Interstellar Age

Life in the Dvrakian Consortium was more peaceful than most civilizations within the galaxy. They were not only in Alfheim Space that was, for the most part less dangerous than other sectors due to the strict system of vassalage that kept a sense of law and order in the region.

But they were also next-door neighbors with the Germanic Star-Empire. The GSE had a reputation of being an incredibly warlike nation, whose soldiers were brutally efficient in battle, and were prone to disregard life in pursuit of victory, both their own, and especially that of the enemy. In the entire galaxy, perhaps only Germanic space was free from organized crime and interstellar piracy. 

The benefits of being the neighbor of a such a frightening civilization was that nobody in their right mind would start shit on the borders of such a violent nation. The downside was one never really knew when the GSE wished to expand its borders, and at whose expense that would be.

Because of this, the relationship between the Germanic Star-Empire and the Dvrakian consortium was a difficult one. On the one hand, the Dvrakians were grateful for the peace that they were able to enjoy, which was in thanks to being in proximity to such a violent and warlike people. 

But on the other hand, they did not appreciate the blatant xenophobia and outright rude behavior of the Germanic Star-Empire. But Erich was different, at least as far as S'aleth was concerned. She had expected him to be hard-nosed, serious, and ill-mannered like her father had always warned her that his people were. 

Instead, Erich displayed a level of politeness that, while welcome, was wholly unexpected. He even had the ability to crack jokes at his people's expense. In a way, he was charming, at least to S'aleth. But hidden behind this politeness, and playfulness, was a look that S'aleth thought was strange.

She could see in the man's eyes, and not his expression that there was something haunting inside. And now that she knew that he had ten plus years of combat experience behind him, she could guess that he had seen some horrific things. 

Things that a bottle of wine and some soothing music could not even begin to mend. Though Erich talked as if his time in the military was just a part of life, from S'aleth's perspective, it was unusual, as her people had not been to war in over a century, and their military existed solely to defend their borders.

More frequently used to put down piracy and separatist movements, rather than fighting against untold horrors across the galaxy. Thus, S'aleth couldn't help but ask about Erich's experience being deployed, even though she knew it was probably something he didn't want to talk about. 

"I know I shouldn't be asking this. I mean we barely know each other, and this is probably personal, but... What was it like?"

Perhaps the worst part of being a citizen of the Empire was the genetic engineering that every citizen underwent. Which made it so that their minds unlocked their full potential, including a damn near perfect memory. 

At a moment's notice, or even upon hearing a simple trigger phrase, the most traumatic shit Erich had experienced could flood his brain in graphic detail, as if he was actually reliving the event. And there was simply no way to overcome this. He had to endure it, and endure it he did. 

There was the slightest moment of emotional trauma that displayed itself, as Erich thought back to the friends he had lost along the way, and the orders he had been forced to fulfill on the field of battle. His facade never collapsed, as he appeared to be stoic, but his hand shook ever so slightly, and the crystal glass in his hand did so as well. 

It was a slight tremor, nothing large enough to cause the wine to spill, but just enough to swirl it around. Because of the stoic expression on Erich's face, one might assume he had done this on purpose. Which he acted as if he did, taking a slight sip of his wine after doing so. But this was done to calm his nerves, rather than maintain a facade of calmness.

S'aleth had of course witnessed all of this, and if not for the harrowed look deep in Erich's silver eyes, she may have believed his calm facade, especially when he finally broke the silence in an unusually tranquil tone with a serene smile on his face.

"It is every citizen's duty to give his life in service to the Empire.... The life of an individual is meaningless in all other pursuits other than as an instrument or war or production... The blood I shed, the comrades I lost, all of it was in pursuit of the Empire's eternal glory, and that of the Germanic Race..." 

This was an obviously scripted statement that Erich had stated for two purposes. One because currently he was a diplomat of the Empire, which meant that anything he said to S'aleth would be reported to her father after this dinner date was over. And two, sometimes a man needed to cling to a mantra, no matter how false it was, to help him cope with the sacrifices he had made in life. 

Erich had of course long sense come to terms with what he had given up in his past life to obtain his place in the universe... But things were different now... The timeline had been reset. Comrades who he had lost decades prior were still alive and well. While relationships he had tarnished had yet to be forged or ruined. Grudges that Erich still held from his previous life had yet to come into existence.

It was a brave new world, and Erich now had the ability to take a different path. And yet.... He no longer had the ability to be selfish. The fate of the entire galaxy was at stake. In eighty years, the Naraku would invade the Galaxy and devour everything and everyone. 

Erich had enough experience as both a soldier and a dictator to know that sacrifice was a necessary strategy when it came to the game of survival. There may come a time when he will once more have to forsake his comrades and lovers for the greater good of the galaxy, and that was the thought that haunted Erich. 

He had been given a second chance at life, a second chance at love, and yet... What if the time came where for the survival of his people, and all the other living beings in the galaxy, he needed to toss that second chance away? 

In truth, Erich did not know the answer... But one thing was certain: while he was thinking about these things, S'aleth had come to a misunderstanding of her own. She believed the reason that Erich had said these things was not because he genuinely believed them, because it was obvious that he didn't.

But because he was being closely watched. And thus, any intentions she had of getting closer to him during this dinner date vanished in that moment as she responded with a throwaway statement. 

"Is that so?"