Tyranny of Steel

Hans sat within the cockpit of a Ta-152 fighter-interceptor, after nearly two years of private instruction by the best pilots of the Luftwaffe, he had now finally been certified to fly not only the Ta 152 fighter-intercepter but also in the Ju 87 "Stuka" divebomber.

At the moment, he was in the air above the city of Kufstein. It was the weekend and because of this, he naturally had flight instruction. However, today wasn't a simple matter of how to fly the aircraft, but how to fight in one.

Though the weapons onboard these planes were unloaded, they were very much military aircraft. The fact that a twelve-year-old child was currently flying one of these machines of war was impressive enough on its own and was only possible due to his father's position.

The First Prince of the German Empire had already gained a fearsome reputation among the pilots of the Luftwaffe. The boy had a natural gift for flying, and because of this, he had "shot down" many aircraft during simulated battles. So much so that even the most veteran of the Luftwaffe's fighter pilots did not dare to dogfight with the boy.

However, today he was going head to head with his instructor, who was among the first people in this world ever to fly a plane. The two of them had taken off at the same time from the airfield, and were now searching for each other at an extremely high altitude. Among the clouds, Hans gazed through his goggles, but could not spot his target.

Little did the young Prince know that he had already been spotted by his instructor, who was coming up behind him. It was only after he looked towards the rear of his cockpit did he notice the rival aircraft tailing him. His instructor was in a hot pursuit, and closing the distance fast. The moment he radioed in the words "I have you in my sights" the battle would be over.

Thus, Hans began to serpentine his plane in the air as a hope of avoiding his instructor's optical sight. Hans had never lost a simulated dogfight before, and he did not intend to do so now. Just when his instructor was about to lock on target, Hans decided to take a gamble and immediately pulled on his joystick, causing his plane to rapidly accelerate vertically into the sky. He could hear the instructor's words as he cursed Hans over the radio.

"Fuck!"

After saying this, the man quickly followed Hans into the sky, knowing exactly what the boy intended to do. He began to warn the Prince as the two of them propelled vertically at a rapid rate about what would happen if he continued this madness.

"Keep this up, Hans, and you are going to stall. If you have to eject and your plane crashes, it is coming out of your own pocket!"

Hans Merely smirked as he continued to go higher in the air, avoiding the optical sights of his instructor as he responded in a single phrase.

"We will see who stalls first!"

Despite the risk of not only the destruction of their planes but also potential death, neither Hans nor his instructor broke off, and the two men continued vertically in the air, until their engines stalled.

The propellers of both planes gave out at the same time, where the noses of the aircraft dropped vertically towards the ground below. As they were in free fall, the instructor desperately tried to kick-start his engine, fearing that he would be held responsible for the destruction of his plane.

However, Hans had a different goal. The electrical optic system onboard his plane lined up perfectly with the tail of his instructor, allowing him to confirm the kill. With a haughty tone in his voice, the young boy spoke over the radio.

"I've got you in my sights!"

Upon saying this, the dogfight was won by the boy prince. However, the instructor had more things to worry about as he cursed into the radio.

"Boy, I have bigger concerns than this stupid competition!"

After saying this, he finally got his engine to work. As the propellors quickly kick-started into action, he was able to salvage his plane, while also allowing him to avoid a fatal mistake. As for Hans, he tried his best to start his engine, but it no matter what, the thing continued to stall.

A thousand feet became five hundred feet, and five hundred feet became two hundred feet. The young prince could hear the screaming voice of his instructor giving him a command as he desperately tried to start his engine.

"Hans, eject! Now!"

However, the German Prince was far too stubborn to obey this command, and just when his plane was rapidly falling from the sky at a hundred feet, he managed to start the engine. With a fierce pull of the joystick, Hans barely managed to pull up the plane in time, so much so that the bottom of his aircraft skidded across the branches of a tall tree as he began to regain altitude.

The look on the instructor's face was as if he had seen a ghost. The First Prince of the Empire, the pride and joy of the Kaiser, had nearly lost his life, all because he refused to admit defeat in a dogfight.

He could hardly believe what this foolish child was thinking. However, the fact remained that he was now once more airborne, with the only damage to his aircraft being a scratch on the paint job. A sigh of relief could be heard over the radio, before a childish voice spoke.

"Whew... That was a close one..."

Despite being safe and sound, the instructor gazed at the Prince's near suicidal attempt at victory, and sighed heavily before expressing his thoughts aloud.

"Your Father is going to kill me..."

This remark had caused Hans to chuckle over the mic, and though the instructor did not think it was funny, the boy's next words terrified him to the marrow of his bones.

"You can relax. My father won't kill you, but my mother? Who knows the lengths she will go to in order to protect her precious baby boy..."

A beautiful image appeared in the instructor's brain as he continued to fly by Hans's side. He had once had the honor of seeing the Second Kaiserin in person. He had to admit, despite the fact that Linde already had given birth to five kids, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.

The gorgeous smile on her immaculate face was enough to make any man risk certain death, just for a glimpse. However, he could never imagine that behind such flawless beauty was a sadistic mind that would not hesitate to engage in the most brutal torture as an act of revenge on behalf of her family.

The very thought of such a thing was practically heresy to a man who figuratively worshipped Linde von Kufstein as if she were the Goddess of the German Empire. As such, his response was far from the dread that Hans expected.

"Fear your mother? You must be joking, the Kaiserin is the guardian angel of the reich. How could she possibly be so bloodthirsty?"

However, Hans merely sighed and shook his head before gazing down at the city below. Was he the only one in this world who realized just how terrifying his mother really was? Even his own father did not seem to understand just how frightening that woman could be.

Luckily, his mother was obsessively in love with his father, or else Hans could only imagine the consequences the man would face if Linde were the jealous type. Ultimately, he decided to say nothing, but the prince thought to himself of one simple phrase.

"Ignorance is bliss..."