The sun slowly rose from the east, giving the harbor of Niigata a gentle orange glow. It painted the sky in a beautiful shade of orange that reflected on the surface of the water. The birds flew out of their roosts, ready for the special day to begin.
But for the fishermen of Niigata, it is the next part of a busy workday when they sail back laden with bounties of the sea.
Buyers of a fresh seafood line up at the shore wanting to buy the catch.
Further west on Sado Island, the gold and silver mines that have been in operation for three centuries began their day as miners and machines pulled up precious ores that keep the Niigata economy going.
But for today, something different is about to happen. For the three Grand Duchess of the Ruthenian Empire is landing at the port city of Niigata today.
In the harbor, several armed militias were standing in attention on either side of the red carpet that was laid beforehand to receive the guest coming from the Ruthenian Empire.
At the end of the carpet, Crown Prince Prince Hirohito and Crown Princess Nagako Kuni were standing side by side, looking up to the sky, hearing a faint thumping sound from over yonder.
And so did the crowd of Yamato citizens being held back by Yamato soldiers from crowding into the meeting area that gathered to see the occasion that brought the Yamato Imperial Family to the port city. Journalists and reporters are the most excited, with cameras and notepads in hand waiting to get to the front page with their photos and story.
Crown Prince Hirohito was wearing an expensive tailor-made western black suit and round glasses while the Crown Princess was dressed in a long kimono of stunning colors and embroidery that hugged her slender frame, donned in a long haori which completely covered her hands and came down to her feet. Her long brown hair fluttered in the wind.
"This counts as the second special visit of the members of the Romanoff Family of the Ruthenian Empire. It's a shame that the first strained our relationship with Ruthenia after the Ōtsu incident." Hirohito grumbled.
"My my, I'm sure you have prepared enough security to guarantee the Grand Duchesses of Ruthenia Empire safety," Nagako eased his worries gently with a chuckle, holding his hand on hers.
Moments later, three flying beasts with big metallic blades spinning on top came into view.
The civilians start pointing at the flying machines with expressions of shock, surprise, and fanfare. Cameras snapped pictures rapidly and those with movie cameras cranked the films to record the footage of the strange objects.
"What the..." Hirohito uttered in surprise and removed his glasses to get a better look at what he was seeing.
The soldiers standing in position couldn't but let out a surprised gasp as well.
"What kind of aircraft is that?" Nagako whispered, eyes wide open in curiosity.
"I have never seen such a thing," Hirohito said, his eyes fixed on the helicopter making its descent to the designated landing spot. "I've seen a lot of aircraft from our Air Force, but I've never seen something like that..."
That's understandable for the people living in a dark technological era, as their concept of aircraft is limited by the technology and knowledge they currently possess. When Alexander introduced the helicopter to the Air Force, they had the same expression as them.
Though helicopters have been going around in this world for a while, they are still at their experimental or prototype stage. Radial engines were used to power the helicopter, however, radial engines are heavy, making the helicopter hard to fly. It can only be the helicopter and the pilot itself, even with difficulties.
The closes they ever got to is the miraculous autogyros that use the fuselage and driving propeller of a biplane but replaced the wings with a large free rotating rotor.
As the helicopter slowly made its way to the ground, Crown Prince Hirohito and Crown Princess Nagako could feel a strong pressure from the wind hitting them, causing their hair and their dress to billow wildly in the breeze. They kept their gaze glued to the aircraft's movements, admiring how it managed to hover gracefully.
When the helicopter finally touched down smoothly, the door was opened and a tall handsome man with blonde hair stepped out of the helicopter and offered his hand to the Grand Duchess, helping them to climb down from the helicopter.
"Beautiful..." Nagako let out a sigh of admiration, staring at the tall woman with long pristine silver hair that sparkled from the sunlight.
The cameramen agreed with him as they took more pictures of the princesses coming out of the helicopter.
The two Grand Duchess that followed behind her were also a beauty, like a treasure in their own right. Their silky long silver hair cascaded down their shoulders, framing both of their perfect faces that were framed by thin delicate lips.
Crown Prince Hirohito glanced at the two black helicopters and saw muscular men unloading luggage and bags and lifting them as they followed behind the Grand Duchesses of the Ruthenian Empire walking down the red carpet.
One thing they immediately noticed is the gun slung on their shoulder. Hirohito furrowed his brows slightly, wondering what kind of weapon was that. It was not that mainstream long caliber rifle or the Mosin Nagant which is in service for the Ruthenian Armed Forces.
Even the soldiers who were holding their ceremonial Arisaka type 44 were looking inquisitively at the FN FAL copies. The extended magazines were rather strange for a rifle with what seems to have no bolt assembly.
As such, they are rather cautious and envious of the strange rifle.
When Christina arrived at the end of the red carpet, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess bowed their heads in greeting.
Anastasia, Christina, and Tiffania did the same courteously.
"Dobroye utro, Grand Duchess Anastasia, Christina, and Tiffania. I'm Crown Prince Hirohito of the Yamato Empire. This is my fiance, Crown Princess Nagako..."
Nagako bowed her head again. "Pleased to meet you," she said politely.
"The pleasure is ours, Crown Princess Nagako," Christina replied in an equally formal tone. "We appreciate your kindness, preparation, and reception.
"Shall we head to the train station that will take us to Tokyo?" Hirohito offered, gesturing toward the large, luxurious vintage car that is parked across the street
The three Grand Duchess nodded in assent, exchanging polite smiles between them before moving forward with the crown prince and princess towards the car.
Meanwhile, Rolan stopped Igor Dmitriev, one of the special forces whose task is to protect the Grand Duchesses from unwanted threats.
"What is it, sir?"
"Inform the Eastern Command, tell them that we've landed the Niigata. Also, tell them that we need cars, I'm not confident with the security they are giving us."
"That's one I noticed sir," Igor agreed. "It's not bulletproof like the ones the Emperor used."
"His Majesty has prepared a car for us, I think they've arrived in Harbin just now. They only need to be transported here...It will be carried by Tupolev Bogatyr that will land in Tokyo and once it arrives, I want your team to pick it up."
"Understood, sir. Is there anything else?"
"I want you to inform the rest that they must be wary of their surroundings. Remember, the Ruthenian Empire and the Yamato Empire had a sour relationship with each other. So there's no telling that we will feel welcomed here. In the eyes of the people of Yamato, we are foreigners with malicious intent."
"I must say, that is quite an unreasonable prejudice. I'll let the men know."
...
From the other side of the planet.
Alexander just finished meeting with the nuclear physicist and has received a call from the Ambassador of the Ruthenia Empire to Yamato.
"I see, they've arrived huh? That's great...it will be a long journey from Niigata to Tokyo. I'll inform the Eastern Command through my Chief of Staff to deliver the cars my sister and their security detail needed for transport...Thank you."
Alexander hung down the phone and looked at his wristwatch. It was already 12:30 a.m.
"I guess better sleep now,"
Alexander rose to his feet and removed the coat that had been on him for hours. He closed the lights before leaving his office and heading to the hallway that leads to the west wing of the Palace, where his bedroom resides.
Upon arriving, Alexander turned the doorknob as slowly as possible, careful not to make too much noise so as not to wake Sophie and Anya inside the bedroom.
The hinges of the door creaked as it opened slowly. Alexander stepped in silently and closed the door softly. He crept silently toward the bed and gently got on the bed before laying down beside his wife and daughter. His face pressed against Sophie and he snuggled closer before closing his eyes peacefully.
