January 1, 1928. Britannia Empire.
Outside Buckingham Palace was a place surrounded by a white fog and snowflakes that drifted and swayed gently in the wind and onto the ground. The palace grounds are quiet, as it is only around morning when the servants of the palace were busy doing their daily chores.
Her Imperial Highness, Diana Rosemary Edinburgh was in her bed chambers where she was sipping her hot sweet tea as she enjoyed watching the television on the far wall. She wore a serious expression as the video shown on the television was something terrifying that even she trembled slightly.
It was video footage of the Ruthenian soldiers garrisoned at Manchuria, specifically at their military base. There, she saw peculiar machines and contraptions that she had never seen before. Of course, she had heard about it from her ministers but Diana is the type of girl who believes in the idea of "to see is to believe."
"So that's what they have been building inside of their country huh? Now I understand why the Ruthenians are so willing to export the latest fighter aircraft and bombers. It's because they have something even better."
Well if it's a technology that is not known until the war between Ruthenia Empire and Yamato Empire, it means getting one for themselves would be highly unlikely.
She sighed weakly, knowing that the Britannia Empire is falling behind Ruthenia in technology and catching up in the economy. Even Ruthenian's neighbors are also wary about their growth. She had taken advantage of their fears by making a secret alliance with them but it turns out each nation had a different interest and agenda.
Everyone wants to become a superpower of their own.
There was a knock on the door. Diana set down her teacup and muted the television before hailing the person behind the door to come in.
The person behind the door said "excuse me," before entering her bed chamber.
Diana tucked her pristine gray hair behind her ear as she gracefully turned her head toward the man who just entered her room. It was the Prime Minister of the Britannia Empire, one of her puppets, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, Stanley Baldwin.
"Your Imperial Highness, I hope the day is treating you well," Stanley ambled towards her as he carry a noble aura that was similar to those of an exalted aristocrat possess and a slight smile as his gray eyes shone under the sunlight streaming through the window and his blonde hair combed neatly into the back.
He bowed down before her as he continued to say "Your Majesty, our plans have finally been put in motion; we've taken the liberty of sending agents to Manchuria and taking records of the Ruthenian technology."
She nodded her head slightly and offered him a seat across her with a lithe wave of a hand.
"Excuse me," Stanley cleared his throat before sitting on the chair.
"I appreciate the initiatives you have taken. The Members of the Parliament must be aware of the threat the Ruthenians will pose to us," Diana said in a soft voice that trailed like a gentle breeze.
Stanley looked away briefly as he felt a small blush creep up on his face. He then averted his eyes back and spoke again. "I agree, Your Highness, the outcome of the war was quite unexpected. To think that the war only lasted for a month. Not even their capital is safe from the reach of the Ruthenian bombers planes that killed thousands of people."
Diana glanced briefly at the newspaper she had read before, it contains the news of the bombing campaign the Ruthenian conducted on the Yamato's soil. Many were enraged at the government as they felt betrayed by surrendering too early, especially to those people who have lost their families.
As of right now, the Yamato Empire is still experiencing civil unrest in their capital, which the new Prime Minister is dutifully stopping.
Speaking of the Yamato Empire, she remembered that the former Prime Minister had asked for their help, to which she suggested the parliament should refuse in order to study the new warfare evolving in the East.
This strained their relations with the Yamato Empire, causing the Britannia Empire to lose a foothold in the East where the Ruthenians had established themselves as the new boss of the region.
It was a major blow but fighting an enemy with weapons beyond their understanding is foolish. They'll get them next time.
"How're the ants in the Parliament doing? Did you already clean them up?" Diana said with a beautiful smile.
"Yes, Your Highness, by exposing their dirty ways. We've eradicated almost all of them. It's only a matter of time before the royalist faction is left in the Parliament and soon passes a bill declaring you, Your Highness, as the supreme head of state of the Britannia Empire," Stanley responded.
Diana smiled in satisfaction. "You must know, my dear cousin, Alexander Romanoff, leads a country with that system. I can make it even more effective. The Britannia Empire has no use for those who refuse to change, in order to overcome our greatest adversary we must do something radical and revolutionary. We have to show the world who the real boss is and why the Britannia Empire is one of the strongest empires in the history of mankind to ever exist."
"I'm in awe, Your Highness," Stanley praised. and continued. "By the way, Your Majesty, speaking of His Majesty, Alexander Romanoff, do you plan on inviting him to your coronation consort? this coming April? And also, there must be a nobleman here in the Britannia Empire to be the king consort?"
Diana sighed disappointingly, "Unfortunately there's not a man here in Britain that is worthy of me. They are either old, stupid, or ugly," she said repulsively. "As to answer your first question, yes, I'll be inviting him to my upcoming coronation. It's quite saddening that I wasn't able to attend to him but I hope he can come here," her mood lifted when the topic of Alexander Romanoff came up.
"Then I will arrange for it," Stanley said.
"If there's nothing more, you can leave. I shall enjoy my cup of tea and shortcakes as I continue to watch television."
"Actually, I don't think this one has great importance but there is one last thing I wish to speak to you about, Your Royal Highness."
"Hmm?" Diana mused as she tilted her head in curiosity.
He paused before speaking. "The head of the Royal Society has told me that they have been hearing a beeping sound from their radios that is not broadcasted and transmitted by our stations."
"Beeping sound?" Diana questioned curiously.
Stanley explained "Yes, Your Highness. I've brought a portable record player for you to hear."
With a clap of the hand, two men entered the bed chambers and installed the portable record player. Diana waited patiently. One of the men handed Diana a headset. Diana wore it and beckoned the man to start playing the sound.
And there, she heard a constant beeping sound in her headphone, and as time goes by, the sound started to fade.
"What is this?"
"What you are hearing right now, Your Royal Highness is a sound produced by a radio transmitter that was recorded one week ago. Also, Your Majesty, there's a report that a civilian saw something streaking across the night sky. It wasn't a shooting star, it was something else. And to get to the point, the Royal Society feared that it was man-made."
"Put it simply, Stanley. What is it?"
"It was a hypothesis the Royal Society made. Electrical engineers in the Royal Society made an experiment to find the source of the sound and they have arrived with an answer," Stanley paused dramatically, building up suspense. "The radio transmitter is located 577 kilometers above."
Diana's eyes widened. "You mean to say that there's a man-made object in space?"
"That is yet to be confirmed, Your Royal Highness. We'll inform you until we know more."
"Shit..." Diana muttered under her breath.
