Chapter 62 Swan Song

The battle had begun, and before Erich knew it, he was hoisted up into the cockpit of a heavy bomber and sent into space. All that remained of the Empire's fighter pilots were given a single order. Do whatever it takes to get Lieutenant Commander Erich "Silber" Jaeger within range of the Naraku Kingship which housed the Hive Queen.

Immediately, as Erich took to space, he could see a horde of Naraku fighter drones, all of which were heading directly towards him and his comrades. It was at this moment that he heard a familiar voice speak up over the comms, one which addressed him with a grim tone in his voice.

"We've got your back Silber, not that we really have a choice in the matter.... So don't worry about the rest of us. Just focus on your task, and I'll see you in Valhalla!"

Though the Germanic Star-Empire was an atheistic state, there were many battle-hardened soldiers who took comfort in the idea of the ancient religion which the Germanic peoples had once practiced thousands of years ago. Especially the concept of Valhalla, where the valiant dead would be carried by valkyries to enjoy an afterlife filled with fighting, drinking, feasting, and depending on what liberties you took with your interpretation, fucking as well.

This remark caused Erich to chuckle slightly as he focused his heavy bomber's flight towards the enemy Kingship. After all, this spacecraft was nowhere near as nimble as his bolt intercepter, and because of this he would have to rely on the protection of others just to get within engagement distance of the hostile fleet.

Despite the lack of maneuverability, the bomber had a heavy payload of weapons onboard, and because of this, Erich was able to lay down some serious fire on the enemy drones, melting them with his heavy plasma cannons. Or outright blasting them apart with his anti-matter missiles.

It was not just the Germanic Navy which was supporting Erich in this operation, but the aviators of the Oni Navy as well, who more than made up for the losses which the Germanic Star-Empire had sustained thus far in this armed conflict. And while the Oni starfighters were not as advanced as their allies, they were capable of providing enough firepower to rip apart a Naraku fighter drone.

The closer Erich made his way to his target, the more damage that his bomber took, and the more of his comrades who were blasted out of the sky. Though he lamented their loss, Erich knew this was a suicidal mission from the start, and thus he could only admire their sacrifice as he continued forward towards his goal with fierce determination in his silver eyes.

It was at this moment that Erich heard a familiar and feminine voice over the comms scream out.

"Damned bugs, go to hell!"

S'aleth fired a storm of anti-matter missiles at a Naraku drone which was on a direct collision course for Erich's bomber, taking it out of the battle in an instant, which allowed her lover to pass through the aftereffects of the explosion with impunity.

However, hearing S'aleth's voice for the first time since they had been reunited caused Erich's heart to become shrouded in anxiety. The woman was giving her all to help clear a path for him, so that he could kill the Naraku Hive Queen. Her very life was in danger, and yet she did not flee to save herself, because she would rather die together with the man she loved, then spend the rest of her long lifespan alone. This only caused Erich to feel more guilt, as he used his telepathy to communicate with S'aleth in private.

"S'aleth, please, I'm begging you, abandon your post, and flee while you still can. Do not throw your life away for my sake!"

However, the woman was stubborn, and simply responded with her thoughts to Erich in a rather angry tone.

"Never! If we are to die today, then we will die together! I will never abandon you, even after everything you have done! Now shut up, and kick-start your afterburners. I can't hold on much longer!"

Erich gritted his teeth, and did as S'aleth had said, thus boosting all the remaining power into his afterburners so he could rapidly advance across space and reach the striking distance of the enemy vessel.

After all, the Naraku would easily be able to detect and intercept a planet killer torpedo, thus he needed to fire the damn thing through an exposed area of the ship and practically from point blank range, if he ever wanted a chance of blowing up the Kingship with a single shot.

However, with each passing second, the swarm of bugs increased, while Erich's protectors were ripped apart left and right from the acidic spit of the Naraku fighter drones, as well as their razor sharp pincers and teeth.

In all honesty, Erich did not know how many men had perished so far to ensure that he could get roughly halfway to his destination, but it was starting to seem like a lot. Hundreds? Thousands? The answer was not clear, but knowing that these men willingly sacrificed themselves so that he had a chance at pulling off a miracle, Erich did not let it go to waste.

Especially when he considered the fact that his NeuroLink had been set to explode if he were to even think about fleeing the battlefield. Thus, he had no choice but to barrel towards the enemy, and fire his plasma cannons as if he were attempting to break into heaven, because the only other option was a merciless death, one which would occur at the hands of his own people.

Eventually the Kingship appeared in sight, and Erich checked the information on his navigation computer to ensure that this really was the correct ship. By now, over three-fourths of the pilots who were tasked with protecting him had lost their lives, and yet the swarm of Naraku drones only seemed to increase.

Only the Empire's best Ace pilots could possibly make it so far, while surrounded by enemies on all sides, as if they were swimming in a sea of insects. And yet they fought with everything they had to clear a path for Erich.

However, the next scream that Erich heard on his comms was from someone he knew quite well. Or at least more so than his other comrades. Butcher's voice ranged in his ears as the man said his final farewell to this cruel and unforgiving world.

"Fuck, I'm hit! Yeah… I'm not going to make it…. Alright lads, this is the end for old Butcher. Come get some ya fucking cunts!"

After saying this, Butcher's starfighter, which was damaged beyond recognition and heavily venting oxygen into space, barreled through a wall of Naraku drones, as the man set his reactor to overdrive. It was not until he was so far ahead of Erich and the rest of the wing that the man activated the self destruct, and thus creating a massive antimatter explosion which consumed thousands of Naraku fighter drones. And in doing so, opened a direct path for Erich and the others.

Erich was stunned by the sudden death of a man he considered to be one of his only friends left in this world, but he shed no tears. After all, Butcher's fate had been sealed from the moment the IIS took him into custody. This was something that Erich shared with the man, and thus as the Naraku swarm began to replace their sudden losses, Erich pleaded one last time for S'aleth to turn back, knowing that survival was no longer an option.

"S'aleth! Retreat! There are only a few thousand kilometers before I get within the targeting distance. Do not end up like a Butcher! Not for my sake!"

However, the voice which echoed in Erich's ears was one filled with lament, as a heavy sigh preceded it. It was clear from the heavy breathing that S'aleth herself was heavily injured as she wheezed out the words with exceptional effort.

"Erich.... I'm sorry.... I realize now that I should have spent these last few weeks together with you, but I let my anger get the better of me.... If there is another life, I hope we may meet again! Good bye, and good luck my love! You are going to need it now that it is my turn to sing my swan song!"

Erich quickly looked over to his left, and much to his dismay, saw that S'aleth's ship was in no better condition than Butcher's had been before the man committed suicide in glorious fashion. Though he could not see S'aleth expression behind her cracked windshield, and her helmet, he knew the woman was crying. However, before Erich could even react, S'aleth followed Butcher's example, and used what remained of her weapons to clear a path for Erich, before self detonating in a desperate attempt to take as many bugs with her as possible.

If Butcher's sacrifice had plucked at Erich's heartstrings, then S'aleth's had consumed his heart entirely, and left a black hole in its place. He had already lost S'aleth once before, and that had nearly killed him with grief. However, by the grace of god, she returned to his arms, giving him the hope he needed to fulfill his daunting task.

Yet as of right now Erich felt as if he had lost all purpose in life, and once more questioned why he even bothered struggling against such overwhelming odds. After all, there was nothing worse in this world than being given a second chance with the woman you loved, only for her to be ripped from your arms once more.

With S'aleth's sacrifice, Erich had truly lost any hope of survival, or any further reason to live. In fact, he had completely blacked out for a few moments, as grief overwhelmed his heart and mind. Instead, his body relied entirely on his instincts, which he had gained from being a veteran combat pilot. Thus, despite being overwhelmed by grief and depression, Erich continued his flight trajectory towards the Naraku Kingship's exposed hangar bay. All the while, what remained of his escort followed Butcher's and S'aleth's example whenever they, too, were on their last breath.

Starfighter after starfighter detonated in front of Erich, clearing thousands of Naraku drones within their explosions, and by doing so they slowly built a bridge for Erich to cross over, without fear of being harassed by the Naraku, until finally the man arrived at his destination.

Erich still had not recovered his consciousness, which had seemingly entered the void, along with S'aleth and Butcher. Instead, he instinctively pressed the button on his joystick to fire the world-killer torpedo into the enemy Kingship.

However, there was just one problem.... Erich's bomber had received far too much damage on the journey to its destination. To the point that it was now no longer capable of launching the torpedo. Even if Erich used his cyberkenisis, the best he could do was detonate the torpedo while it was still in the ship's storage bay.

And when Erich saw the error appear on his targeting computer, he suddenly snapped out of his depressive daze. His heart now filled with determination, a determination to die together with his comrades so that he could unite together with them in the afterlife. Valhalla? That did not sound so bad, now that he thought about it.

Thus, in one final act of heroism. Erich hit the throttle to maximum speed and barrelled towards the Kingship's hangar bay in a suicidal charge. Where he intended to manually detonate the world killer torpedo the moment he entered the Naraku Kingship.

Now it was Erich's turn to sing his swan song, and when it was finally over, he would be reunited with the woman he loved, and hopefully, this time, he would be able to treat her the way she deserved to be treated. Something he had utterly failed to do in this miserable life.