Alexander and Sophie just arrived at the General Staff Building where rows of tens of Imperial Guards stood at attention on either side of the pathway that leads into the building.

The General Staff Building is just across the Winter Palace Square, which now makes sense to him since the supreme leader of the Ruthenia Empire must arrive as soon as possible at the Command Ops and act as its commander-in-chief.

‘Maybe a tunnel network to connect-‘Alexander dismissed the errant thought; he got more important issues than subterranean constructions.

“This way Your Majesty,” Sevastian extended his arms towards a path that leads through the General Staff Building’s entrance.

Before heading into that building, Alexander faced Sophie and grabbed both of her hands.

“I have to go now, Sophie. Stay with Anya in the palace for a while. I have to deal with this matter first.”

“I understand, Alex…you should go. I’ll be praying for the safety of your sisters.”

“Thank you,” Alexander planted a kiss on her lips before letting go of her hands and turning around to follow Sevastian into the building in an urgent manner.

Watching his husband’s figure disappear from the distance, Sophie returned to her vehicle that will take her to the Winter Palace. Along her journey, she held her both hands together and mouthed a prayer.

…

As Alexander, Sevastian, and a number of Imperial Guards marched further into the building, they arrived in front of an elevator. Sevastian pressed the down button and they waited patiently.

The bell dinged and the elevator doors slowly opened, revealing a small cabin. Alexander entered first with Sevastian and two Imperial Guards right behind him. As soon as the door closed behind them, the elevators started moving downwards. A sensation of lightness overcame them.

As the elevator continued its descent, Alexander worriedly thought about his sisters in the Yamato Empire. Asking himself questions such as, are they safe? Did they get hurt? Wondering about their situation makes his heart beat faster in anxiety and his stomach aches. Beads of sweat trickled down his temples, making it difficult for him to hold back his nerves. He couldn’t shake off the feeling of uneasiness inside him.action

“Are the Minister of Defense and the Joint Chief of Staff already in the Command Ops?” Alexander asked Sevastian.paɴᴅᴀ ɴ<0,>ᴠ,ᴇʟ Sevastian nodded his head. “Yes, they rushed the moment they got my call. They just arrived. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei, is also in the Command Ops. I figured you would need him as well since when it comes to deciding a move that could affect foreign relations.” Sevastian replied.

“You’re right, I was about to order you that,” Alexander responded.

The elevator finally stopped and the elevator’s doors slid open showing the hallway with a closed steel door at the end of a passage.

They stepped off the elevator and approached the closed metallic door.

Sevastian pressed a combination of numbers on the keypad next to the door, producing a beeping sound that echoed within the corridor.

Alarms blared as the metal door’s internal locking bolts clanked upon Sevastian hitting the right combination.

The door slid open noiselessly on well-lubricated mechanisms and filtered air escapes out from within, blowing the face of the Tsar and his entourage. Alexander followed Sevastian inside and took in the surroundings inside. In a bustling space, banks of computers and monitors lined the wall, showing various news broadcasts, coordinates, and maps. Personnel in a military and civilian dress sits at a long table.

The concept of Command Ops was inspired by the Presidential Emergency Operation Center of the United States where the command-in-chief can safely give out commands to all Ruthenian Armed Forces domestic and abroad. It was the most protected and sophisticated place next to the Winter Palace on Ruthenian soil that only a handful of personnel have knowledge of.

“Attention!”

The moment Alexander stepped into the Command Ops, they stopped what they were doing and stood up to greet him.

“Your Majesty,” they all bowed at the same time.

“Sit down everyone,” Alexander paced forward to a chair as he beckoned them to sit down. His eyes scanned the large LCD screen mounted on the wall, showing the map of the vast Ruthenian Empire.

“Okay, before we start, I want to know if my sisters are safe,” Alexander began, praying inwardly for their safety.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei, answered his query. “Yes, Your Majesty, the Grand Duchesses of the Ruthenia Empire have safely arrived in the Ruthenian Embassy,”

Hearing that, Alexander could feel the wave of relief washing over him. The foreboding thought of his sisters getting harmed, or worse, killed now disappeared in his mind. He exhaled deeply and sat down in the chair.

“Oh, thank god,” Alexander slumped backward and let out a sigh of relief. Now that his sisters are safe, it’s now time to get back into the business and act like their supreme leader. He leaned forward and a serious expression plastered his face.“I rushed here after learning that there is a plot to harm my sisters, can someone explain it to me?” Alexander ordered in a stern voice. He looked at the faces around him and they all nodded their heads. Alexander glanced at the Joint Chief of Staff and the Minister of Defense, all wearing serious expressions.

Sergei spoke again. “We’ve received a report from the Ruthenian Embassy to the Yamato Empire that one of the Foreign Intelligence Service agents possessed a recording of a man named Shinzo Sakawa, a Yamato transport tycoon who is a staunch nationalist, a political theorist, and the author of ‘Yamato: The Future of Our Great Empire’.”

A picture of Shinzo Sakawa appears on the large LCD screen.

“At around 1200 hours Saint Petersburg time, 1800 hours Tokyo time.”

“Shinzo Sakawa answered a phone call from an unknown person calling his home. The conversation between him and the unknown party turns out to be preparations to eliminate the Grand Duchesses of Ruthenia Empire that evening,” Sergei briefed and continued. “We believed that this ‘someone’ was a leader in the group of rogue Yamato militia who attacked the Grand Duchesses convoy heading to the Ruthenian Embassy an hour later. An attack that claims the lives of the two special forces who are part of the security detail.”

The LCD screen shows the pictures of the KIA special force duo, Igor and Oleg.

“Shinzo Sakawa…” Alexander repeated the name of the man who ordered to kill his sister. Alexander could feel his anger seething deep inside him, but he fought hard against it and remained in control.

“Is that all there is?” Alexander inquired.

“The Foreign Intelligence Service Agent with a codename Zero got a hold of a sophisticated document where it shows a bank transfer from the Yamato Government to Shinzo Sakawa. Now, there is a possibility that the Yamato Empire is working behind the scenes with Shinzo Sakawa. But that’s only our inference, as bank transfer could mean a lot of things.”

“You’re right,” Alexander agreed. “Speaking of the Yamato Empire, did they attempt to communicate with us about this ordeal?” he asked.

“Not yet Your Majesty,” Sergei shook his head.

“Seriously?” Alexander exclaimed in disbelief.

“If I may speak, Your Majesty,” Sevastian intervened. “I wish to add something to the Minister of Foreign Affairs report.”

“I allow it,” Alexander gestured for him to continue.

“There was another gunfight that erupted earlier in the streets of Tokyo. No, it is not an attack on the Grand Duchesses but an attack on our agent, Zero.”

The LCD screen erased the pictures and show the picture of Agent “Zero”.

“He was on his way back to the embassy when suspected enemy agents working for the Yamato Empire ambushed his car in the busy streets. It seemed like the Yamato Empire has found out that they were being spied upon. Now, this could threaten the safety of the Grand Duchesses.”

“How so?” Alexander asked curiously.

“Agent Zero is taking refuge inside the Ruthenian Embassy, isn’t it? Well, Zero has violated a lot of local traffic laws to get away to the safety of the embassy despite the assailants openly using firearms in public to gun him down. When the Yamato police caught wind of that, where our countrymen are endangering the lives of their civilians with reckless driving? They’ll surely use the incident and even collaborate with the Imperial Yamato Army and they will be within their right to demand the embassy hand over Zero to them. If we rejected it, then…” Sevastian paused dramatically.

“Then what?” Alexander urged him to continue.

“Then, they might kick the Ruthenian Embassy out, literally stripping it with diplomatic immunity. And when that happens, they can do pretty much do whatever they please.”

Alexander adjusted his necktie, “Let’s call the Yamato Empire.”