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.
Instead of trying to save as much of the fleet as possible, he should have given up on most of his comrades and prioritized the safety of his father.
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.
In fact, if Otrus Magrin was willing to sacrifice everything, then he could have transferred to the cockpit of the Unrelenting and allow the ace mech to warp away from this star system!
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.
Now, all of those possibilities became moot, because the Seeker of Wealth instantly crumbled when she was struck by the main guns of the alien battleship!
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!
Thousands of bodies had already been pounded into mulch. Others screamed in pain as their bones broke despite the protection offered by their suits!
"Father! What is your condition?! Are you still alive?!"
It took four long seconds for Otrus to speak over the private communication channel.
"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."
"You need to get out of there, father! Let me turn around and take you away!"
"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."
Saint Neville Magrin understood this logic as well as his father, but he couldn't accept this course of action!
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!
The forward acceleration of the Unrelenting already started to slow down as Neville started to think about how he could best pull his injured father from his flagship and bring him out of this accursed star system alive.
"Let me—"
"—Shut up." Otrus spoke in his most authoritative voice possible. It was the voice he used when he demanded absolute obedience from his children and his subordinates. "You have obeyed my instructions for your entire life. Do not ruin that unbroken record by spoiling it in my final moments."
Neville's alarm grew even greater when he heard the fatalism in his father's tone!
"You're still alive! Even if I can't pull you out myself, you can still count on the rest of our forces. As long as you are still breathing, we can still make a comeback!"
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."
"NO!" Saint Neville Magrin boomed as his emotions hit another peak! "I won't accept this! Your approval is everything I have ever wanted! I haven't made you happy yet! I still need you to tell me that I did a good job once I have become a god pilot! I don't know what I will do if you are gone!"
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!"
"No! I forbid you from tanking the most powerful attacks launched by the alien craft. Your ace mech can't cope with so much damage! Do not follow me into death!"
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.
Ace pilots rarely experienced any distress anymore, but when the subject they cared about the most was at stake, even the most hardened and transcendent warriors could break down and cry!
Many kilometers away from the Unrelenting, an old and broken man laid against the side of a torn bulkhead.
The air in the command center had already been sucked away. The surrounding compartments were in a total mess.
The only reason this space remained reasonably intact was because this crucial area had been reinforced thrice over.
Even that had failed to stop the massive kinetic rounds fired by an actual battleship from transmitting so much shock that the officers and specialists had all been shattered or flattened to death!
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.
It was so ironic. A winner like him who did everything he could to climb his way up had reached the bottom of his life.
He had never failed as much as today.
As his protective suit tried its best to prevent his injured and infirm body from deteriorating, his mind became a lot more sober than before.
His grand ambition… his great mission… his ultimate goal…
They were all out of his reach.
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.
If he was about to perish, then he did not wish to be remembered as a notorious vulture.
He wanted human society to remember all of the good that he had done.
The only gift to humanity that truly mattered was not his company, but the son that he had trained into an ace pilot.
"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!"
"What are you saying?!"
"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."
Neville openly cried by this time. "Father… I can't. I don't know how to live on my own. I have never made my own decisions."
"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."
Saint Neville grew dizzy at the thought of leading the company of his father. He didn't know a single thing about running a business!
"I can't do this, father. I will ruin everything that you have built."
"Don't worry too much. Our other relatives shall follow your will and handle the work that you cannot do. Your strength is your most valuable asset. An ace pilot such as yourself will always be able to attract investment. I am not passing my remaining properties to you because I want you to build an empire. I am passing them on because you have a higher chance to get back on track and complete your advancement to god pilot if you have a stronger foundation."
"Father…"