Interstellar Age - #315 - 315 Times Have Changed

Erich sat in his own palace with S’aleth sitting across from him. The two of them reconnected ten years ago after being separated for decades. And though S’aleth had no memory of this time, Erich did. It had taken a solid ten years for them to rekindle the relationship they once had. But things had changed. 

The young Emperor had taken many lovers at that time, and even a few wives. Though his first love would always be dear and true to his heart. He had to admit; he was no longer the man he was when he knew and loved S’aleth. 

Meanwhile, the Dvrakian beauty was the same young woman she had always been. It was unreal to her that the man she once loved, a man she had supposedly sacrificed her life for, had suddenly become so cold… Domineering… And outright frightening. 

These last ten years were not the dream that S’aleth had when she first reawakened from her decades long slumber. Erich was incredibly busy reforging a society from damn near scratch. And what time he made available to his lovers, those being Erika, Mirage and S’aleth, was spent primarily in bed. 

There was an undoubted lack of an emotional bond between S’aleth and Erich that persisted even now. Perhaps Erich had become cold after spending over a decade on the bloody battlefields that his people forced him to fight in. Or maybe it was his connection to the Terminus Hive that made him suddenly indifferent to such complicated personal bonds. 

But Erich was a different man, and S’aleth had a difficult time wrapping her mind around this. Logically she knew many things has happened to Erich between the time she died, and the time he went on to become an Emperor. But emotionally, she couldn’t piece this gap that persisted in her memories together. 

It was as if she had gone to sleep one night, only to find the next morning that everything around her had changed quite drastically. Including the man she loved most dearly in her heart. Erich had, of course, noticed S’aleth’s feelings, but until now had not actually gone out of his way to really assure the woman of her place. Thus, when she sighed deeply in despair, he finally commented on the whole ordeal. 

“Is there something bothering you, S’aleth?”

S’aleth, of course, knew better than to complain about her feelings to the man. He had a lot of things on his plate, and in many ways he had lived up to the promises he had made her ten years ago, when he was still the ruler of the Silber Enclave. 

The Dvrakian Race had once more found a place to call home. Its homeworld was restored to a state similar to how it had been before the Terminus War. And they had been granted a few systems to call their own. A protectorate, if you will. Or perhaps a special administrative region.

Whatever it was technically called, the Dvrakian Enclave was a small sector of Germanic space where the Dvrakian people were free to govern themselves. All while being protected by the Germanic Star-Empire and its mighty robotic legions. 

And because Erich had done this for her people, she did not want to make his life any more difficult than it already was. Still, she remained here in Midgard, with Erich in his palace. And though her role was officially the ambassador of the Dvrakian Race to the Germanic Race. The reality was that S’aleth was Erich’s concubine, one of three which lived on Midgard, who he routinely engaged in physical intimacy with. 

Knowing her complicated position in this new and confusing life of hers. S’aleth did shake her head, and denied that something was bothering her, when Erich asked about it. 

“No… Not at all… Why would something be bothering me?” 

Erich however did not buy this for a moment, and wore a stern gaze as he gestured towards the woman’s ear which she was scratching for the fifth time since sitting down at this meal with him. 

“Because this is the fifth time you have scratched your ear, and that’s a habit you do when something is bothering you. So are you going to tell me what’s wrong, or ware we just going to sit here and pretend like everything is fine?” 

S’aleth scratched her ear again upon hearing this, before quickly restraining her wrist with her other hand. Once she had taken a deep breath, she still tried to avoid the question. 

“I don’t want to bother you… You’re so busy with everything and all…”

Erich, however, sighed as he placed down his fork, and knight, before curling his fingers together, where he then assured S’aleth that the table was the perfect place to bother him with nonsense. 

“What are you talking about? Busy? I’m eating a meal. Now is the perfect time to bother, so spit it out already. What’s gotten you to look so dreadful all of a sudden?” 

S’aleth sighed once more upon hearing this. Since Erich was forcing the issue, she had no choice but to tell him. Thus, she appeared slightly flustered as she spoke of her emotional problems. 

“I’m just… I’m just having a hard time adjusting to all these changes. I know it has been ten years since I first woke up, but it’s like I’m missing thirty years of my life… And no matter what I do, I feel like things have changed, like you have changed. It’s… distressing…”

Erich sighed as he picked up his utensils and began to take a bite out of his meal once more. He then spoke in a stoic tone as he informed S’aleth that these feelings were quite normal, considering her current circumstances. 

“Alright… I understand now… Yes, if I were in your shoes, I would also feel distressed. This is no fault of yours, but rather that Bastard Emrys… Listen, S’aleth, I have indeed changed since the time you knew me. I spent thirty years in the trenches after your death fighting the enemies of the Empire. What I have seen, it changes a man.

You knew me when I was a young, and relatively untested soldier. But war has changed me, as it does any man who participates in it long enough. I know these things take time to get adjusted to, and I know I have been too busy running this empire to properly help you get accustomed to your new life. But you also haven’t voiced your concerns to me until now. If you need help from me, you must ask, I’m not a mind reader…”

S’aleth took a moment to process Erich’s words, and came to an understanding that although she was having a hard time adjusting, part of it was her own fault for not seeking help from Alex. After all, he had been so busy, and she did not want to bother him while he was taking care of business. But now… Now she felt slightly better knowing that if she truly needed help to adjust to her new life, Erich would help provide it to her. And at the end of the day, all she really needed was to know that she was not alone in this transitionary period of her life. Thus, S’aleth wore a broad smile on her pretty face as she made a comment that caused Erich’s stoic facade to break. 

“You know… You haven’t changed as much you might want everyone to think you have. There is still a good guy inside you buried beneath all the horrible shit you have seen… Perhaps one day, I might be able to rescue him from the pit…”

Erich smiled and nodded his head silently in response to this, but his true thoughts about himself were that he was well beyond saving. He could barely look at himself in the mirror after joining with Terminus, and the true reason he had been so distant from S’aleth, was because he could not bear the thought of the woman learning about the monster he had become. But Erich did not say this, he could never say this out loud. And thus he pretended like everything was okay.