Interstellar Age

The war had begun, and the individual pieces on the chessboard had begun to move into motion. It would not be long before combat began. Yet Erich was not concerned about this. With the current state of the Germanic Armed Forces, he would wager that the only civilization contending with his might would be that of a Galactic Power.

Of course, this was all thanks to his, and Tia's, efforts to enhance their military with new and improved technology. Instead, Erich was more concerned with his interpersonal relationships. And currently he was sitting in his office, with a familiar face standing in front of him.

Mirage was dressed in a sleek black bodysuit, which she commonly wore as an agent of the Imperial Intelligence Services. Under Erich's rule, she had recently been promoted to the position of the Supreme Leader's personal liaison.

This was a role which she had under the Emrys Regime in the previous timeline. Not that anyone but Erich remembered this. There was, of course, an anxious expression on the woman's pretty face. She had no idea why Erich had chosen her for this critical position.

After all, she had only met the man once by happenstance in a bar. But the man had given her the boost in morale she needed to take down Splinter. And since then, she had been instrumental in the downfall of the Germanic Star-Empire's limited criminal element.

Organized Crime had been reduced to nothing, and Mirage was the spearhead which inflicted the mortal wound. Because of this, she had received exceptional commendations and promotions. Now at the rank of captain.

But what really made Mirage Nervous was the fact that she found herself fancying Erich, despite the fact that he was recently married to a woman who she believed was far better suited to being his partner.

As for Erich, he had broken out a bottle of Germania's recently developed and domestically produced spirits. It had become a huge success within the Germanic Star-Empire, and was even beginning to find its way abroad.

When Erich handed the woman a glass of the amber liquid, she was hesitant to drink it. But Erich eventually frowned as he commanded her to do so.

"Drink! Your Supreme Leader commands it!"

Mirage did not hesitate once Erich had ordered her to do so, and took a sip from the drink while sitting down in front of him. She continued to avert her gaze towards the man as he got down to business.

"Do you know why I asked you here, Captain Kuhne?"

In truth, Mirage did not know why Erich had done this, and was quick to shake her head, which caused Erich to smile before speaking of his plans.

"I figured as much... The thing is... Our intelligence agencies are woefully unprepared for a threat which few people in this galaxy know about. I seek to expand our capabilities, not only in infiltrating foreign civilizations. Something which my foreign predecessor was hesitant to do.

But also in sending deep space probes out into the ether... I want to know what is happening in Andromeda. And I need an entire department dedicated to gathering this intel. I am going to transfer a file to your NeuroLink.

Now, I need to express that this information is classified at the highest level. It is what you might call a national secret that only myself, the council of governors, and the former Supreme Leader know about.

Once you receive this file, you must commit it to memory before deleting it. Do you understand, Captain Kuhne?"

Mirage was surprised that Erich was trusting her with such information, but was quick to nod her head in agreement.

"Yes, sir!"

Erich smiled when he heard this response, before doing exactly as he said he would. Instantly a file was transmitted to Mirage containing the same photographs and videos that were taken of the Naraku's onslaught within the neighboring galaxy.

A look of horror appeared on the woman's otherwise beautiful face as she took several moments to gather her thoughts before expressing her disbelief aloud.

"Sir is this...."

Erich nodded his head with a solemn expression on his face before confirming the woman's worst fears.

"That is the current state of Andromeda... And as far as we are aware, countless potential galaxies have also suffered this fate. As you can see.... The Naraku are not from our galaxy. What exists of the insects in the Milky Way is a long-term scouting force, whose presence dates back to the mythical Primeval Era.

They have been watching our movements and transmitting them back to the main fleet for millions of years. And I sincerely doubt that we are the only galaxy to be blessed with such a gift... As you can see, their destructive wake across Andromeda is nearing an end. Needless to say, I think it is obvious who is next on the chopping block..."

Mirage was stunned into silence. It took her some time before she spoke again, and when she did, she finally asked a question.

"Sir... If you don't mind me asking, how long do we have?"

Erich's expression turned grim, as he spoke the current estimate that Tia had given him, based upon information collected in the previous timeline, and via the limited number of deep space probes they had already sent into Andromeda within this life.

"Our current estimates suggest an eighty-year window before the Naraku begin their invasion of the Milky Way. If we were to suddenly eliminate the hive fleets within this galaxy, the odds are they will speed that up.

We also can't be entirely certain, as our deep space probes are limited, and have only begun to touch the surface of what has happened to Andromeda. It could be more, it could be less. But as you can see, there is a reason why I was so suddenly thrust upon this throne.

Hence why I am appointing you as the director of this new department of intelligence. I need to know what is happening in Andromeda. I will do my part to unite the Galaxy against the Naraku Menace. But it is critical that I know how much time I have to do so, so that the proper preparations for their eventual invasion can be in place before they arrive.

Needless to say, your entire department will not officially exist. And the members that you recruit will be held to the strictest level of security. Are you up for the task?"

Mirage thought about what Erich had said for nearly fifteen minutes of silence. It was as if she was just told that the end of the universe was but a few decades away. But after thinking things through properly, Mirage finally wore a stern expression on her pretty face as she nodded her head while accepting the offer.

"I will not let you down, sir!"

Erich smiled when he heard this, before expressing his own thoughts on the matter.

"I know you won't..."

With that said, Erich and Mirage would share a drink, until Erich finally returned to his new residence and back into the arms of his loving wife.