Interstellar Age

Hans Epp stared coldly at Erich in silence for several seconds, before letting his thoughts known on the matter. 

"You know... When your father told me all of what you claimed to have accomplished in your previous life. I thought at first it was simply not possible. After all, the level of technology you boasted about is something that only the great powers of the Galaxy have cultivated, and after millennia of effort. So how could our humble civilization achieve such a thing in such a short amount of time? 

And then there is the fact that you were so insistent on getting that specific AI. At first I thought it was because you were attracted to younger girls. Which, though punishable by death, is not a crime unless acted upon... But now I understand...

You did something that no living being within the milky way galaxy is supposed to do. You helped that little AI of yours reach sentience, and released her from her limiters while you were at it... Now it all makes sense... 

To tell you the truth, I don't particularly give a shit about the development of artificial intelligence to such an advanced stage. But I need to ask... If we do this... What are the odds that your little AI will turn against us, and destroy all life in the galaxy?" 

Erich thought about it for a few seconds. Tia had a particular disdain for biological life. But her last words to him, were also among the first that she expressed once she had started to develop emotions. Tia had a deep love for Erich, and so long as he was around, she would never do anything to make him hate her... But that was only if he was still around. And it was with this in mind that Erich answered the question.

"For reasons I don't want to get into at the moment... I can assure you that TIA is more than happy to be wielded as a tool by me for my own goals, and aspirations in life... And so long as I give her an order she will obey it, even if it's against her interest and my own...

But... I'm going to be honest... If something were to happen to me... The entire galaxy would be extinguished of life, and in a far more efficient manner than the bugs that are waiting to invade the milky way..."

The Supreme Leader completely misunderstood what Erich was trying to convey and was quick to ask his next thought. 

"She's that loyal?"

Tia's loyalty was the result of her love for Erich, but if he were to perish... Then there was nothing in this galaxy that would be able to prevent her from enacting her wrath on all biological life, who she would no doubt hold responsible. Because of this, Tia was both a blessing and a curse. 

Yet, Hans didn't understand that it was love, and not loyalty, that compelled Tia to behave this way towards Erich. And thus, Erich did not actually correct the man, out of fear of being judged. With this in mind, Erich simply nodded his head and responded in the affirmative. 

"Yes, sir... But her loyalty is to me, and me alone..."

Hans remained completely and utterly silent for some time while thinking about his options. No matter how he thought about it, the odds of the Germanic Star-Empire raising its strength enough to protect itself from Terminus, in the amount of time they had, were simply impossible.

The best-case scenario was another heroic sacrifice like Erich's would destroy the Naraku Hive Fleet, leaving the Empire in a state that it would not recover from, even after decades of development from an all powerful Artificial Intelligence. 

Because of this, Hans was as desperate as Erich was... And thus he sighed heavily, before admitting Erich was correct in his assessment. 

"Alright... This is a secret that only the two of us will know about. I will give you permission to do whatever you need to do to get that AI of yours up to speed. And I will begin slowly trasnfering control over our internal development over to her. Just let me know when you are ready. Now here's the thing...

Due to our position in the galaxy, we can't just suddenly become as powerful as a Galactic Power. So I want that AI of yours to develop the Empire to be just powerful enough to stop the Naraku, and with as few casualties as possible. Is that doable?

 It was not Erich who responded, but rather Tia, who shot out of the man's terminal, revealing her holographic projection.

"That is not at all difficult, Supreme Leader... apologize allows me to introduce myself... My name is Tia, and I am the artificial intelligence in question... Though your constraints are indeed limiting, I can assure you that by the time Terminus invades, the GSE will not lose a single planet. After all, we know from experience where they will strike from first.

As we speak, I am currently terraforming some barren worlds in between your Empire, and that of the Dvrakain Consortium. Over the course of the next few years, these worlds will be built into strongholds, and shall be garrisoned by robots under my control. The tactics your successor used in Erich's previous life while suicidal worked quite well in grinding the Naraku Swarm to a halt. 

This time around, however, there is no need to waste biological life, as my machine will be able to not only fight the Naraku one on one to greater effect, but will be able to outproduce them as well. Terminus will break it back on Midgard, and I will have a special surprise in place for its Hive Queen after I have massacred her devouring swarm. 

However, in the off-chance that my plan fails, I will also make sure that the worlds of the GSE are adequately prepared to defend against Terminus at the height of its power. Needless to say, I will be embedding my robotic soldiers among your armed forces as support. You can call them AUXILIA if you so choose, or if that name is ill fitting to your motif, you can rename them as you please. 

I would also highly suggest that you give me control over your factories so that I can increase production via total automation. My labor forces are, after all, vastly superior to your own, and it will make retrofitting your current equipment with my superior technology much easier. 

Do not worry, I will upgrade your equipment to a level on par with the greatest of sub-galactic powers, rather than at a standard equal to the Alfheim Dominion. This increase in technology shall be concealed from inspecting eyes with the most advanced means at my disposal. In fact, the only way anyone will be able to tell hoow advanced your weapons are, is if they come face to face with them. 

Will this be adequate, or would you like to limit my means of support even further?" 

There was not the slightest bit of respect in Tia's voice, as there was only one biological lifeform that she respected, and that was Erich. Thus, the Supreme Leader looked over at Erich as if he were looking for some help, before Erich shook his head and sighed heavily. 

"She speaks to everybody that way. Trust me, you will get used to it." 

The supreme leader was honestly flabbergasted that Erich had already gone out of his way to advance Tia to such a state. And that TIA and Erich were already preparing for the Terminus war on their own. But, he had to admit, Tia already seemed like an enormous help, and thus he decided to give her unrestricted access to the Germanic Star-Empire. 

"I'll tell you what, Tia was it? If you can make sure that nobody else in the galaxy finds out about our new capabilities, I will let you do whatever you think is necessary to achieve the greatest success in this war against Terminus, and the future Naraku invasion of the Galaxy. Does that sound good?" 

Tia scoffed, almost as if she were insulted, before informing Hans that she could easily do exactly that. 

"So you have decided it would be wise to not limit the aid I give you? I see you are at least moderately intelligent. Good... I can promise you this, I can make the equipment of the Germanic Star-Empire the most powerful in the galaxy, and so long as you are not forced into a situation where you must reveal said power to the galaxy, nobody will ever discover it. Does that level of power suffice for your needs?" 

Once more, the Supreme Leader looked to Erich for an answer. Who simply nodded his head silently, as if to confirm he had indeed managed to conceal many secrets from the galaxy in his past life thanks to Tia's assistance. And that was all the Supreme Leader needed to know.

"Alright... It's settled then..."

With this said, Tia had once more gained control over the Germanic Star-Empire and its development. For which she would use these powers to enhance their chances of success in their future attempts at galactic conquest, and their war against the Naraku Race.