Interstellar Age

In Ancient Roman History, the golden era of the Empire was known as the Pax Romana. It was a time of relative peace, expansion, and prosperity. And in the decades which followed the reclamation of Earth, so too did the Germanic Star-Empire enter such an era.

This Pax Germania as it would become known, was a time of economic dominance and cultural expansion. With the collapse of the Ghimderi Trade Union, the Galaxy had been sent into a state of economic crisis.

One which Tia, who managed the majority of the Empire’s affairs, quickly capitalized on to make the Germanic Star-Empire an economic hegemon across the galaxy. The Credits, which had previously been split into four different currencies based upon the quadrant one found themselves in, had been completely replaced by the Germanic standard of currency.

All across the Milky Way, interstellar civilizations began to trade in Germanic currency, which was not a fiat currency unlike the previous galactic currency that was issued by the Ghimderi Banking Clans, rather, it was backed by the Germanic Star-Empire’s mineral reserves. More specifically, its gold reserves.

For whatever reason, Gold had always been considered valuable by humanity. It had an innately corrupting influence, and the same could be said for most humanoid life forms. And during the economic crisis of the galaxy, Tia had used the Empire’s purchasing power to secure resource agreements with the majority of the galaxy’s lesser civilizations.

In exchange for loans to keep their nations afloat, the Germanic Star-Empire would obtain mineral rights throughout the entire territory which the civilization held. This meant that 3/4s of the galaxy was currently contracted to the Germanic Star-Empire for a period of 1,000 years, giving away their mineral rights to the Germans.

Naturally, there were other resource agreements made, based upon what a civilization had, and could provide. Because of this, the Germanic Star-Empire had outposts across all of the galaxy extracting resources from anywhere they could. Whether that be asteroids, gas giants, habitable/inhabitable planets, or other celestial bodies of note.

And as the years passed, more and more civilizations fell to a form of economic colonization to the Germanic Star-Empire. Those who could not provide the natural resources to satisfy their debts allowed for Germanic Military Bases to be established in their territory.

Before the Galaxy even realized it, the Germanic Military had a presence across 3/4s of its space. During this time, the Germanic Star-Empire fostered colonies across its territory, which had grown to be 1/5th of the Galaxy during Erich’s rise to power.

The Germanic population boomed, both in terms of natural births, and with tank bred human beings. And with the entire society being automated, men were coerced via propaganda to join the armed forces to find “fulfillment” with their lives.

The Imperial Military expanded its size and strength rapidly. Quickly becoming the foremost military power of the galaxy, which just so happened to perfectly coincide with its economic dominance. It took a few decades for the other major powers to take notice. But eventually the Asura Cabal, and the Ennead Theocracy, realized that despite their attempts to match the Empire’s rate of growth, they simply could not do so.

They had begun to fear the Germanic rise to prominence, not only had they become indebted to the Empire like they had been to the Ghimderi Before, but unlike the Ghimderi, the Empire had a military strength that could take the both of them on together.

Because of this, the leaders of the Cabal and Theocracy reached out to Lunaria, and Daelia, seeking to have a secret meeting about how best to protect themselves from the ever encroaching threat of the Empire.

After all, there were many smaller civilizations in their own territory which had become debt trapped by the Empire, and had begun allowing Germanic military bases in their borders. This was a complete and total violation of the previously established galactic order.

And yet, Erich continued to do as he pleased, citing concerns of galactic security regarding the Naraku Menace which lie beyond their borders as the primary reason for taking such hostile actions.

Thus, currently, there was a meeting held on an undisclosed world between the leaders of the Theocracy, the Cabal, as well as the Dominion and Federation. All of them had gathered to speak on the subject.

Three out of four of these leaders were anxious about the rapidly expanding Germanic military and economy. But one seemed not to care in the slightest. If anything, Daelia appeared bored with this meeting. As she silently sat there watching the others squabble over their quickly crumbling influence.

Brahma was the first to comment on Erich’s boldness, and had even made a reckless statement in his angered state.

“I don’t care if the Naraku intend to invade the galaxy and devour it whole. What gives the man the right to station troops in my quadrant!?! Five billion Imperial Soldiers are spread out across the Cabal’s quadrant.

The number of warships alone within our territory is enough to justify a declaration of war! Who does this man think he is? The Cabal has existed long before his petty little Empire. He should be bowing his head beneath my feet, and yet he does not kneel! Instead, he bites and bites away at the smaller civilizations within our domain!”

Amun was quick to agree with Brahma’s take on this matter. He himself was worried about the smaller civilizations, and the debts which they owed the Germanic Star-Empire. Debts which had accumulated to such a degree that over 1,000 Germanic warships now rested within the Theocracy’s quadrant.

Well, Quadrant was not the correct word. Each of the major powers now owned a fifth of the galaxy, or at least officially they did. If one were to account for the number of Imperial military bases that popped up across the entire galaxy, as well as imperial harvesting colonies, then the Germanic Star-Empire owned a considerably larger portion of the galaxy.

And it was this that made Amun agree with Brahma’s calls for violent retribution.

“The Theocracy agrees with the Cabal. This can not stand! It is a violation of the Galactic Order! We must make it clear, all of us are united against the Empire, and if they do not remove their military installations from our domains, then there will be war!”

Lunaria was about to say something, whether it was a concern of her own, or in Erich’s defense, nobody would ever know. Because before she could do so, Daelia smirked and crossed her leg, before holding out a small hole communication device which she had been using to relay the conversation to Erich. She then spoke the words that stunned all of the other galactic leaders, including her older sister.

“Did you hear all of that, my love?”

In the next moment, Erich’s imposing figure appeared as a holographic projection in front of all the other galactic leaders. He was not dressed in his imperial regalia, but rather his gilded battle armor. The man held his helmet to his side, which projected a golden skull across its visor. All while staring down his so-called peers with an authoritative expression.

“Loud and Clear… Is this true? Are you all so dissatisfied with the protection that my army provides? Would you rather make war with me, and leave the galaxy open to the devouring swarm which awaits outside our borders, waiting patiently for the day in which they can destroy us all?”

Not a single word was spoken in response to Erich’s questions for some time. Instead, all of the other Galactic leaders bowed their heads in silence, all the while Daelia wore a proud smirk on her pretty face. Eying her elder sister, as if to say that she had proved her loyalty sufficiently.