personal adventures during his current life as a Task Force Reaper operative.
==Skills and personality==
Nikolai was a nice and caring person in his youth, but after a series of personal tragedies while serving in the Russian military, Nikolai became a cold and violent man who wanted nothing more than to exact what he saw as "righteous vengeance" against the people who have hurt him. In an ironic twist, this cynical and pessimistic mentality was fueled by the Christian Gospel of Jesus Christ, something that he blames humanity for (which in some ways is actually Biblically true)
He particularly has a strong hatred for Islamic extremism (Thanks to the atrocities of the Islamic State of New Palestine), holds a rather mistrusting view towards Muslims, and has a strong hatred of white supremacist groups.
He also seems to be a rather sadistic person, having been known to partake in brutal executions almost with a sense of twisted happiness. He seems to enjoy watching his enemies suffer. One notable example is an incident in the past where he gleefully tortured a serial killer to death after witnessing him strangling a young woman to the point where she passed out. 
As a Spetsnaz operative, Nikolai possesses excellent firearms handling skills and tactical driving skills, fond of using vehicles as offensive weapons if necessary. He also has a solid aim when shooting and almost never misses whenever he shoots at a target.
Nikolai is also trained in Systema Spetsnaz, the official martial arts of the Russian Army. However, he is also trained in mixed martial arts (MMA) and Keysi Fighting Method (KFM), both of which he became skilled in during his teen years. He is also very aggressive in combat, possessing a level of savagery that most people are unaware of. This makes him a formidable opponent, as well as a feared fighter among enemy organizations.
He was also considered a rather sadistic man when it comes to interrogating prisoners and/or criminals, preferring to torture the information out of them rather than asking them nicely. Whenever he was confronted about this, Kalinin justifies his actions by claiming that "one can never get a man to crack, unless you crack them first." 
Despite this, he was also a very loyal person, a man willing to die for his comrades. He saw the people in his military unit as a form of "extended family", which led to him becoming a well-known and well-respected individual. 
===Habits and beliefs===
"Jesus died the most horrible death known to man, and His blood is on your hands...How can you see hope in Jesus' death and resurrection, when I couldn't?"
- Nikolai Kalinin explaining his view of Cynical Theism.
Nikolai had an interest in folk songs as a child and adolescent, but as he grew older he began to grow fond of death metal, thrash metal, and heavy metal, music that he admired because it sounded "angry" and matched the dark and hateful philosophy he had towards certain people. 
Nikolai was also a self-proclaimed atheist/agnostic for most of his life, though he was open to hearing about other people's beliefs. For years, he believed that people of faith and, to a certain extent, faith itself, are hypocritical. He often accused people of using the holy books of various different religions to justify absolute certainty that their interpretation of their faith/religion's fundamental teachings are correct, when in fact they could be wrong. He was, in a sense, similar to Diane Mack in that he treated all faiths with a grain of salt. 
Nikolai also has an interesting view on faith. In his mind, faith and having confidence contradict each other. Nikolai agrees with the Biblical definition of faith (Hebrews 11:1), but he believes the Bible seems to indicate that faith is trust despite any form of confidence or assurance from anybody, and that one can (and should) maintain trust in any sort of God, despite the absence of assurance. Henceforth, when this logic is applied to the question of salvation, when people say they can know for sure if they will go to Heaven when they die based on the works of Jesus and His righteousness (John 3:16, John 14:6, Ephesians 2:8-9), Nikolai maintains that such a claim actually shows a lack of faith, since humans do not have the moral authority to "know for sure" if their salvation is real. Since Jesus is the only One who knows how salvation works, to say one can know for sure if they're going to Heaven when they die (even if they did trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and their Savior), they are essentially saying that they possess absolute knowledge of the Divine and therefore show that either: 1. Jesus was wrong when He claimed to have knowledge of salvation, or 2. Humans are gods themselves. Both conclusions show pride and arrogance, while belief and faith show humility before God.
As time grew on, Nikolai formed a rather distorted view of Christianity he called "Cynical Theism", or "Theistic Cynicism", transforming a cynical and pessimistic man whose negative views were (in an ironic twist) fueled by the Biblical doctrine of the Gospel itself and, to a certain extent, the Parable of the Madman by Friedrich Nietzsche. The Bible holds that Jesus, the Son of God and God Incarnate, died on a cross and rose again in three days to save humanity from its sins. However, after reading the Bible for fifteen years, Nikolai was convinced that Jesus died not for, but because of humanity's sins and that all humanity from Adam to 21st century man is guilty of the "ultimate sin" of "murdering God." Although Jesus resurrected after three days, Nikolai holds, this does nothing to absolve humanity of its guilt, instead viewing the cross as further proof of humanity's guilt of sin.
This pessimism can be clearly demonstrated by frequent occurences where Nikolai attempts to guilt-trip people using the doctrine of Christ's death and resurrection. Furthermore, he believes that it is offensive to celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection, deeming it somewhat "blasphemous" because by doing so, Nikolai claims, humanity has reduced Jesus' death on the cross to a mere "human joke." He also frequently challenges Christians to make a defense for why they could see hope in Jesus' death and resurrection, when he could not.
==Powers and abilities==
===Powers===
*Limited Invincibility: After ingesting Perk-Up-Cola, Nikolai is virtually invincible to bullet damage, fall damage and explosive damage, with its skin having the ability to harden itself against bullets and blunt force trauma. However, he can still feel pain from getting shot, punched or kicked. In addition, Nikolai can also still die from natural causes; the invincibility only applies to bullets, stab wounds, and blunt force trauma.
*Enhanced Strength: Drinking Perk-Up Cola has granted Nikolai Kalinin with an upgraded body, with his strength enhanced beyond the peak of human potential, moving into the early levels of superhuman condition. He can fight entire armies of people with his bare hands due to his ability to throw people around like five-pound weights.
*Enhanced Durability: Nikolai Kalinin can last longer than a normal human being because of Perk-Up-Cola enhancing his body; he can survive blunt force trauma, getting thrown around by explosions, and getting hit by vehicles. In fact, to knock Nikolai unconscious, one needs to run him over three times with a truck or some other heavy vehcicle, or even drop an entire building on him.
*Enhanced Speed: He can run faster than normal humans, at speeds beyond the peak of human potential, moving and running into the early levels of superhuman condition. He can beat people in races up stairwells easily.
*Enhanced Agility: Nikolai's agility, thanks to Perk-Up-Cola, far surpasses that of a normal human being.  He can coordinate his body with perfect balance, equilibrium, flexibility, and dexterity. He can also outrun a bear
*Enhanced Stamina: With Perk-Up-Cola, Nikolai can run faster and longer distances without feeling tired.
*Enhanced Reflexes: With Perk-Up Cola, Nikolai's reflexes are enhanced far beyond those of a normal human being. 
*Regenerative Healing Factor: Perk-Up-Cola also enhanced Nikolai Kalinin's healing ability. He has been punched, beat-up, thrown around, and hit with blunt force objects and even vehicles and recovered, thanks to a conditioned metabolism that enables an extraordinarily efficient recovery. In one particular instance, he survived a mortar explosion at close range, which should've killed him under normal circumnstances. 
==Notable achievements==
===Vigilante Justice record===
*2014-Killing Roman Orlov, traitor to Task Force Kasatka
*2015-Nikolai embarks on a massive killing spree against the Islamic State of New Palestine, inflicting heavy casualties. Islamic State militants put up a bounty for his life, but all attempts to kill him and claim the bounty have failed thus far.
*Early 2016-Vinnie, Nikolai and Brandon form Task Force Reaper; his official mission with the organization is the assassination of the nephew of a Saudi prince who is discovered to be funding the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
*Mid 2016-Vinnie, Nikolai, and Derek Westbrook find and rescue one of Derek's old friends, a young woman named Amber Young.
*Early 2017-Nikolai gets involved with investigating Operation Silver Ghost
*2018-February 2018 Religious Riots; in response to a Oneness Pentacostal Street Preacher spreading Christianity at the St. Louis University of Missouri and the surrounding vicinity, Ellie Cohen, Kalinin himself, Emmett Mack, Vince Crosby, Derek Westbrook, and various other people gathered up a crowd of people and spoke against Oneness Pentacostalism. The situation suddenly escalated into a full-blown riot, and eventually a fistfight, when the street preacher persisted in his preaching, and it got so bad that police had to get involved. Thankfully, nobody was severely injured.
==Gallery==
Nikolai Kalinin in Spetsnaz.jpg|Nikolai Kalinin during his time in the Spetsnaz
Tactical AKM.jpg|An AKM with Tactical Furniture, one of Nikolai's signature weapons
Kiparis.png|The Kiparis, another one of Nikolai's signature weapons
SV-98.png|The Izhmash SV-98, a Russian sniper rifle that Nikolai is fond of
AAC Integrally Suppressed R700.png|AAC Integrally Suppressed R700, another sniper rifle Nikolai Kalinin is fond of
Tomahawk.png|A tomahawk, one of Nikolai's most favored melee weapons
Bf4 mp443 grach.png|MP-443 Grach, Nikolai's signature handgun
Nikolai Kalinin in 2018.png|Nikolai Kalinin during his time in Kasatka
Nikolai Kalinin, aged 42.png|Nikolai Kalinin, aged 42
Nikolai Kalinin.png|Nikolai Kalinin as a Spetsnaz sharpshooter
Nikolai Kalinin's profile.jpg|Nikolai's database picture
Nikolai Kalinin.jpg|Nikolai Kalinin at some modeling photoshoot
The Standoff.jpg|Nikolai Kalinin attempting to thwart a home invasion
==Trivia==
*It is later revealed that Nikolai was a sharpshooter during his first four years in the Russian Army, and he was quite good at it too.
*He is seen as a brutal and merciless person when fighting or hunting down criminals, a result of his PTSD from losing loved ones during the war on the Islamic State, in addition to his time in Kasatka.
*When first introduced, he is speaks a heavily accented, broken English. However, as the series progresses, Kalinin's English improves.
*He looks deceptively older than he actually is (He appears to be in his mid to late thirties, when he is actually in his mid to late twenties).
*Like Vinnie Crosby, he is prone to reckless behavior in combat.
*When he is first introduced in the series, Nikolai's heavy accent and broken English is blatantly obvious. However, as the series progresses, his English improves, though his accent still remains.
*As of 2017, Nikolai is responsible for the deaths of approximately 80,000 people (It remains unclear exactly how many of those eighty thousand deaths were by Nikolai's own hand). 
*He has the highest kill record so far, credited for the deaths of approximately 80,000 people. 
==Quotes==
===Personal quotes===
"You zink you know everrrything...How blind you arrre."
- Nikolai Kalinin
"Nietzsche was right...God died that day, but science didn't kill Him-our sin did."
- Nikolai Kalinin musing about how our sin led to Jesus, God incarnate, dying on a cross.
"All humanity is guilty of the ultimate sin, the sin of murdering God. Yet...yet you celebrate it as if it were a mere human joke!"
- Nikolai Kalinin criticizing Christianity's tradition of celebrating Jesus' death and resurrection
 
"You arrre serrrial killer, not king of bloody Nile!"
- Nikolai Kalinin as he beats a serial killer to death in front of his captives
"God damn your soul! You do not vorrrship God of Chrrristianity! You vorrrship God of human trrradition! Do you not know that those who add or distort the Gospel will be damned by God? Galatians 1:9 says, If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you embraced, let him be under a divine curse! That's you, O false teacher!"
- Nikolai Kalinin angrily ranting against a street preacher during the November 2017 Religious Riots
===Dialog with others===
"She really is different...I have never seen girls like her before, girls with such boldness to step out and be open about whatever she believes in."
"Maybe you should talk to her, try to get her side of the story."
"Maybe I will. (Laughs) I definitely will talk to her sometime."
- Nikolai Kalinin and Vinnie Crosby conversing about new USTL student and Christian Karen Ogden.
"People question value of enhanced interrrogation techniques."
"No..."
"Enhanced interrrogation techniques do not vorrrk verrry vell, but torrrturrre-now zat vorrrks verrry vell. Attorrrney client prrrivilege dates back all vay to English kommon law. Zis means zat you told yourrr komrrrades-in konfidence, of kourrrse- grrreat deal about Islamic State in Irrraq and Syrrria. How much did you tell yourrr superrriorrrs?'"
"We-we didn't talk about that!"
"Of course you did."
"We talked for ten-ten minutes!"
"Ten minutes is verrry long time...as you'rrre about to learrrn.'"
(He beats the man to death)
- Nikolai Kalinin, an Islamic State POW, and Nikolai Kalinin before the former beats the latter to death
"You have no idea who you're dealing with...I have the power to take you out, ANYTIME I WANT!"
(Beat; then...)
"You spoke too soon. (He pulls out a MP-443 Grach handgun and shoots Charles twice in the chest) You should choose your words more carefully...(He kills Charles by blowing his head open) Fool!"
- Charles S. Monaghan, head of Operation Silver Ghost, and Nikolai Kalinin
Category:Russians
Category:European characters
Category:Vigilantes
Category:Allies
Category:Characters in the TACITUS series