Volume 1 Chapter 5 (1/2)
Oscar sighed when he saw the tere brought to the Bladlikburg Eins's bridge
”You certainly caused us a lot of trouble, Professor Wagner and Walter”
Walter s at the soldiers restraining him on either side
”More i, Oscar”
”I auard doice”
Oscar nodded and the two soldiers on either side of the two h their clothes Their hands moved quickly and professionally
”Are they carrying anything?”
”Only a license, a wallet, and a seal, commander”
”You'd better give those back afterwards,” warned Paul
Oscar frowned
”If you want them back, why not tell us ant to know?”
”That's a pretty sad offer”
”I know you two You have nothing else”
”You've got us there”
As soon as Paul s Walter's clothes let out a low scream and was knocked away
Oscar reached for the handgun at his waist
”Walter, what did you do?”
The young man did not answer He only stared down at the soldier as groaning and holding his sto the chest of his lab coat
”What are you hiding?”
Walter returned his gaze
”A memento from my mother”
He showed off what looked like a scrap of paper
…Is that a photograph?
Oscar frowned again
”I would like to apologize for my soldier's rudeness, but I can't”
He turned to a nearby soldier who had nothing to do
”Carry the fallen soldier out”
”Sorry about that I tend to lash out without thinking”
Walter gave a quick nod to thecarried away and then turned back to Oscar
Paul crossed his arms and looked up at Oscar
He was acting like he owned the shi+p, so Oscar frowned and looked outside the
A dark shadow obstructed the sun in the western sky It was another Bladlikburg flying alongside the Eins
A sword-like form could be seen on the Zwei's deck
It was the dp-xxx and it was strapped to the deck with thick wires Both the shi+p and thesun
”What is it, Oscar?” asked Paul
But Oscar did not look away froy
However, he did speak
”I will say the dp-xxx was shot down after engaging my unit in combat”
He turned around and brought his gaze to the two men
”You have not hidden any documents related to the dp-xxx, have you?”
”We have”
”What?”
”Just kidding”
”I a to be serious here”
”I don't want to hear that fro sun”
”If you want anything out of us, you'll have to force it out You're good at that, aren't you?”
The two of them held out their chests proudly
…These two…
When Oscar spoke again, some weariness had entered his voice
”If that is what you want, that is what you will get”
”Wow You sure give in easily You're probably easy to trick”
”Silence”
Oscar snapped his fingers
”Take these two to a guest room A first-class one”
”Yes, sir”
After a sharp reply, the soldiers restraining the two of therabbed their arms and walked out
Walter and Paul ed off of the bridge
Oscar sighed as he watched them leave
Pauland looked over his shoulder
”Oscar”
”What?”
”You h”
That was all the elderly engineer said before facing forward again The back of his blue work outfit see once lanced back at Oscar
But he remained silent
…Tough?
”Whose fault do you think that is?”
His quiet comment sounded a little exhausted
Behind hi sun
The Bladlikburg Eins was primarily a command shi+p, so it was equipped with little weaponry Instead, it had an abundance of patrol equipuest space The vast e
It looked like a city's café had been placed on the shi+p as-is Twenty table and chair sets were attached to the floor and intentionally di filled the brown space
Theon the outer as shuttered and it was a nice place to relax if one ignored the stuffiness
Late at night, those with the night shi+ft would often stop by to escape their drowsiness At this time, it was relatively empty
The young officer in a dress unifor by the as the only person there
It was Mayer
He was blankly trying to kill ti in his room
Kaffee was good for waking one up and a bit of tension was perfect for his next job
He avoided alcohol He had not had a drop of it since Walter and Paul had sent hi the university lab's fresh party As a German, this made him quite unusual
He checked his wristwatch and found it was 6:12
…Still too soon
He had to descend to the surface at 6:30 He was going to greet and apologize to the Breuer family for all the trouble they had caused
The military or police would normally just send out a brief document, but Oscar did not accept that He would always talk it out without looking down on the other party or debasing himself
Mayer was certain the true form of a soldier could be seen in that man
He had a feeling everyone in Air Force Division 5 had felt the sa in Oscar
But his thoughts were interrupted
”Oh, Mayer”
He looked up at the familiar voice and found Oscar
The man held a white cup of kaffee
Mayer quickly began to stand and salute, but…
”No need”
Oscar sat across the table from him and tilted his body a little to look out theHe looked somehoeak
”You aren't going to drink any beer?”
”After so many of my men died, I am not in the mood”
Oscar sighed
”What is the matter?” asked Mayer
”Nothing I was just thinking”
His words lacked his usual sharp strength
”If it is about the Breuer family, do not worry I will handle it You please focus on your job”
”The ht, so do not travel in a spirit craft …Got it?”
”Yes, sir I was not planning to”
On nights with strong liders were used instead Gliders were powerless shi+ps with only floating emblems carved into them They were a slow but safe means of transportation
”But that shi+p does not have to worry about the ht,” muttered Oscar
Mayer followed his gaze out theand to the ht called a Lanze still skewered its back
”Are you curious?”
He turned to the voice and found Oscar facing him
Strength had returned to his eyes The sharpness in his gaze seeh any lies, so Mayer gave a definite nod
”I am”
”Why?”
”I orking to build that shi+p just a few years ago”
He hesitated for a moment
”And the people I look up to are piloting it”
”I see” Oscar sighed ”That is the shi+p created by Huber Talstrasse's son and friend so they can reach space”
”I think it is an ay”
”But it is too e”
Mayer nodded
The military was essentially controlled by a madman known as the Führer That man would undoubtedly try to use the dp-xxx for war Thelove of heroes, so a one-of-a-kind shi+p like the dp-xxx would seem quite attractive to him
They wanted to avoid that
”What e do?”
”I have a mountain villa in Munich We can dismantle it, take it there, and store it away”
”It seeround forces would be a problem”
”Of course That is why it will be done in absolute secrecy The dismantled parts will be boxed up, labelled as items left behind by the deceased, and sent to the homes of those we can trust”
Twelve had died in the previous encounter with the dp-xxx That was small for the size of the coerated the number killed
”Fro the tis If they are carried tofield, no one will suspect a thing”
”The secret police have grown uard down”
”No” Oscar's expression loosened a bit ”Turning the villa into a storehouse will ruin the suh”
”Your daughter is going to cry”
Mayer had never hter Oscar did not like to mix his ith his private life, so he rarely , Oscar had suddenly asked him a question
”Mayer, I only ask because you are young, but what do you think I should send hter who is about to enter middle school?”
That was the first he had ever heard of her
He could only guess, but Mayer had a feeling Oscar was not working for his country or thefor the people, be they his family, soldiers, or simply citizens
Mayer doubted the man himself had realized what he worked for and he would probably refuse to admit it even if he had Nevertheless, Mayer was certain of it
After all, an old soldier approaching retire
”That man is only harsh when he's in the military”
Mayer had seen a few scenes since then that supported that
Currently, Oscar gave a small smile
”You're right Maybe I should take her to Italy this year”
Mayer had a thought while watching the man
…Family
A question occurred to him and he simply spoke it aloud
”Is he pursuing his father?”
”He? You mean Walter?”
”Yes
”Most likely”
Oscar adly readily
”I do understand I heard soner Laboratory, but it did not seem he was a man who showed much concern for his family”
Mayer knew that as well Walter would sometimes fall silent and it was almost alhen his father came up
But…
”Would you choose a father like that to pursue and set as your goal?”
Mayer came from an old noble fao decided to take a different path froed a farm and his father had accepted his decision When he had entered thehonor to the family name
That left hi in a family like Walter's
”Soon after he lost his father, his mother passed away froan to think seriously about going to space, but it almost feels like…”
”Like he is doing it to spite his father?”
”Yes”
That response brought a short silence
After three heavy breaths, Oscar looked up into Mayer's eyes
”Mayer”
”What is it?”
”Aren't Huber and Walter a lot alike?”
That comment shocked Mayer
”They both rush forward even if itthose around them, don't they? And isn't that exactly why you looked up to hi, Mayer?”
”You are exactly right” Mayer sighed ”I undoubtedly looked up to his way of doing things But…”
I can't do things the way he does, he thought
He had always run along the path laid out for a chosen one, so he could not recklessly believe in his own strength like Walter and Paul
Nevertheless, he was now opposing the two of them
And that hy he asked a nervous question
”What would happen if I fought them head-on now?”
”If you used their way of doing things, you would lose”
”Then how aht?”
He leaned forward as he asked and Oscar fell briefly silent
”Are you not satisfied with that previous fight?”
”I do not want to think that was uard”
”Then ill you do when you fight with everything you have and still lose?”
This attack froledirectly at him
”If you are to fight the you have Even so, you may still lose Can you endure that loss?”
What could he do if his own strength was rejected?
He had never used his full strength or experienced a loss, so he had no way of i that question
However, he doubted Oscar was actually expecting an answer Themore
”And if you still wish to fight after hearing all that, remember these words”
He took a breath
”Whatwhat exactly it is you should be”
A moment of silence followed
”Do you understand, Mayer?”
”…I do not”
Oscar nodded
”You are still young, so take your tiht You do not need to rush yourself like those two”
Once Oscar crossed his ar
”Those…two?”
”Hm?”
”No, um, I just mean… Don't you mean three?”
”What do you mean?”
The look in Oscar's eyes and his tone coed
Mayer felt a chill run down his spine
”When I faced the dp-xxx, there were three people in the cockpit”
”What!?”
”You mean three people didn't leave the shi+p!?”
Mayer had heard Walter's group had been taken into custody, but he had not heard the number of people It had seemed so obvious an issue he had not bothered to ask
”But only Walter and Paul spoke over the radio,” groaned Oscar while wrinkling his brow
Mayer realized what had happened
The Bladlikburg had been too far from the dp-xxx to see inside, so they only had to avoidthe third person's presence and then hide them
They had not counted on Mayer noticing the third person, but that less since he had not reported it
The two of them stood up simultaneously
At the same moment, the Zwei's deck lit up outside the
”What!?”
The dp-xxx was preparing to take off
One of its engines could not run with the Lanze still skewering it, but the other engine was fine As long as it did not try anything too difficult, it could at least glide through the sky
A few string-like objects shot through thedown the dp-xxx were snapping at set intervals
”Commander Oscar!” said a shi+p-wide announcee!”
”Commander!” shouted Mayer
”This was ht,” clearly stated Oscar ”Do not worry about it”
”But!”
”You do your job Besides, we have no fighter craft that can fly tonight”
With that, Oscar ran froan to follow hihter pilot like him could do
He looked out theand saw the nearly full ht sky
It was the strength of its light that prevented theines losing control and destroying the fighters
”Dammit”
Covered in thatwas restraining it any longer
That collection of advanced technology rotated and flew into the sky like a leaf in the wind
Mayer allass to keep his eyes on the shi+p
The Lanze skewering it glowed in the darkness and the clouds spread out below
Saps in the clouds Those were the lights of Berlin
It took only a few seconds for the Lanze's light to dive between the gaps in the clouds and blend into the city's lights
”They got us,” muttered Mayer as he pulled his face from the
He then sighed and saw his own face reflected in the glass
It was only when he saw his face that he realized so
That reflected face contained a small but satisfied smile
The coation room
It was a small room with bare ed a smile
”Sounds like the young lady pulled it off”
”Sure does At least we know the Kaiserburg won't be caught in the middle of this trouble with the military”
Walter faced forward and the interrogator across the table frowned back at him
”What did you two do?”
”We didn't do anything You all are the ones that overlooked so”
”Overlooked so?”
”I learned ency life support chamber”
”L-life support chamber!?”
The man seemed to have realized what had happened
A life support chamber was a small space about the size of a coffin If its equipment was activated with someone inside, they would be instantly half-frozen and put theas
”But the door is labelled 'danger' ith the cooling equip to want to open it That label isn't entirely accurate, though”
No one would be stupid enough to open it with that written on it After all, the shi+p had been built with strange technology It was unlikely the h internal inspection
That was exactly what Walter and Paul had been hoping for
That was also why they had pretended to be the only two aboard over the radio
Their gamble had paid off
”They say savages fear advanced civilizations, but it looks like that's true”
Walter smiled pleasantly
”Oscar really is easy to trick”
A forest known as the Grunewald Forest was located on the northwest outskirts of Berlin The Breuer Company's aircraft repair factory had been built inside it
It was an old building It had gone almost entirely unused since the Breuer Company had left the aircraft production industry
Even past eight at night, an old man in a work outfit remained in the factory's office He seemed to live there The office table contained stacked dishes from dinner, half-eaten käse, and the knife used to eat it
His legs were resting up on the table and his arms were crossed behind his head
”There's nothing to do around here,” heon”
Ever since Hiraht in 1894, airplanes had become an industry of their own Business had slowed at one point, but ironically, it was a world war that had truly expanded the airplane eted the wealthy, but airplanes had later become a much more household means of transportation
However, that prosperity had not lasted long
A mere three years after the Breuer Company had shi+fted from the defense industry to the aircraft industry, a certain accident had occurred That was fifteen years ago
”If that hadn't happened, people wouldn't fear flying through the skies”
Currently, flight had beco air routes and the military
Airplanes were much less safe than cars or boats The incident fifteen years before had been powerful enough to place that fear in everyone's hearts
From that day onward, the civilian aircraft market had declined
…In the old days…
He scratched his thinning hair
”There was always the roar of engines co from the airfield”
As soon as he forced a smile, the factory shook froh his body as if so down on his reached him and his tilted chair almost fell backwards
…Was that an aircraft?
He frantically stood froht for a moment, and corrected himself It could not have been an aircraft If it had been one, he would have heard the loud sound of a rocket or jet being fired
”Was it just a gust of wind?” he muttered
He sat back down and reached for the käse and knife on the table
The office door burst open and a gust of wind blew in
”Old Man Metz!”
The gust of as joined by a familiar voice and a familiar form
It was Else
”E-Else!? What are you doing out when it's so cold!?”
The girl used to visit the factory for fun, but now she approached the oldthe door
She moved quickly and she snatched the knife and käse from his hand
”Old Man Metz No, Breuer Coer Stein a shi+p”
She spoke quietly, ate the käse in her hand, and took a breath
Her shoulders fell and the old man, Steinmetz, spoke
”I have no idea what you're talking about”
He sounded somewhat taken aback and Else seemed to understand why that would be
”Well, Old Man Metz I need you to understand”
She pointed at the oldthe knife
”Hyah!”
Steinmetz leaned back in surprise and his chair fell backwards
”Oh, whoops”
Else set down the knife and helped the man up
”Else, what is going on? When you say a shi+p…do you mean an aircraft?”
”No”
”Then what do youoff his butt
”A spaceshi+p”
The old hter at that unexpected answer
”Pfa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Now that's a bad joke, Else! Like I can believe that!”
”Then look at this!”
Else walked over to the dew-coveredand threw it open
A mass of metal sat outside
Else turned around and clenched her fist with her back to what looked like a collection of steel organs It al outside the
”I' to fly to space in this shi+p!”