From the moment the alien battleship emerged from the gas layers of the brown dwarf star, Neville should have realized that his father’s fleet had no chance of defeating this powerful opponent.
If his father was transferred to a smaller and less conspicuous starship and rapidly moved away under the escort of the Unrelenting, then the chances of saving his father were much greater.
The journey to a safer destination would be long and uncomfortable, but at least his father would remain alive and protected by a powerful ace mech.
Though his father’s fleet carrier and flagship hadn’t instantly blown up after getting struck by a kinetic hammer strike, pretty much every human on the ship sustained massive shocks!
“Father! What is your condition?! Are you still alive?!”
“I… am still alive… for now.” The old man wheezed in obvious pain. “The command center is the most protected compartment on my flagship, and my shield generator has blunted much of the blow. Even then… all of the people around me are dead.”
“NO!” Otrus Magrin barked. “Do not turn away! You are the only hope my fleet has left! I will not allow you to give up on your charge. Let alone our men, you will not be able to escape the alien battleship’s pursuit if she is still fully operational. The only way to give our people a chance to escape is to inflict so much damage onto the enemy battleship that it can no longer interdict the warp drives of our ships.”
The lives of his family members and the people employed by Cenatus Prospecting were worth nothing to him! They may be his friends and colleagues during his daily life, but here on the battlefield they were completely worthless compared to his father!
“Let me—”
Neville’s alarm grew even greater when he heard the fatalism in his father’s tone!
Otrus coughed over the command channel. “It’s too late… for me. My flagship is ruined. The compartments and hallways around me are crushed and broken. Whatever spatial trap the alien battleship has applied to my crippled ship is not only preventing craft from launching out of the ruined hull, but is also preventing outside vehicles from getting inside. Even my personal teleporter is blocked. The Seeker of Wealth is isolated, my son. This vessel… will be my coffin, but it doesn’t have to be your funeral as well.”
Otrus coughed as blood leaked from his mouth. “Every child has to grow up and live a life outside of the protection of his parents! My negligence in preparing you for this is my mistake. If I am fated today… don’t compound my regret by following me into death. You still have a chance!”
“You’re not dead yet, father! I can still beat the alien battleship! Let me block the attacks of the enemy vessel and buy enough time for you to get away!”
The ace pilot was in tears by now. He had never really imagined a life without his father guiding his actions. He felt so apprehensive about becoming alone that his mind became paralyzed at the thought of living in such a dreadful future.
Many kilometers away from the Unrelenting, an old and broken man laid against the side of a torn bulkhead.
The only reason this space remained reasonably intact was because this crucial area had been reinforced thrice over.
The sight of all of the broken bodies of his loyal descendents and workers had caused the infamous entrepreneurs to feel what it was like to be on the other side for once.
He had never failed as much as today.
His grand ambition… his great mission… his ultimate goal…
Funnily enough, Otrus Magrin no longer felt upset about that. He would have felt completely different back when he was in his prime, but now that he was facing the end of his life, he realized that his legacy was not as brilliant as he liked.
He wanted human society to remember all of the good that he had done.
“Neville…” He said as his voice grew weaker. “Don’t stop improving. Keep growing stronger. You are your father’s son. The stronger you become, the more you will elevate my legacy. This is a way to keep my memory alive. So long as enough people remember me, that is enough. I will always be with you. Fight to your heart’s content, but promise me that you will do your best to live on your own. Promise me, my son!”
“You are my heir! You are my greatest accomplishment! You are the only relative that I love the most! Do not ruin this by disobeying my instructions for the first time.”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Otrus barked! “You are an ace pilot! You’re 170 years old now. Don’t you think you are old enough to take charge for once?! Besides, you do not have to do everything yourself. Most of my fleet will probably be ruined after today, but Cenatus Prospecting still retains many more assets. From the moment the company confirms my death, ultimate ownership and authority will pass on to you. Almost everything I possess that is still intact will become your personal property.”
“I can’t do this, father. I will ruin everything that you have built.”
“Father…”
“I…”
“I promise!” Saint Neville cried out in grief. “I promise, father! I will make you proud beyond your death! I will complete the mission that you have given me! I will build the empire that you have always wanted to build! I will avenge your death and bring total ruination to the culprits who were responsible for driving you to a dead end!”
“You idiot boy! Don’t get consumed by vengeance! What happened… is no one’s fault but my own. I should have controlled my greed. If I didn’t order my fleet to shadow the Golden Skull Alliance… if I didn’t lose my caution after trying so hard to secure a shortcut for your advancement… I wouldn’t have doomed myself.”
“FATHER!” Neville cried out in alarm!
It was at this moment that one of the puelmer primary kinetic cannon battery opened fire.
Once they struck the broken and crippled flagship, the Seeker of Wealth burst entirely!
“FAAAATTHHEEEEER!”
“FAAAAAATHHHEEERRRRR!”
Grief, rage, regret and other unsavory emotions completely overwhelmed his psyche to the point where there was nothing else in his mind!
The ace pilot and ace mech became so overwhelmed by their loss that they harmonized and resonated with each other in a much more profound manner than in the past!
Not only that, but the power of true resonance became much greater and more focused.
It lengthened and gained definition to the point where it had turned into a gigantic glowing figure!
“MY FATHER… IS STILL ALIVE!”
