Ruthenian Empire Far East, Harbin.


    Leonid yawned as he walked down the gutter at dawn, waving his hand casually to the local Manchurian morning passersby that were giving him odd looks. There was an uneasy feeling settling in his chest, something he had felt every time since he departed from the Sakhalin.


    “Why do I feel so odd?” Leonid muttered under his breath as he ced a hand on his chest. When finding the culprit of these feelings, he kept remembering the face of a certain Duchess that charmed him with her soft voice and an angelic smile.


    Leonid blushed at the thought. He shook his head vigorously before continuing to walk down the gutter.


    “No…there’s no way…” Leonid continued. “Even if there’s a chance, the difference in rank is like heaven and earth,” A sigh escaped his lips as he rubbed his eyes. “I should remove these preposterous thoughts,” he mumbled to himself. As much as he wanted these foolish feelings to go away, they refused to leave. It seemed like he would not be able to get rid of them for the remainder of the day, months, or even a year.


    Leonid clicked his tongue, “Oh boy, what am I going to do?” he sighed loudly as he looked up at the sky until he bumped into someone. Leonid winced slightly.


    “Ah…I’m sorry, I wasn’t looking-” Leonid began but fell silent when his eyes grace onto a youngdy dressed in a cheongsam dress. Her raven ck hair fell gently upon her shoulders and her blue eyes shone brilliantly against the bright light from the rising sun.


    She looked back at Leonid, wincing as she had probably hurt herself from the fall.


    Leonid offered a hand to her which she took gratefully.


    “You alright, miss?” he spoke in Hanese.


    “Yes…I’m okay,” the girl replied, patting the dust that got stuck to the bottom of her skirt. She bowed lightly.


    “Are you sure? You know we can have that check to the clinic…my office is only two blocks away here, they have the facility to check your injury…”


    “No, it’s okay, really…I will only bother you,” the girl said softly, shaking her head.


    Leonid stared at the woman who gave him a faint smile. “Are you sure? It will not set my heart at ease if I were to find out that you are hiding an injury,” Leonid said. The woman chuckled lightly at this statement, her blue eyes glinting again._.


    “No sir, I am really okay. It was just an ident. I have to get going now, I have a job interview that I must attend.”


    “A job interview?” Leonid repeated. “May I ask where that would be? I will pay for your fare…”


    “It’s Harbin Air Station of the Ruthenia Empire. Look, sir, you don’t have to worry about me…I’m fine.”


    The girl is feeling a bit uneasy from Leonid’s persistence. She doesn’t want anything from him yet he insists.


    “Ah…there? What a coincidence, I work there as well. I am on my way there as well…”


    The girl looked up at him again, based on his appearance and ent, she can tell that he is a Ruthenian.


    “Do you really work there, mister?” the girl asked, seemingly interested.


    “Uhm…not technically, I work at Dalniy near Port Arthur, where the Ruthenian Pacific Fleet is stationed. I’m actually a pilot who justnded here to get some rest andter we will depart to Dalniy.”


    “Woah…” The girl gasped lightly. “That’s amazing, I didn’t expect that I would bump into someone who is a pilot.”


    “So, you want to go together? Luckily, we don’t have to hail a taxi or take a bus, it’s walking distance here.”


    The girl simply nodded in agreement.


    “By the way, what’s your name, miss?” Leonid curiously asked.


    “My name is Ye Mingzhu, Ye is myst name and Mingzhu is my given name,” she introduced herself.


    “I see, I’m Leonid, nice to meet you,” Leonid offered a handshake to which Mingzhu epted dly.


    Five minutester, the two arrived at the Harbin Air Station.


    Leonid showed them his I.D to the soldier guarding the entrance. They nodded and let him in. Meanwhile, Mingzhu showed her appointment letter to which the guards checked the contents.


    The soldier looked up to hisrade and nodded meaningfully.


    “You may go in, miss.”


    Upon their entrance, the sound of the engine from various propeller-driven aircraft whirred from the distance. It was seven o’clock in the morning yet the airbase looked so lively.


    They walked towards the office building where their superiors are located. While doing so, Leonid took the chance to ask her something.


    “So, what sort of job are you applying for?”


    “I’m applying for an assistant position. I heard that the pay was good so I took the chance for my little brother’s education.”


    “I see. You will be easily epted as the Ruthenian airbasesck clerical staff,” Leonid said. “And we are here,” he added as they arrived at the building’s entrance.


    Just as he was about to push it open, two men dressed in a flight suits exited the building.


    Leonid recognized the two. “Daniel…Maxim?”


    The two men stopped in their tracks after hearing a familiar voice. They turned around and faced him.


    “Leonid?” Daniel and Maxim intoned together.


    “It’s me!” Leonid’s fist bumped the both of them before continuing. “I didn’t expect to see the two of you here. How long has it been? Two months?”


    “Yep, we’ve just arrived at Harbin. We’re actually here for refueling, We’ll leave in thirty minutes.”


    They were indeed his ssmates during their time in the academy. If memory serves right, they are in the Air Force.


    “That exins why you two are in a suit, where are you two heading? Dalniy?” Leonid asked.


    “Nope, to somewhere more interesting…Tokyo.”


    “Tokyo?!” Leonid eximed in surprise. “What aircraft are you flying?”


    “The Bogatyr.”


    Leonid was surprised again. “Bogatyr? Isn’t that a cargo aircraft? Why did the Ruthenian government decide to send a cargo aircraft to a foreign country?”


    “I don’t know. We are only to deliver the vehicles asked by the security team of the Grand Duchess.”


    “I see.”


    ” What are you flying? Are you in the Air Force as well?”


    “Nope, I’m in the Navy. I fly the patrol ne P-Orion but I’m kind of looking to fly a fighter aircraft in the future. I’m sure you are all aware of what the Air Force has in their inventory…”


    “True…damn, I want to fly the bigger Tugarin,” Maxim sighed dreamily. “I wonder why our government is keeping those in secret?”


    “I agree,” Daniel added. “They are only letting us fly propeller aircraft.”


    “You two haven’t realized it? It’s because the Ruthenian government doesn’t want foreign countries to see that we are already ahead in terms of aviation. And…”


    As the three men were having a conversation, Mingzhu felt awkward. She was standing there, listening but she found it hard to understand what they were talking about as they were all speaking Ruthenian, anguage that she’s still studying.


    Thenguage barrier luckily also prevents her from identally listening to the ssified information the trio is chatting about.


    It would be a terrible thing to be arrested right before her interview or worse, executed as a possible spy.


    Loose lips sink ships as they say.


    “Well, if you put it that way, that makes sense. But I hope the Ruthenian government does disclose them soon to strike fear into our enemies!”


    “Maybe in theing months…who knows? The Ruthenia is already showing the world the Bogatyr, it’s only a matter of time for the jet engines aircraft to make their debut in the world as well.”


    “Right!” Maxim nodded. “Anyways, we have to get going. Our loadmaster is probably waiting for us.”


    “Sure, have a safe trip to Tokyo,” Leonid said, waving his hand to them. He smiled at the sight of them leaving before turning back around and entering the building with Mingzhu.


    “Who are those guys?” Mingzhu asked.


    “They are my ssmates in the academy. They work in the Imperial Ruthenian Air Force.”


    “Are you in the Air Force as well, Sir Leonid?”


    “Nope, I’m a naval aviator, which means I work for the Navy. And please, drop the sir and let’s talk casually,” he said as he pressed the elevator button.


    “Alright then,” Mingzhu nodded, and they entered the elevator.


    “What floor are you headed to?” Leonid asked.


    “Third floor,” Mingzhu replied.


    ?[0)??? “Oh, same,” Leonid pressed the button with a number three on it.


    The elevators being in use now by Ruthenians have been innovated by IDS to modern ’90s versions.


    Having automated doors and many safety features, the use of microprocessors allows the ease of use without a lift attendant.


    Other countries are still using the older versions in their buildings.


    Thirty secondster, they arrived at the third floor and stepped out of the elevator. It seemed that the two of them had different destinations from here on.


    So before they parted ways, Leonid said something to Mingzhu. “Good luck on the job interview, I hope you get the job.”


    Mingzhu smiled softly in response. “Thank you. I hope we meet each other again sometime in the future.”


    “When we do, I’ll treat you to some nice Ruthenian vodka,” Leonid jested, making Mingzhu chuckle softly at his antics.


    She then bid farewell to him before she left down the hallway to where the interview room is. Whereas Leonid went opposite to where he intended to go, the office of themanding officer of the Harbin Air Station.