Interstellar Age

With Kalis’ betrayal revealed, Erich no longer had to dedicate his time to searching for the traitor. For the time being, there was nothing he could do about it. Evidently the threats he had made to the Ghimderi Trade Union had resulted in them covertly backing the Emrys government, because while Emrys preached the whole normal spiel about ending the Ghimderi Trade Union and their influence over the Galactic Economy, both Emrys, and the Ghimderi knew he had no such plan. 

To put it simply, Erich despised the Ghimderi, perhaps more so than any other Supreme Leader of the Germanic Star-Empire in history. That is, assuming he emerged victorious and seized their throne. He had seen their attempt to destroy his homeland first hand, and understood how far their reach was. Thus, he had no qualms about calling a spade a spade, so to speak.

However, his threats to the Ghimderi Trade Union were taken seriously, and thus, Erich had begun to conspire against them. Especially after they bought Kali’s loyalty and made the playing field completely level between both him and Emrys. 

Thus, at the moment, Erich was now meeting with a particularly rare species. One that was thoroughly wiped out, at least on their homeworld eons ago by none other than, you guessed it, the Ghimderi. If there was any race that had a reason to hate the goblins as much as Erich did, it would be those who suffered against their own hypocritical hand. 

These humanoids were not actually much different from the Ghimderi biologically speaking, in fact, they were most certainly a variant of the Goblinoid species. Though they were much taller, more muscular, and more warlike. Howe exactly that had lost to the Ghimderi Erich didn’t really understand, but he was willing to hear their story. 

And he was doing so, once more on the Smuggler’s moon, where conspiracies like these were often hatched in the deepest and darkest place of the lawless celestial body. Thus, Erich sat with these orange skinned goblinoids, and spoke with them about their past. 

“So call me curious, but you are all clearly much stronger, and capable, than the Ghimderi, how exactly did you lose your world to them? Which resulted in a decades long ethnic cleansing that forced the survivors of your people off world?” 

The leader of the orange-skinned goblinoids, had thick, and oily dark hair, along with a unibrow and, and a beard. He smoked from what was basically a peace pipe, with some form of perspective enhancing alien pheromones while speaking of the long-forgotten past. 

“What people don’t realize is that the Ghimderi did not take our world themselves. They coerced the major galactic powers, after the great schism, which nearly destroyed all the galactic civilizations of the era, to give them our world. Out of fraudulent claims of of ancestral and holy ties to our planet. 

Nobody knows where the Ghimderi originated from, though some say our two species have a common ancestry. Yet in the ancient era, it is written in our scriptures that they were a nomadic people. Going from world to world, civilization to civilization, where they found themselves condemned, exiled, and persecuted. Largely for the same reasons that so many civilizations and species despise them today. 

After the Great Schism, which saw the common ancestor of the Light Elves and Dark elves split into two different sub-species and civilizations, a war in which the aftermath built the foundations of the relatively stable galactic civilization we have today.

The Ghimderi demanded a homeworld to call their own. After all, terrible things were done to them during those days, of which some might say in the comfort of their own homes were completely justified. But they did not have the strength to carve out their own territory in the galaxy. Let alone take our own world from us. So they convinced the Great Galactic Powers to hand our world over to them. After all, during those days, we were colonized by what became the Svartalfheim Federation.

Where they proceeded to use the advanced technology of their benefactors to annihilate us. And when we were gone, they repaid their benefactors, the ones who had given them the world they now call Ghimderi, by enslaving them economically, and in many ways culturally as well.”

Erich chuckled when he heard this tale. He did not know how much of it was actually accurate, as galactic history prior to what was commonly known as the Great Schism was not exactly certain. Only a handful of primary sources existed from the period, and those that did contradicted one another greatly. 

But the part that the orange-skinned goblinoid had said about the Ghimderi enslaving the galaxy economically, and using their economic prowess to force the galaxy to do their bidding was most certainly true. Thus, Erich grabbed hold of the man’s pipe which was offered to him, and smoked it. Where he felt like his head was instantly cleared up, and he could see the greater galaxy for what it was. 

“Well, you are certainly right about what the Ghimderi did after they forced your people into exile. The good news is for you that I happen to be an enemy of the Ghimderi, and their destruction is my ultimate goal. So, how about you allow me to fund you? I can give you weapons, armor, training, ships, whatever you need to wage an insurgency and take back your home world. 

You don’t need to pay me, I’m not going to debt trap you like the Ghimderi so often do. In fact, I am strongly opposed to the usury that has enriched their civilization. You can consider my military and material aid a gift from an ally.

What do you say? I know your people have been wondering about the galaxy, as long, if not longer, than the Ghimderi claim to have done in that long forgotten era. So, wouldn’t you like to reclaim your rightful homeworld?” 

The orange skinned goblinoid took a long drag on the pipe that Erich had handed back to him and thought about it for a while. He knew that Erich wasn’t helping him out of the goodness of his heart, and this idea of comradery was bullshit. Thus, he was quick to ask just what Erich got out of this deal. 

“I might agree, but first I need you to be honest with me. What exactly do you get out of spending so much on supplying and training us? If you don’t want to be repaid, and don’t want to interfere with our sovereignty like you claim, what has inspired you to make such an expense on our behalf?”𝑜𝐯𝓁𝐞xt.𝑐𝓞𝗆

Erich chuckled when he heard this man’s remark. He was smarter than he appeared, and thus, he responded with the honest truth. 

“The Ghimderi have supplied my enemies with a valuable weapon, one that you might claim is capable of evening the playing field in the civil war that is to come. I simply intend to retaliate in kind.

I do not know if you are capable of overthrowing the Ghimderi government and reclaiming your homeworld. But I know that when those little snotlings learn that I am behind your insurrection, they will understand that I too am willing to retaliate in underhanded ways…” 

The orange skinned goblinoid broke out into a fit of laughter when he heard Erich’s honest response, before patting him on his back as if he were a close friend. 

“You hate the little shits as much as we do? Don’t you? Are you sure you are not part Parvaxian?” 

Erich joined the man in laughter, before assuring him that he was indeed not part Parvaxian. 

“Quite certain, but your species isn’t the only one with a grudge against the Ghimderi race that has yet to be fully repaid. I’ll send your the coordinates of the training location, where your people will be equipped with everything they need to wage proper insurgency against the Ghimderi Trade Union and their slaves. To the new dawn brother…”

  The Parvaxian warlord chuckled and joined Alex’s toast with the drink he had in hand. While repeating the man’s words back to him. 

“To the New Dawn!” 

Naturally Erich was aware that the Parvaxians did not have a chance at beating the Ghimderi Trade Union, who could call upon any number of allies to act as proxies in their war against a species that was quite limited in number. And this war might very well wipe the Parvaxians out of the galaxy once and for all. 

But the Parvaxians could cause some serious trouble to the Ghimderi Trade Union, and perhaps even kill off a few Ghimderi Trade Princes. And the war of terror that they would wage would be a powerful reminder to Bixle and all his filthy little Goblin friends that when the Germanic people retaliate against you, they not only match the destruction you cause, but increase it by ten fold.