Interstellar Age

It took some effort for Bixel, and his cronies to track Erich down. His movements were not easy to follow. After all, he was an experienced covert operative, one who was trained to hide his tracks during years of brutal lessons. But when they finally found the man, they were surprised to see that he was alone on the smuggler’s moon. 

After coming back from the massacre of the Sages, and their order, Erich split his crew up to have several tasks. They were each sent to root out and destroy those few sages who had survived by hiding in the milky way. While Erich began to make alliances in preparations for his invasion of the Germanic Star-Empire.

There were few civilizations that welcomed the orcs and considered them anything but a menace. But on the smuggler’s moon it did not matter what race you were from, or what civilization you belonged to, or even who your employer was, so long as you had something to sell, or were willing to buy. 

It was because of this that Erich came to meet with several Orc Warchiefs at this neutral ground, ones who were resistant to the idea of following an outsider who named himself Warchief. The Orcs may be a bunch of up jumped barbarians, but they had their codes of honor, and though they recognized strength above all else, some clans were more xenophobic than others.

The idea of serving a Warchief who himself was not an Orc was a disgusting prospect to these men, and because of this, these three Warchiefs whose hordes were much larger than Erich’s had all decided to band together to resist this outsider’s attempts to rally the clans beneath his banner. 

Erich naturally planned to try a diplomatic approach first, but no matter what he promised them, they were unwilling to follow an outsider. Knowing that might was right among the Orcish race, Erich swallowed his cup full of exotic alcohol before declaring war on the three of them. 

“It would appear we have no choice but to settle this matter on the battlefield, name the world which our hordes shall fight upon, and my army will meet yours there.”

The three Orc Warchiefs broke out into bellowing laughter as they heard Erich’s words. They truly believed the man was out of his mind. The Orcs, of course, did not rely on tactics, they simply rampaged and ravaged like a mindless mob. Thus, the horde with the largest numbers almost always won in their civil wars. 

Erich was outnumbered more than ten to one by these three hordes combined, and yet he had the balls to actually declare war on them with the intent of conquering them. It was simply too funny. But Erich was not laughing, and thus the silver-haired Germanic man simply smirked with a smug grin on his face, as he chose the world they would all fight upon. 

“There is a primitive world in Asuran space. A large open world, where no structures or civilization will get in our way. We will fight there. I will send you the coordinates after we have concluded this discussion. Once I have done so, you have three months to arrive at the chosen world, where our armies will fight. If I win, you must all swear your loyalty to the Iron Horde. If you win, I will disband my horde, and split its members among each of yours. Sounds fair, does it not?” 

The largest of the three Orcish Warlords held out his arm with a smug grin on his face as he accepted Erich’s offer. 

“Very well, pretty man. We will gladly accept your horde and those fancy ships that your people travel in.” 

After saying this Erich returned the man’s conceited expression, and clasped onto the man’s forearm with his hand, which was responded in kind by the rival Warchief. Erich then made this gesture to the other two warchiefs, before they all departed from the scene, with a certain swagger that made it appear as if they had already one. 

Once the three warchiefs were out of earshot, Erich wore a wicked smile on his handsome face as he shook his head and spoke his thoughts aloud. 

“Fucking idiots…” 

It was at this moment, Erich heard a high pitched, and nasally voice speak up to him from nearby. 

“Swindling a group of illiterate morons, are we? Are you sure that you aren’t better suited to a career in investment banking?” 

Erich looked over and saw nobody. He quickly looked around to see where the voice had originated when it spoke to him once more. 

“Erm… Down here!”

Erich then gazed down and saw a tiny goblin, which was dressed in a suit that appeared as if it were pulled out of early 20th century American propaganda. The Goblin truly looked the part of an early 20th century banker, with a top head, a monocle, a pocket watch, and a three-piece suit with a bow tie. He also held onto a luxurious cane and was grossly overweight. No doubt living a life of gross excess. 

When Erich saw the goblin, he frowned. After all, the last time he had encountered a member of their species, they had been bold enough to arm the Confederation against the Empire. Something which Erich found intolerable. Thus, his tone was filled with dismissal as he spoke to the Ghimderi representative with complete unprofessionalism. 

“Now why in the fuck would a Ghimderi want to speak to me? I find it hard to believe you don’t recognize my species despite the silver hair and eyes….”

The goblin, of course, knew exactly who Erich was, and was quick to voice this sentiment. 

“Captain Erich “silber” Jaeger, am I correct? You see, Mr. Jaeger, I know quite a bit about you, or I should say that my employer does…. We have learned that you plan to invade the Germanic Star-Empire within the next ten years, and we would like to help fund your campaign.

Whatever you need, we will provide it. And all we ask in return is that you allow us to place an embassy on your capital once you have claimed the throne for yourself! That is a small price to pay for unconditional support from the galaxy’s most wealthy civilization, is it not?” 

Erich looked at the small goblin as if he were an absolute retard, which was not reassuring to the representative of the Trade Union. Erich had almost frozen in place, as he wondered what in the universe would possess the trade cartel to think it was even remotely a good idea to try to buy his loyalty. 

After staring at the Ghimderi representative for several seconds in awkward silence, Erich scoffed before asking the bartender to give him a double shot of his favorite drink. Where he then sipped on it for several seconds before staring at the goblin with an intimidating gaze. 

“And what would possibly lead you to believe that I would ever sell the soul of my people to your disgusting, vile, and greedy race? For four hundred years, my people have lived in exile from the world that gave birth to us. And for four hundred years, we have prepared for the day that we return to Earth and claim what is rightfully ours. 

The fact that you would go so far as to not only supply those damned mongrels with weapons that are capable of inflicting harm upon our ships, and soldiers, but even alert them to our presence in the galaxy is the greatest indicator that you and the entirety of your vile race can not be trusted! 

𝒐𝒱𝓵xt.𝗇𝓔t

Go back and tell your employer this. After I have claimed my rightful place as Emperor of my people, and have returned to Earth to reclaim our birthright, I will march my armies into Ghimderi and set your pathetic little world ablaze.

My rival might fear the alliances you have made, but I have no such trepidation. In fact, I am willing to make an enemy of the entire galaxy just to exterminate you verminous goblins once and for all.  Now get the fuck out of my sight before I start with you!” 

The Ghimderi representative gazed in horror at Erich, not because he threatened to annihilate his people. After all, the Germanic Star-Empire had long since made such empty threats. No, he was horrified that Erich knew about their plot to arm the Confederation of Human Worlds. The goblin began to stammer while accidentally speaking his thoughts out loud. 

“You… You know about the Confederation?” 

A psychotic grin appeared on Erich’s otherwise handsome face, as he stared at the Goblin with a murderous gaze in his eyes before speaking the words that filled the little green skinned runt with terror. 

“Of course! Who do you think it was that apprehended Kwexle, and blew up the laboratory of the scientists he was working with? What, you didn’t think he was dead, did you? No, as far as I’m aware, he’s still in our custody, being interrogated every hour of the day by experts in the field. He has long since given up any knowledge he has about your schemes against my people. Now we just torture him for the fun of it… A fate you will share if you don’t get out of my sight within the next three seconds, vermin!” 

Naturally, the goblin did not stay behind to test the legitimacy of Erich’s threat, and ran off like he was being chased by a pack of starving wolves. As for Erich, he spat on the ground the moment the goblin disappeared before voicing his thoughts on the little creature and his entire species out loud. 

“Sniveling rats!”