Tyranny of Steel

Nearly Six Months had passed since the day Berengar first took Itami as his fifth and final wife, and during this time, he had spent nearly every waking hour helping his beloved Ai manage the affairs of her realm. 

Japan was left in a state of complete and total devastation after its brief war with Germany. Its infrastructure had been bombed into oblivion, while its agriculture was in a state of despair. The most immediate concern that the two monarchs faced was the food shortage, which prevailed across the land. 

In order to combat starvation, the German Empire poured in a massive quantity of food aid for the nation of Japan. However, this was by no means a permanent solution to the problems which their society faced, and the sooner they could resolve this crisis, the better. Thus, a series of agricultural reforms, and most importantly the reseeding of the Japanese rice fields, was the immediate task that Berengar and Itami took care of. 

While Berengar and Itami were in the process of overhauling Japan's entire society from the ground up. The German Reich was temporarily being led by Chancellor Otto von Graz, who by now was well experienced in performing Berengar's tasks whenever he was away from home for long periods of time. 

However, Otto was getting old, and would soon be retiring from his position. Despite this, he decided to make this regency his last one and, in doing so, would conduct his duties with the same fervor he had always done. Thus, while Berengar was hard at work repairing the damage he had inflicted upon Japan, his father-in-law was managing the day-to-day affairs of the Reich. 

One of the many responsibilities that Otto was forced to endure was attending the first flights of new experimental aircraft. Which, as Otto discovered upon entering the testing facility, was being conducted by none other than Major Hans von Kufstein. 

After the war with Japan ended, Hans had requested a transfer to become an experimental pilot. Not only was Hans considered Germany's greatest fighter pilot, but he was also an aerospace engineer in his own right. As a result, he was able to both pilot the new experimental aircraft and also give solid inputs on the designs. 

Over the past six months, since the war with Japan had come to an end, Hans had been working side by side with the aerospace engineers at the Kufstein Royal Armory to create a new supersonic jet fighter. 

Upon realizing, that there was simply no opponent who would be able to challenge Germany in the air for the foreseeable future, Hans had suggested rather than go for a jet that was designed to counter other aircraft, to instead create one that could adequately perform the multiple roles of fighter aircraft.

In addition to performing multiple combat roles, the jet was also required to be easily mass produced, while being cost effective to manufacture. The end result was a modular light fighter which could eventually be equipped with various weapons based upon the roles it was designed to undertake in combat.

Currently, as it stood, this experimental jet fighter was more of a proof of concept than a functional war machine, but it had been equipped with the latest technology which included supersonic turbojet engines, afterburners, vastly improved avionics, and everything else that was required for a fighter jet to properly function. The only thing the aircraft was missing was its weapon systems, but this wasn't a problem for Hans, who would just be piloting the aircraft for a simple flight test. 

Hans was sitting in the cockpit of the experimental jet fighter while dressed in the new and improved flight suit, which had been based in a large part off of those from the height of the cold war during Berengar's past life. Not only was he dressed in such an advanced garment, but he was also wearing a new and improved helmet, which had been painted red, with a black and white checker design. If someone from Berengar's eyes were to set their eyes on the teenage pilot, they would easily think he was a character from a popular aviation film, which was released in 1986. 

Every bit of technological innovation that the Reich could come up with over the past few years of experimenting on aircraft had been put into this new jet fighter, and if everything went according to plan, Hans would be the first man in history to achieve supersonic flight.  After checking his gauges to make sure everything was functioning properly, Hans ignited his engines and slowly began to steer the plane onto the runway.

Watching from within in the air traffic control tower was not only the Chancellor of Germany but also the second Kaiserin, who clutched her pearls and prayed for her son's safety.  Linde gazed with an anxious expression towards the advanced jet fighter as she watched it take off from the runway.

Only a few moments passed before the aircraft broke through the sound barrier. Causing a large crack to echo across the sky. The moment it did so, the gathered audience, especially the engineers who had participated in the project, broke out into cheers. 

Linde watched carefully as the experimental fighter jet zipped through the air at speeds that were previously unimaginable. The maneuverability of this aircraft was beyond anything that the Ta-183/III was capable of achieving. After seeing her son in action for the first time since he left the nest, Linde could not help but cry tears of joy while shouting in a prideful tone. 

"That's my baby boy!"

Hans continued to fly in the air, testing the overall abilities of the aircraft for some time. Though he did not push the vehicle to its limits, in fear of causing a crash. It was not long before he was given the order to land, which he did so effortlessly on the exceptionally large runway.

When compared to the deck of a carrier, landing on such a massive strip of land was as easy as eating a pie. Once the plane was properly landed, and Hans had climbed out of its cockpit, his mother immediately ran up to him and stuffed his head into her substantial bosom, all while kissing the boy's forehead. 

"Mommy is so proud of you!"

Hans could only blush and remain silent. He was already fifteen years old, and had even served in a war, yet his mother continued to treat him like a child. Ultimately, the embarrassing scene was interrupted by the lead engineer, who had come to congratulate his test pilot on his monumental achievement. 

"Prince Hans, your contributions to this project were by no means insignificant. If we had not followed your suggestions, we may not have been able to design such a wonderful new aircraft for service in the Luftwaffe. In the coming days, we look forward to working alongside you as we continue to test the limits of this state-of-the-art piece of equipment. 

As for when it will be ready for service, that's hard to say. With such an advanced aircraft, there are many more things to consider before we approve it for mass production. Not only do we need to wait for our weapons' capabilities to catch up with the advanced technology of this jet, but we also need to ensure that it is perfectly safe to fly even at its maximum speeds. 

What I can say for certain is that this jet will be the inspiration for an entirely new generation of supersonic aircraft. From jet fighters to strategic bombers, and perhaps one day in the near future, even passenger planes. You have given me a lot to think about, young man, and it has been the pleasure of a lifetime to watch you fly this thing." 

Hans smiled and accepted the project lead's praise, as he assured the man that he would continue to work beside them in order to ensure that the Reich continued to develop a superior aerospace industry. 

"The pleasure is all mine. If you ever need another mind to help contribute, you know where to find me." 

With that said, Germany had just advanced into the next stage of aerospace engineering. In the coming years, the Reich would have an entire fleet of supersonic military and civilian aircraft, in most part thanks to the efforts of the Crimson Prince.

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