Tyranny of Steel

The three-month vacation in England was done as soon as it had begun. Lukas had become more acquainted with the affairs of his new Kingdom, and had vowed to begin making changes that would see England rise to a state similar to the other major Empires that Berengar's sons currently ran. Thus, he began spending weekends in England, like his brothers had done for their realms before him.

Before Berengar even realized it, another five years had passed, and during this time the German war machine focused entirely on producing the latest generation of weapons for the German Army, technological advancement had slowed down, at least as far as the military was concerned.

Berengar's primary focus in this time span was to provide nuclear power to the entirety of the reich, and begin transitioning to a mostly electric powered state. The former of which he had accomplished. By now, a combination of Nuclear, hydro, and geothermal energy was powering every major city in the fatherland and its many colonies. All three of which had a monumental effect on countering any possible anthropogenic climate change scenarios.

Aside from environmental concerns, and sustainable energy, there was one other major development that had been going on for the last five years or so, and that was the German Space Program. Zara had been instrumental in the rise of the German austronautical sector.

And today was an important day for the Reich and mankind itself. Standing in the command center today were a whole host of important personnel. Chief among them were the Kaiser himself, and the head of the German space program. Both of which were fawning over the young German Princess who had accomplished the unthinkable.

For years now, Zara had one particular dream in mind, one which she had been carefully working towards since she was a little girl. Today, if all went well, she would finally be able to achieve that dream. Zara looked at the monitors, which displayed the massive rocket of her latest design. She had tested this monstrosity quite thoroughly, and truly believed that it would result in her dream coming true.

On one of the monitors was a screen which displayed the crew compartment on the landing craft. There were three astronauts contained within, one of which was none other than Prince Hans von Kufstein, who, after hearing about a potential manned mission to the moon, volunteered on the spot.

His father may have been the first man to ever fly a plane in this world, but he had been the first man to enter space, and would now be the first man to step foot on the moon.

Currently, the young man was checking the gauges of the spacecraft, and making sure that everything was operating at optimal standards, because if they were not, he would be forced to abort the launch.

After confirming that everything was in order, Hans spoke on his microphone, specifically back to Zara, who was watching the screen with fierce intensity.

"You sure this thing won't blow us up? I don't mean to sound unfaithful in your abilities, little sister, but I remember more than a few of your little rockets blowing up in your face when we were kids."

Zara simply scoffed before responding to her half brother's taunt with an equally sharp remark. Obviously, by the words she said, she was quite confident in the success of this mission.

"It'll be fine. I have thoroughly tested this rocket design, the failure rate is slightly below 1%. Besides, I remember more than a few times where your mother was worried sick after you were forced to eject from your experimental aircraft. If we want to compare statistics on failures, I believe you have me beat big bro!"

It was now Hans's turn to scoff as he responded to his little sister's remark with a fat grin on his face.

"Alright, alright, let's get this show on the road already!"

Zara could not agree more with Hans' statement and quickly flashed her father an excited grin, who nodded his head in approval. Thus, giving the girl permission to begin the countdown.

"Launch in ten nine eight seven six five four three two one!

blast off!"

After saying this Zara punched the launch button with her dainty fist, which send the rocket propelling into the air. The screens continued to project the rocket and its crew

4

blast off!"

After saying this Zara punched the launch button with her dainty fist, which send the rocket propelling into the air. The screens continued to project the rocket and its crew compartment as the three astronauts held on for dear life as they took to the skies before passing through orbit and into space.

The three-stage rocket eventually completed its launch as the control room broke out into cheers of excitement. Finally, Hans's voice could be overheard throughout the facility as he slowly got accustomed to space.

This was not the first time the man had entered space over the past five years. In fact, very early on, Hans transitioned from an experimental pilot to an astronaut, being the first man to enter space and step foot on the German Space Station, which currently orbited the Earth.

"Mission control, we are inbound for the moon. Eta three days!"

Berengar was perhaps the most proud parent in the world at this moment. Two of his children had made history on this day. His daughter Zara had built the rocket which would reach the moon, while his son Hans would be the first man to step foot on the moon.

Thus, the man approached his daughter and hugged her tightly before complimenting her on her efforts, which certainly had not gone to waste.

"Zara, daddy is very proud of you!"

The young woman smiled and accepted her father's embrace in silence as the two of them waited patiently for the rocket to arrive at its destination.

Nearly three days passed, and by now the German nation was sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting for an update on the event which was being broadcast across the entirety of the Reich. They could hardly believe that mankind was about to step foot on the moon. It had been the dream of man for millennia to do so, and finally, it was about to happen.

To think that just a quarter of a century ago, Germany was a feudal state, entrenched in the misconceptions of the catholic church. Now, they were a modern Empire, that spanned across the globe. One which was capable of putting a man on the moon.

To the average German citizen, this was a matter of immense pride. Not only for their nation, but the Kaiser who led them to this bright future, and also the Prince who was so daring that he would even conquer space.

As if like clockwork, the broadcast shifted to the cockpit of the landing craft, which began to detach from the rocket, as it slowly approached the surface of the moon. On live television Hans stepped foot out of the vehicle, and placed his boot on the ground, where he immediately pulled out a German flag, and placed it on the moon's surface, before saluting it and saying the words that would be remembered throughout human history.

"I, Prince Hans von Kufstein, first of my name, hereby claim the moon for the German Reich!"

All across the fatherland, and its many colonies, cheers erupted from every household and every bar in existence. Even on the corners of the street in electronic appliance stores, people gathered and watched their Prince claim the moon for their empire, with such pride in their hearts that they thought it might suffocate them.

Having successfully landed on the moon, the German Reich was one step closer to becoming as advanced as the world Berengar had left behind in what seemed like a lifetime ago. As for the other world leaders, they were either made aware of this feat through messages sent by the Reich, or in the case of Japan, through the same broadcast which made its way across the German Empire.

Itami gazed in disbelief at the feat, which she never would have considered being able to accomplish when she first reincarnated into this world. The fact that she had been able to reunite with Julian in this life, and that the man had been capable of accomplishing so much, in such a short period, reaffirmed her belief that he was truly the only man worthy of her love.

As for Berengar and Zara, they were still at the Command Center, cracking open a case of champagne for themselves and everyone in mission control. They had successfully landed a man on the moon. A feat that nobody ever thought was possible until this moment.

This was a sign, that the Reich would have a very bright future, and thus, Berengar had begun considering what he would do with his eventual retirement. While drinking on a glass of champagne, Berengar reflected on the life he had lived up to this point, and the many hurdles he was forced to cross in pursuit of this grand achievement.

I wanted to thank you all for supporting Tyranny of Steel up to this point. From here on out, until the very end of the novel, updates are going to be less frequent with one chapter a day. Instead, I would like to invite all of you to read my new novel Interstellar Age, at https://www.webnovel.com/book/interstellar-age_ 26235247006730205

which will be receiving my primary attention from here on out. Thank you all for the support you have shown me, and I look forward to writing novels for you all for years to come!

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