Interstellar Age

While Erich was getting acquainted with the latest diplomat to arrive at his court, a similar instance was taking place in the world of the Confederation of Human worlds. The human race, or what it had transitioned into after centuries of interbreeding and mixing of cultures, had very little contact with the outside galaxy.

A few of the colonies had been visited by alien species who were at a similar level of technological development of themselves. But the average citizen of the Confederation considered this to be little more than the madness that accompanied those who lived on such barren and inhospitable worlds. In other words, it was the musings of the of peasants, and not something to take into serious consideration. 

However, the reality was that certain social elites, including those who were at the heads of mega corporations, had made contact with alien civilizations and exploited these secret relationships for monetary gain. Meanwhile, the Confederation had long since been infiltrated by the GSE and its spies. 

Yet, today was a shocking day for the entirety of Earth, as an alien starship made its way to the homeworld of humanity. Or so they thought it was alien in origin, until finally a young asiatic man stepped out from the shuttle, and introduced himself to the Confederation as a representative of the Heavenly Domain. 

The Confederation was a fragmented society, with corporations often having more power than the actual government, and individual worlds being under the ownership of said corporations rather than the government itself. And this presented a serious problem for the mega corporations who hd previously kept the existence of aliens a secret. 

For starters, there was really no way of knowing where the embassy should be placed. Or who the diplomat of the foreign Empire should speak to about serious issues regarding diplomacy and economics.

Earth was technically the seat of the "Confederation's" power, but the reality was that it was just as divided as it had previously been in the 21st century. The only difference it was now the corporations that owned the continents, rather than individual nation states.

Whatever world or even continent received, the embassy would have a significant boost in power and influence over the others. Or should I say whatever corporation hosted the envoy would receive such benefits? 

Luckily for Erich, this deception of trying to curry favor with both him and his natural enemy was immediately noticed by the spies he had embedded in the Confederation of Human worlds, who reported the information up the chain of command. 

Erich was actually quite dismayed when he heard this news. He had always taken an interest in Chinese culture, especially its cuisine, which had miraculously managed to survive in some altered form within the Empire. But the Heavenly Domain was trying to lay both sides, and had done so clearly without intending to tell him about such important matters. 

Of course, Erich did not reveal this hand to Wang Jingyi. After all, if he did that, he would be revealing he had spies embedded in the Confederation. And thus, he instead remained silent about the Heavenly Domain's deception and ordered his spies to continue to monitor the situation. 

In fact, this gave Erich a surprising opportunity to alter the course of Sino-Confederate relations. As many of his spies were placed in high positions of power. With one or more of the Confederations, mega corporations actually being the invention of Germanic spies. 

Thus, Erich had a smirk on his face as he gave Tia a command. 

"Tia.... Tell our highest ranking spy in the Confederation to invite the Wang Dynasty's diplomat to his territory. From this point forward, his primary focus should be to act as the Confederation's ambassador to the Wang Dynasty, and to sabotage their relationship." 

Tia immediately sent the order, before confirming that it was read. 

"Our agents have received their orders, and will now be vying to influence the Wang Diplomat into establishing his embassy at their corporate headquarters. For the record, master, one of your brothers is the CEO in question. Is there something in particular you would like him to know?" 

Erich had honestly forgotten that he had siblings. It had been many, many years since he last spoke to one of them. And though he had purged the remnants of the remnants regime, ordering the outright execution of those who were association with the Wehrwolf Insurgency, Erich had only skimmed over the arrest warrants. One of which included his younger sister Heidi, who was arrested and executed shortly after Erich's ascension to the throne, under suspicion of loyalties to the Emrys Regime. 

The man was not even aware that he had sentenced his own sister to death. Nor was he aware of what any of his siblings were doing. Not that he really cared. None of them were really family to him. Even his own mother, Krista, had distanced herself from the man after he ascended to the throne. 

Thus, Erich responded to Tia's concerns as if they did not matter to him. 

"As long as the man is doing his job right, I really don't care about anything else. I have no brothers or sisters..."

Tia could only shake her head and sigh... She understood the meaning that families usually had to meat bags. Yet Erich only cared about the families he had with his women. He had no love for his siblings. Thus, she could only leave it at that. 

---

Meanwhile in the room that was given to Wang Jingyi during her time staying at Erich's court. She was sitting at the portable terminal she had brought with her, and sent a deep space message to her brother. The level of technology that the Heavenly Domain had was much more limited than the Germanic Star-Empire who could make instant communications over vast depths of space. 

And thus, she could only send a report, hoping that her brother would receive it within the next few months and send a response. 

"I hope you a doing well dearest brother, and wish all the health and prosperity upon you. You will be happy to know that the Germanic Emperor has accepted me into his home while an official embassy is under construction. He is an interesting man and looks no older than you. But did you not tell me that he should already be a middle-aged man by now?

The only sign of age is his grey hair, but it is not a normal gray, but almost like a shimmering silver. Perhaps he was born with a such a unique hair color? After all, as I understand, the Germanic people undergo extensive genetic alteration at birth. Thus, perhaps they discovered new hair and eye colors that do not naturally exist in our DNA?

Anyway, I think I'm rambling now so I will get back on the topic. The Germanic society is so different. The architecture is so.... I don't even know how to correctly describe it. Rudimentary? No.... That wouldn't be right. Oh, I know! Utilitarian.

There's nothing that is made here that is superfluous. Every single part of the architecture, and interior design, is made with practicality and comfort in mind. Compared to our own palace, it seems cold... and unwelcoming. 

Yet the staff have showed exceptional hospitality. Which is something I did not expect from such a culture that you yourself have described as xenophobic. Maybe it is because we share a similar origin! But that can't be right. You said this society was built upon the ideals of an ancient regime well known for its racism, even against other humans. So why does everyone here treat me and my entourage so well?

Well, I'm reaching the limit of my message. I have breakfast with the Emperor tomorrow, so I will let you know how that goes after the day is concluded. Until we speak again, big brother!" 

After saying this, the young woman sent the communication across the stars via a particularly large device that she set up in her window. It would be quite some time until she received a message in response, and she would continue to update her homeland about her stay at the Germanic Emperor's court. 

As for Erich, he knew everything that the young woman had done from the moment she first arrived in his sector of space. Including the messages she would send to her brother. Thus, he would pretend like he was unaware, and gain the envoy's favor. While also using his connections in the Confederation of Human Worlds to sabotage the relationship between them and the Heavenly Domain. 

Meanwhile, the Wang Dynasty would remain completely unaware of Erich's intentions. Or so he hoped. But then again, it was impossible for everything to go exactly the way you wanted to. Especially when you were dealing with complex issues like interstellar diplomacy. Erich could only try to make his plans succeed. Luckily for him, he had many advantages that aided in the chances of his success.