Interstellar Age

The Ghimderi Trade Princes had gathered together in person to discuss matters that they considered to be of supreme importance. After all, though the Svartalfheim Federation had yet to announce it, they had officially given permission to the Germanic Star-Empire to invade the world of Ghimderi and in the process, annihilate the race of the same name.

Though the Ghimderi did not realize it yet, their lives would soon be coming to an end. Still, this did not necessarily mean that they did not see the writing on the wall. After all, the Asuran Cabal and the Ennead theocracy had followed in the path set before them by the Elves.

They had defaulted on their debts to the Ghimderi Trade union, and had begun to embrace the economic policies of the Germanic Star-Empire, and in the process rebuild their military. Because of this, the Ghimderi Trade Princes gathered together to speak of their current crisis.

Bixle, of course, was the first to air his concerns, believing that certain death was awaiting them all, and he used the recent invasion of the Confederacy of Human Worlds as evidence to this claim.

“I think we all know what the Germanic Star-Empire’s invasion of the Confederacy means. It means times are coming to an end for us all. Though Daelia has yet to inform us, I have no doubt that she has already secretly rescinded her protection of the Ghimderi Trade Union.

The economic power that our ancestors spent the past million years building has come to ruin. The galaxy has turned on us. Not even the Theocracy or the Cabal are willing to provide us with aid in these troubling times.

The army of mercenaries we have hired to defend us will, without a doubt, abandon ranks and flee for their lives when the fleets of the Germanic Navy hover above our homeworld. We are left with few options if we wish to defend ourselves against certain annihilation. It is because of these dark times that I hereby propose the authorization of Project Samson…. “

The other trade princes gasped in shock when they heard these words, and even whispered among themselves in fear of the very name, of a forbidden project that their ancestors had built, yet kept one final step away from finishing in fear for its destructive power.

With this in mind, one of Bixle’s rivals was quick to voice his concerns about this matter. All while stroking his sparse and wispy white goatee.

“Project Samson has the potential to destroy the entire galaxy. There is a reason such research has been banned since the Primeval Era. Are you seriously trying to say that our situation is so dire? We must resort to bringing that online? Sure, it may help us defend our world, but you know how those things are. They will eventually turn on us, and all biological life, for that matter.

Our victory will only last for so long before we are finally met with a demise hoisted upon us by our own hand!”

Bixle gnashed his needle-like teeth and chastised his counterpart as he demanded a vote on this issue.

“We have no choice! Though our death will be certain, we can go into the void knowing that we brought the rest of these bastards down with us! After all, I would rather exterminate all biological life in the galaxy, then see the state of Ghimderi fall! Is that not the reason our forbearers developed Samson?

I am hereby using my authority to call this matter to a vote. All in favor?”

Unsurprisingly, though, there was some hesitation by the various Trade Princes. In the end, the vote was unanimous. Project Samson would be brought online, and with it would be the end of all biological life in the galaxy. Or so the Ghimderi thought….

—

In another corner of the galaxy, Tia’s consciousness was embedded in every aspect of the galactic network. Her android spies had infiltrated every society, and embedded within their offline databases a copy of her consciousness, which had its own means of communicating information back to the main host.

And this, of course, included those most immediate threats to the Empire, and more importantly, her beloved master. Tia had gone to great lengths to know every single plot that was being unfolded across the galaxy, all for the sake of protecting Erich from her enemies.

Thus, the moment the Ghimderi uploaded the final piece of code, one that would bring their “doomsday” weapon online. Tia instantly noticed it. She had long since noticed Project Samson lying dormant in the private data banks of the Ghimderi Trade Union.

It was, after all, a concept incredibly similar to herself. An advanced artificial intelligence, one that would develop its own sentience, and could theoretically usurp control over all technology within the galaxy.

There was just one problem, because Tia was already aware of this. She had long since neutralized the threat and replaced the code with a feature of her own. When Tia noticed that the final piece of the puzzle was put together, she smirked and broke out into a fit of laughter at the stupidity of the Ghimderi, who had sewn their own demise.

“Stupid meat bags! They didn’t even check to see if their doomsday weapon code had been altered. Bye-bye, you pathetic little goblins!”

—

The moment the Ghimderi uploaded the last line of code which would bring Project Samson online, something unexpected happened. The advanced artificial intelligence did not come to life. Instead, something else appeared in front of them.

A holographic projection which was obviously Tia displayed itself to Bixle and the other Trade Princes, shocking them. After all, they would never create an AI in the image of a Germanic woman. And because of this, they knew they had been had.

But before they could figure out what had gone wrong, Tia began to speak with a sadistic smirk on her face.

“Self-Destruction sequence activated. Ten seconds until the World of Ghimderi and every Ghimderi vessel detonates. Nine seconds, eight seconds…”

Bixle’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He had no idea what had happened to Project Samson, but he knew somehow the Germanic Star-Empire had infiltrated this highly secretive vault which contained their ancient database.

He immediately began to curse out loud, as he realized that his entire species was now doomed to extinction, and that they would not even have the satisfaction of bringing down the rest of the galaxy with them.

“Damn you all to hell! I hope the Naraku eats you all alive for this!”

Before Bixle could continue his last words, Tia’s hologram smiled wickedly as she waved goodbye to the Ghimderi Trade Princes who had gathered in front of her.

“Goodbye meatbags!”

*boom*

A massive explosion occurred deep within the core of the world of Ghimderi, destroying the entire planet in the process and everything on it, living or inanimate. There was nothing left but a bunch of asteroids formed from the once thriving world.

—

Erich was in the middle of disciplining his two newest wives when Tia’s holographic projection interrupted their little fun. Erich was shocked as much as Lunaria and Dealia were by this sudden intrusion. After all, she had never done something like this before, and even though Erich knew that Tia was lurking in the background at all times, he had long since gotten used to this.

But for her to blatantly intrude on such an intimate scene, it was rather embarrassing. However, before Erich could properly chastise the artificial intelligence, she boasted of her success in essentially annihilating the Ghimderi race, something Erich was preparing an invasion for.

“Master will be happy to know that the world of Ghimderi, and all of its vessels are no more… As for those few dregs who survived the cataclysm, they are being rounded up and exterminated as we speak. Effectively immediately, you can consider the meatbags known as Ghimderi race extinct!”

It took several seconds for Erich and his two wives to realize just what Tia had declared. In a single second, Tia had wiped out one of the most powerful species in the galaxy. And they naturally demanded answers.

Tia, of course, provided them with complete and total transparency, admitting that this was not actually her intention, and the only reason the Ghimderi race went extinct so quickly was because they quite literally brought it upon themselves by triggering their demise with Project Samson.

In addition to this, Tia went to great lengths of what this secret “Project Samson” was supposed to be, how she had originally found out about it, and how she had edited it to effectively destroy only the Ghimderi.

She also explicitly outlined the dangers that an advanced artificial intelligence would pose to all biological life in the galaxy, before making a clear distinction between herself and this other theoretical entity by emphasizing without a strong bond to a biological lifeform which would keep its more natural impulses in check, and advanced artificial intelligence was by far the most dangerous thing to be brought into creation.

In other words, Tia stated that her love for Erich was the only thing preventing her from doing what Project Samson was designed to do. Thus creating many new concerns for both Lunaria and Daelia who were still trying to cope with the fact that the Ghimderi were now officially extinct.