S’aleth had been given a place to remain comfortable, while the Enclave waged war against the Germanic Star-Empire. She was spending her time getting acquainted with all that had happened over the past 20 years since her death.

The near extinction of her people at the hands of the Naraku was a heavy blow. What remained of the Dvrakian race was scattered across Alfhiem Space, seeking refuge in those worlds who were sympathetic to their cause. Although, in more cases than not, these refugees ended up in some kind of slavery.

Meanwhile, the Germanic Star-Empire seemed to have mostly recovered from the devastating war, but they had done so at the cost of their Dvrakian subjects. Despite the attempts by the Imperial government to rewrite history to make it seem like the Dvrakians had valiantly sacrificed themselves so that their masters may live. S’aleth wasn’t an idiot and could very quickly piece together what had actually happened.

She had no idea if Erich actually was aware of this sinister scheme to sacrifice her people before it happened. But even if he did, he was just a lowly flight lieutenant at the time, and could not have made a difference.

Instead, S’aleth focused on what Erich had been up to. And Erich’s mark on the galaxy was no small amount. He had saved both the Germanic Star-Empire and the Alfheim Dominion from a cruel fate. He stopped the Naraku from destroying the Empire, and had prevented an all out galactic war to break out between the various galactic powers.

He had, of course, been rewarded handsomly for these actions. But what S’aleth did not understand was why Erich had suddenly become an enemy of his people, and was now waging war for control over the Empire?

Whatever articles she could find about the subject were the most blatant propaganda S’aleth had ever witnessed. Mainly talking about Erich’s alien wife, and how his loyalties were no longer to the Empire and its people, but to the galactic community, specifically his light Elven masters.

In all honesty, S’aleth had not known Erich for long, and she always knew that he had trouble accepting his fate as a mutant. But she also knew he wasn’t the kind to betray his people, unless they had somehow betrayed him first.

She did not know why she was resurrected, or how, but the fact that it had been done so twenty years after her death meant that she was nothing more than a bargaining chip to be used in this war against Erich. S’aleth knew with certainty that she was nothing more than an actual hostage at this moment, despite the lavish treatment she had been given by Emrys himself.

Thus, it came as no surprise when a group of armed guards entered her room, who proceeded Emrys himself. The Supreme Leader of the Germanic Star-Empire gazed upon the demonic beauty and smirked before demanding she follow him.

“Miss Tavarian, you look so lovely now that you have been properly groomed and outfitted. Please, if you will follow me, I have a meeting scheduled with a certain self proclaimed Emperor who I think would be very much pleased to see you…”

Though there was a friendly smile on Emrys’s face, S’aleth knew that there was nothing but sinister intent behind his words. Thus, she sighed heavily and stood up from her seat, where she followed Emrys into his office. Where he immediately contacted Erich.

After all, the war was not going well in Emry’s favor. A week had passed since the fighting had begun, and already Emrys found himself losing control over 18 planets. Though this was a small amount in comparison to the many worlds the Empire had gained from the now defunct Dvrakian Consortium, it was still a considerable loss in such a short timeframe.

If this war continued, Erich would soon be emperor of all Germans, and Emrys would find himself with a particularly gruesome end. Thus, he had resorted to his last major bargaining chip to stall the fighting, and buy himself time to gain some support from his allies.

The moment the call connected, Emrys was not surprised to see Erich siting on his throne, with his black uniform. A uniform which was used to allege that the Silber Enclave was in fact superior to the GSE. This was due to the fact that only special forces qualified soldiers were permitted to wear black uniforms in the Germanic Military, while it was the standard issued dress uniform of all Enclave soldiers.

When Erich saw that S’aleth was standing next to Emrys with a sorrowful expression on her pretty face, all the while wearing a gorgeous dress. He could not help but sneer before questioning Emry’s motives.

“So you have finally decided to play this card? Let me guess, you are about to threaten me with, I don’t know. ‘Halt your advance this instance, or else I will kill your alien lover?’ How about it? Was I in the ballpark with my guess?”

Emrys forced himself to remain calm. Considering the fact that his rival had already guessed his intentions. He was about to say something to Erich, when the man spoke up again, but this time Erich did not address Emrys, but rather his long lost lover. A woman who had died in what Erich perceived to be a lifetime ago.

“It is good to see you are back among the living, though I do wish we could have met under more favorable circumstances. S’aleth… There is a lot I need to explain to you, and little time to do it. Just know that I will come for you when the time is right.”

After saying this, Erich looked over at Emrys with a cold gaze. The man had not even made his demands, yet Erich already seemed to know exactly what they were when he agreed to them unconditionally.

“Very well…. I will agree with your ceasefire. I mean, it is a bit anticlimactic, isn’t it? We have only been at war for a week, and not even ten percent of your worlds have come under siege, and yet you are desperate enough to play the hostage card? It is a pity what you have become Emrys. Would you believe that I once looked up at you?

I suppose I can use this time to fortify the worlds I have conquered, and begin the terraforming process so they are actually habitable by the time I win this war. Go ahead and call upon your reserves, as well as your allies, to aid you.

Even if you do manage to mobilize the entire Germanic military in a vain attempt to hold the line against my invasion. And gain the aid of those few species who still call the Empire their friend, it will not be enough to halt my advance.

I would suggest that you surrender rather than waste all of our time and resources with this nonsense. But considering the fact that I already gave you a decade to give up your power, and allow me to take my rightful place as the next leader of our people, I doubt you will accept my generous offer a second time.

How long shall this armistice last? Three months? I will see you on the battlefield then, my old friend. Good luck, and take good care of S’aleth, because if I find out she has been mistreated in any way, I will do to you and your family what the Red Army did to the Romanovs centuries ago.

After saying this, Erich immediately hung up. Neither S’aleth, nor Emrys even had a chance to say a word to Erich. This, of course, made Emrys incredibly uneasy. Because it was almost as if Erich had perfectly predicted this outcome.

Which, of course, he had. Erich’s foresight had grown exceptionally powerful over the last ten years. After all, Tia continued to feed him tablets of the drug known as the “Essence of Fate” which continued to expand his abilities. By now Erich could see years into the future. And had accurately predicted this exact scenario.

Emrys did not know it yet, but by awakening S’aleth from her pod, he had actually made it significantly easier to rescue the woman. And thus, Erich had easily agreed to the ceasefire. Not only to terraform the barren worlds he had conquered and restore them back to a livable state. But he had also planned to make use of this time to rescue S’aleth from her captivity.

Thus, the moment the call with Emrys ended, Erich had dialed another number. Where the blue hair and red-eyed beauty Erich had made his third lawful wife appeared in his vision. Mirage had been overseeing the construction and development of Enclave intelligence over the last ten years. Their headquarters were actually stationed on one of Midgard’s moons. Thus, she had not had significant contact with Erich, other than a weekly report on her progress.

As the director of Enclave Intelligence, Mirage wore a sleek black bodysuit, with some rank insignia on it. She had not aged a day since Erich first met her, and she was actually quite happy to see her distant lover. With a smug smirk on her pretty face, she declared that Enclave Intelligence had already begun their operation.

“I know what you are thinking, and you do not need to worry. I have our best man on the job. JT and his team have already infiltrated Imperial Space, and are on their way to Germania as we speak. I must say, I am still a bit surprised at how you knew Emrys would release S’aleth, but what else is new to you?”

Erich smirked when he heard what Mirage had to say. Before inviting her back to the palace once S’aleth had been saved.

“Once the operation is successful, you and I will have to celebrate. How about you come back to the palace and have a few drinks with me?”

Mirage, however, shook her head while wearing a sultry smirk on her face before denying Erich’s request.

“It sounds tempting, but I would want to intrude upon you and your little succubus’ reunion. Have fun Erich… I’m sure there is much you two need to catch up on. I will let you know when JT and his men are en route back to Midgard!”

After saying this, Mirage saluted Erich before hanging up on him. Now that the pieces were in play, all Erich could do was wait.