Ruthenian Empire Far East Region, Manchuria. The Liaodong Peninsula, at the port city of Dalniy, stood a naval base of the Ruthenian Empire Pacific Fleet and houses the Eastern Military District – Ruthenian Naval Forces Eastern Strategic Command Headquarters.

Before the Ruthenian acquisition of the region of Manchuria, the Dalniy city was once called Qingniwaqiao by the Hanese settlers, meaning ‘bridge over the cyan mud swamp’.

It was once a small fishing village until the Ruthenia Empire took over, building the first modern commercial town that adopts Ruthenian-style architecture, symbolizing that the city is now under new management.

And by speaking of new management, the moment the Ruthenia Empire finished the land sale with the Han Dynasty, Alexander initiated a major reconstruction, industrialization, and modernization of the region with the help of the Imperial Council.

After learning mistakes from the past Rutho-Yamato war, it is imperative that the Ruthenian Empire should include Manchuria under the Infrastructure Act with the aim of modernizing and industrializing the country, making Manchuria stand on its own militarily without relying much on the home front. A weakness that the Yamato Empire exploited during the war.

And Ruthenia did so by building new heavy industries such as the new coal-powered and hydroelectric plants that supply the region with electricity, oil ports, railways, roads, and airports for logistics, commercial centers for the stipulation of economy, and military installations like military bases, naval bases, air bases, radar facilities for national security purposes.

Thanks to all these efforts, the Manchuria region was transformed from a backwater to a major industrialized region.

***

Three hours before the flight of the three Grand Duchesses of Ruthenia.

Somewhere in the city of Dalniy, Leonid Lipovsky rose from his bed and walked to the window that had a clear view of Port Arthur where fishing trawlers, military warships, and commercial ships of various shapes and sizes were docked.

He sighed softly as he admired the scenery from behind the closed curtains. The morning sun reflected off his drowsy face, making him feel rejuvenated.

“This city has changed a lot,” his eyes wandered around the busy city, seeing buildings that were under construction, tower cranes, and workers moving about, evoking a sense of harmony.

Leonid let out another sigh as he turned away from the window to prepare for work. He went to the bathroom, washed and shaved, brushed his teeth, applied deodorant, and dressed in a black Imperial Ruthenian Naval Forces service uniform. A hat with the symbol of the navy was neatly pinned onto it.

He faced the mirror in front of him, reflecting a handsome man in his early twenties, with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a fair complexion.

“Looking good,” Leonid said to himself before grabbing the briefcase and leaving for his work.

His workplace is just walking distance from his hotel. So, he set off at a leisurely pace while taking in the sights of the scenery along the way.

Two minutes away from the hotel was his favorite newly opened coffee shop owned by the Imperial Dynamic Systems Corporation. Awaken Cafe. This is where he usually eats breakfast before work.

He pushed the glass door open and took in a pleasant fragrance of coffee beans mingling with freshly baked bread and other ingredients that are not commonly found outside of Hanese’s borders, adding an extra touch of warmth to the otherwise cold day.

It was also chilly inside, thanks to the air conditioning running. But the warm, muggy atmosphere still managed to relax him a little.

Leonid walked over to the counter, getting greeted by the local beauties among customers admiring his looks. He simply smiled at them and continued towards the table.

A Hanese clerk greeted him from behind the counter, “Good morning, Sir Leonid,” she said in Ruthenian.

“Good morning,” Leonid replied politely in the same language. “I’ll have the usual,”

“Iced Cappuccino and Belgian Waffle?” the clerk said, making sure that it was his usual order.

“Yes,” Leonid confirmed as he pulled out his wallet to grab a few bills.

The clerk picked a cup and wrote his name on it. “Would there be anything?”

“Do you have newspapers?” Leonid asked.

“Yes sir,” the clerk pleasingly replied.

“I’ll take one. How much do I have to pay?”

“18 rubles, sir.”

Leonid handed 20 rubles to the clerk. “Keep the change,” he said and grabbed the newspaper before turning away to find a seat.

He sat next to the window glass and took out his newspaper, opening it to the editorial page. He read through the paper for several minutes, smiling every now and then.

Behind the counter is another futuristic product by IDS, a commercial-sized stainless steel lever-operated espresso machine.

Having bought the patents from the Sardegna inventor of the new-fangled espresso machine for a very generous sum. IDS improved upon the designs into several versions. The lever and steam pressure operated ones for export. And the completely digital ones like what Alexander has in his palace kitchens.

The barista concocts the iced cappuccino and the waffle iron is filled with batter.

The order is ready in minutes and the waitress carries it to the customer.

The waitress arrived at his table, carrying a tray filled with Belgian Waffles and an Iced Cappuccino. She set it down carefully onto the table, smiling at him charmingly.

“Thank you,” Leonid said, looking up at her.

She nodded shyly before retreating.

Tendrils of steam billowed from the freshly made Belgian Waffle. The steam tickled Leonid’s nostrils, making his stomach growl.

He grabbed a fork, dipped it into the waffle and bit into it, and took a bite.

He moaned softly in delight after savoring the deliciousness. He then reached for the Iced Cappuccino. Its coldness contrasted well against the heat of the waffles. He sipped at it slowly, the sweetness of the milk and the bitter taste of the coffee clashed harmoniously with each other, refreshing him.

After taking another small bite and sips, Leonid resumed reading the newspapers. One headline caught his attention.

“The new ships for the Pacific Fleet are expected to arrive in Port Arthur in ten days,” Leonid hummed in thought. “Nice. That means I get to see the new battleship and aircraft carrier.”

It was months ago when Leonid watched the ship commissioning ceremony of the newly constructed ships and truth to be told, he was charmed at the appearance of the two behemoths that will be put in service for the Imperial Ruthenian Navy.

Leonid checked his wristwatch on his wrist. The time was 8:30 am. Thirty minutes before the start of his shift. His workplace is just five minutes away from Awaken Cafe, giving him plenty of time to enjoy himself.

Until…a black IDS G-Class SUV stopped just in front of the coffee shop. Three men wearing Imperial Ruthenian Navy service dresses exited the vehicle and entered the Awaken Coffee. The bell chimed as they walked in.

They faced Leonid who was pretending to be engrossed in reading the newspaper.

“Lieutenant, we’ve come to pick you up,” the man in the middle said. “You’re needed at the headquarters. The Generals want to see you.”

“But I still have 25 minutes and I’m eating my breakfast, you should have one, it’s good and affordable,”

“Sir, we have a top-priority mission,” the man urged seriously.

Leonid’s behavior changed from feigned obliviousness to genuine interest.

“I understand,” he folded the newspaper before standing up. He grabbed the briefcase resting on the chair and walked out of the coffee shop to get inside the SUV.

…

Ten minutes later, Leonid arrived at a five-story neoclassical building. The Headquarters of the Ruthenian Naval Forces Eastern Strategic Command.

He quickly heads to the office of the General, who is in command of all the forces in the Far East.

He knocked on the door before entering.

“Sir!” Leonid faced the general and performed a salute.

“At ease, Lieutenant,” a gruff voice commanded Leonid, making him put his hand down.

General Oskar Gripenberg turned around in his swivel chair and glanced at Leonid.

“Sit down,” he said and gestured towards the empty chair in front of him.

Leonid sat down and placed the briefcase on the floor beside him. The General looked him over.

“What’s the matter, sir?”

“We’ve received word from the Central Command, saying that the Grand Duchess of the Ruthenia Empire is visiting the Yamato Empire. They’ll depart from Novaya Zemlya in 1100 HRS and are expected to land at Sakhalin at 2200HRS,”

Leonid checked his watch again. “So, two hours from now, they’ll leave Novaya Zemlya. I see. What’s the mission?”

“We’ve intercepted radio transmission from the Yamato submarines off the coast of Sakhalin. The three duchesses are traveling in a highly classified aircraft and the Central Command wishes that no unwanted eyes or ears are going to see it land. Here’s the detailed report,” General Oskar passed him the file to which Leonid read it quickly. “There you’ll see the area where we intercepted the transmission.”

“Your mission is to neutralize those submarines operating off the coast of Sakhalin. Gather your men, the operation will commence in 0940HRS,”

“Yes sir!” Leonid stood and saluted the General.