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After all, tobacco could seriously affect one\'s health, and though the technology existed to repair any and all damage which the body could suffer, he would prefer not to have to go to the hospital to seek treatment when he had inevitably developed cancer.

Or so he initially thought, however, after enduring the itense stress of combat, Erich now knew why every man he had ever met took part in the disgusting habit. Thus, he slowly approached his fellow pilots, while attempting to control his jittering hands which shook as if he were a crack addict going through withdrawal. The two men did not even notice Erich approach them until he began to speak. However due to the overwhelming anxiety he felt at this moment, he slightly stuttered as he did so.

"C… Can I bum o… one of those cigarettes off y… you guys?"

Though Erich wore the uniform of a special forces pilot, this was in fact his first combat mission, and because of this he appeared incredibly nerve wrecked as he approached the pilots, who served in a regular unit. Despite the difference in their capabilities, these men were as calm as one could be, as if they had already long since seen all the horrors which the universe had offered.

Upon seeing that Erich was literally shaking, one of the men took pity on him, and handed him a cigarette, where he then lit the device. Erich took a long drag from the cigarette before expelling the smoke from his lungs, an act which seemed to have significantly calmed his body, as he was no longer shaking and instead was able to gain full control over his limbs once more.

The man who had handed Erich the cigarette closely observed his condition and chuckled after exhaling smoke, before commenting on his unsightly appearance.

"First time, huh?"

Erich did not bother denying what was blatantly obvious and nodded his head thrice in silence. To which the veteran pilot smiled and clapped Erich on the back before giving him some comforting words.

"Trust me, it gets easier, and judging by the fact that you are wearing the uniform of Black Sun, I\'m guessing it won\'t be long before you become accustomed to the horrors of war. You did good out there, kid. The fact that this is your first combat mission, and you made it back in one piece, shows you have got some serious skills.

But the war has only just begun, and I\'m willing to bet it will be at least three months before a minor power like the Dvrakian Consortium is on their knees while begging us to spare their pitiful race. So, take a short break, you have more than earned it, and when the time comes to launch again, you take comfort knowing that you now have the experience to properly navigate the battlefield. Good luck kid, you\'re going to need it…"

After saying this, the Pilot put out his cigarette, and placed his helmet on his head, where he then approached the fighter that was obviously his, and climbed back into the cockpit, waiting for the next battle to begin.

As for Erich, he would remember the man\'s words for the rest of his military career. Thus, he finished his cigarette before going back to his unit, who were busy counting their losses.

---

The war for Dvrakia had only just begun, and yet in the first major exchange between the two factions the Germanic Star-Empire had emerged victorious. Not only had they crushed the Dvrakian Fleet, but they laid waste to their backers, in such horrific fashion, that the Enochian Theocracy had no choice but to withdraw from the war and abandon their vassal to their fates.

News naturally spread about the might which the Germanic Star-Empire displayed. This was something that shocked even the other major galactic powers. Though the GSE commonly waged war on behalf of their Alfheim masters, they had never shown up into a conflict in full force before, deploying at most a quarter of their naval forces.

Yet today, the Germanic Star-Empire, a recent upstart on the galactic stage, had shown power that was at the very least on par with a Tier III Regional Power, if not a Tier I sub-galactic power. How they had managed to create such a powerful and vast Navy in such a short amount of time, with only thirty-six systems under their control, even the Svartalfheim Federation could not understand.

Incidentally, this performance had only further added to the tensions at the border between the Alfheim Dominion and their darker cousins. At first, the Svartalfheim Federation believed that the destruction of the Rylonian Civilization had weakened their rivals in the Western quadrant. However, the Germanic Star-Empire displayed a level of military prowess that, given a few decades, could easily make up for the loss of the Rylonians.

Thus at the moment the Alfheim Empress, and the Svartalfheim President were in the middle of an interstellar call, discussing the border crisis which was quickly turning into a cause for all out warfare. Lunaria\'s beautiful face was as smug as can be, as she boasted about the strength that her favorite war hound represented.

"Do you see now how powerful my little puppies are? A mere 400 years, and they are close to replacing the Rylonians. But you know all about that. After all, the last one hundred wars which your proxies have fought against my loyal hounds have resulted in humiliating defeat for you…."

The Svartalfheim President appeared to be a rather young looking male of the Dark Elven race. His skin was as brown as chocolate, his eyes a solid amber color, and his hair was as black as space itself. He did not take kindly to Lunaria\'s remarks, and was quick to remind her that he was not the only threat which she faced.

"I would not be too happy if I were you. The Hive Fleet Terminus is still ravaging your territory as we speak. And since you have mustered all of your forces on my borders, that means you have nobody in your quadrant who is capable of defeating the Naraku. I wonder how many of your direct vassals will fall to the devouring swarm before you are able to deal with them?"

Despite the antagonistic words which the Dark Elf President had spoken, Lunaria did not seem the least bit upset, as if she knew something about the Naraku which her rival did not. This only caused the Dark Elf president\'s expression to sour, especially after Lunaria mocked him for his efforts to cause her grief.

"You think your fleets are capable of deterring me from defeating the Naraku? I\'m afraid not, and while it will take some time to effectively deal with those fucking bugs, I assure you that within three years\' time, Terminus will be dealt with.

And then, you will have to deal with my entire attention. I wonder if you filthy mutts will be able to endure my wrath when the time comes to unleash it upon you. After all, Cristerius, you and I both know how inefficient, and corrupt your Federation is, when compared to my Empire!

By the time my forces invade your borders, we will be halfway to Svartalfheim before your petty congress can even approve a declaration of war! You hold no power, and to sit here and threaten a sovereign such as myself? Well, it is just laughable! Perhaps I might just dispatch my dogs of war and see how they deal with the armed forces of a so called Galactic Power? After all, they seem to be handling your allies well enough!"

Lunaria did not even give the president of the Svartalfheim Federation a chance to respond. She quickly hung up after getting the last word in, before calling up the Grand Admiral of the Germanic Star-Empire. When Alaric answered the frequency, he gazed upon the beauty of the Alfheim Empress, and bowed ever so slightly as a sign of respect.

"Your majesty, I must say I was not expecting your call at this time. Is everything all right?"

Having just boasted about her war hound\'s strength to her primary rival on the galactic stage, Lunaria naturally wanted to check up on her subordinates to see how their current war with the Dvrakian Federation, and their allies, was going. But mostly, she just wanted to congratulate them on their victory well in advance.

"Congratulations Admiral, in a single battle you eliminated 99% of your enemy\'s Fleet, and sent their allies scurrying back to their homes. If you ask me, the Enochians have always been a bit full of themselves, and it is good to see them receive a proper spanking from my most beloved pets.

I swear, my mother made one comment about how beautiful their former High Priestess was as a sign of respect, and all of a sudden their entire race thinks they are the most physically attractive species in the universe. It\'s simply delusional!

But enough about my personal feelings towards those winged twats. After all, it is not my place to interfere with the lives of my vassals. Unlike those dark-skinned dregs, we Light Elves do not force our political beliefs on our subordinates. So tell me Admiral, how long do you believe it will take before you have wrapped this war up, and what do you estimate your losses will be by the end of this whole ordeal?"

Alaric forced a smile as he heard the Alfheim Empress refer to him and his race as mere "pets." If not for the ultimate power this woman wielded, he would be quick to respond to her words with some rather vulgar language. However, he was ultimately forced to swallow his pride, and ignore the words she spoke, which were an enormous insult to him and his people. Even Lunaria did not mean them that way.

Because of this, Alaric would not dare deny Lunaria\'s request, even if she asked for some highly classified information. And thus he spoke in a calm, and rather cheerful tone as he informed the Alfheim Empress of the GSE\'s progress in their current conflict.

"It is as you say, the Dvrakians are entirely on their own, and while our Navy is now unopposed in this conflict, for only a small minority of the enemy\'s ships escaped intact, they still appear to be willing to fight us tooth and nail. Thus, I believe we will be in for a long and bloody struggle. No doubt as a result of our fearsome reputation.

Initially, it would take us a mere three months to force a surrender against such a petty foe. However, as things currently stand, we can expect at least six months, possibly a year, before we have landed our armies on every planet and crushed all resistance.

Losses will be minimal. After all, the enemy utterly lacks the offensive capabilities to pierce the power armor which is issued to every one of our Star Marines. At least in terms of small arms, and any armored vehicles they may have will be scrapped the moment they come into contact with our own.

So rest assured, we will be ready, and willing to fight the Naraku until the bitter end. And with the Dvrakians as our buffer, we will be able to bleed the Hive Fleet dry in brutal urban warfare, thus giving us a better chance of survival once they have entered our borders."

Lunaria smiled and nodded her head in agreement with what Alaric had said, though it was a pity the war would have to last such a long time, she doubted the GSE would ever be able to convince their enemies that they did not intend to wipe out their species, at least not directly. Thus, the Dvrakian Armed Forces would have to be utterly crushed on each and every world they owned, until all resistance was futile.

With this in mind, the Alfheim Empress made one last remark before ceasing the call.

"Keep up the good work, Admiral, and I look forward to your inevitable victory."