Interstellar Age

Chapter 237 Outfitting an Army

It turned out there were quite a few elves in Asuran space. After all, the Asura Cabal was one of the largest trading partners with the Alfheim Dominion. Because of this, Tia was set of searching through all the profiles that were gathered from the Asuran databanks, and try to identify the one most likely to be a Sage.

Even with all of her processing power, this was not an easy task, because all they were given was a planet and a name. And it was entirely possible, no one should say it was entirely probable, that this Sage was using an alias while hiding on this planet.

What exactly he was up to in a world that was owned by an Asuran despot, instead of a Deva or Devi? Erich did not know. But, in the meantime, Kali offered to take him around the world and show him off to the many exotic things that existed within Asuran space.

The Cabal was almost like a narco state, insofar that it was a state in its own right that was ruled by an all powerful criminal syndicate. In a way, each Deva or Devi had their own cartel, and these cartels regularly competed with one another for power and influence.

At the same time, individual worlds, moons, and systems could be ruled over by an independent warlord called a despot. They did not wield as much power as Deva or Devi, and usually remained neutral in the interstellar conflicts that broke out between them.

It was a very complicated relationship between the various factions, and because of this, Kali was limited help on this world, other than using her status and power to pressure the local leadership into accepting her will.

While she could theoretically rally her forces to support Erich in his bid to capture another Sage. This would have numerous diplomatic consequences and could threaten to plunge the entirety of Asuran space into outright anarchy.

Because of this, she had decided to speak to Erich in private, while enjoying a nice meal, and lay out what she could or could not do for him. After listening to her go on about the complexities of the Asura Cabal, Erich took a deep breath, and realized just how little he knew about the galaxy outside of the Germanic Star-Empire.

"You know I'm starting to wish I never left the Empire... Things were much simpler when my sole task was waging war against my people's enemies. Now... Now I'm contending with galactic politicians, while chasing an ancient order of mystics across the galaxy, so that I may defend a civilization that is not my own."

This remark caused Kali's lips to curl into a sneer as she commented on Alex's words.

"Oh? But don't you have two people now? Are you not the Warchief of the Ironhand Clan? Is that not why the great Mala Ironhand calls you husband? You know, I may not be able to rally my forces against a despot, but you have a horde of warriors who are capable of setting this world ablaze if you really wanted to.

I get the feeling you don't understand just how powerful an Orc Clan really is. I mean, if the Orcs could pull their heads out of their asses, and actually united, they might be able to contend with major Galactic powers.

They're strong, they're fast, they rapidly regenerate, and they can breed with almost all humanoids. Not to mention they breed in broods, and pop out babies very quickly, who can grow to the size of an adult within less than a decade.

The only reason they haven't overwhelmed the galaxy already by sheer volume of numbers is because they are constantly fighting wars with other galactic powers, and among themselves. Not to mention they are quite stupid, and are incapable of developing their own ships and weapon systems.

But, I have to say, Mala terrifies me. Not only did she rise to the position of an Orc Warchief with her own strength, but you have foolishly given her a suit of power armor. One that has been enhanced by Alfheim technology. Power armor is only favored by those civilizations who consider themselves a warrior race.

It is expensive to manufacture, and though it has many benefits, it is also considered bulky by other races, and usually requires great strength and stamina to wield properly. The orcs are too stupid to make it themselves, but if they did, they would be an even greater menace to the galaxy.

Think of what you could do with a single orc clan, and the resources at your disposal? Though I doubt you would be able to convince the Alfheim Empress to manufacture power armor for orcs..."

The woman had gone on an extremely long rant without giving Erich room to speak. But Erich listened to every word of it, and realized that he was no longer just a man alone in the galaxy, or just another soldier to be tossed into the meat grinder. He had his own warriors, and it was not just his small team.

If the local despot really did refuse to hand over the Sage, then Erich actually had the means to force her to do so.... Thus, he did not even think about his actions, instead planted a kiss on Kali's forehead, something that shocked her, as he expressed his thanks for enlightening him on his current position in the galaxy.

"Kali, you're a fucking genius! I'm headed back to the ship, feel free to enjoy the rest of your meal!"

The woman only now realized that she might have accidentally convinced the man to do something incredibly dangerous, and incredibly foolish.

"Oh, shit.... He won't really equip those brutes with power armor, will he?"

---

Erich swiftly returned to the ship, where he found Mala was in the middle of the Vigilance's gym. She was in the middle of doing squats, which Erich found to be incredibly sexy. He snuck up on the woman and spanked her ass, causing her to drop her weights and turn around with a hostile stance.

However, once she saw it was Erich, she hugged the man tightly and kissed him.

"Husband! I was wondering when you would pay me a visit! It is strange, we still have not produced any children. Are you perhaps sterile?"

Erich felt his manhood challenged as he heard this. Sterile? Of course not! Well, I meant technically yes, but he could reactivate his reproductive capabilities with a single thought. Thus, he grinned at the woman and accepted her challenge, even if it wasn't the wisest thing in the world to do.

"Oh? You think I'm sterile? I'll show you how fertile I am tonight! But that's not why I found you. I wanted to know how long it would take you to rally the clan to our current location?"

A look of pure excitement appeared on Mala's beautiful face when she heard this question. She had been itching for a fight ever since she left her clan behind. And now that her husband was rallying the clan, it meant that there was a war to fight.

"At most, it will take three months. Why? Who are we fighting? Is it these blue skinned whelps?"

Erich chuckled when he heard this, before patting the woman's silky black hair, before shaking his head. He knew he was going to disappoint her with his words. But he needed to tell his wife the truth.

"Not quite yet. I don't know for sure if we will be fighting, but I need to let this despot know that I have the means to do so if they try to stop us from getting what we want. Besides, I wanted to ask you something else. How do you like your new power armor?"

Though Mala appeared momentarily depressed that there wasn't going to be any violence. She was quick to become excited again when Erich asked about her power armor.

"I love it! I didn't know such wonderful technology existed! If only the entire clan had such armor, then there would be nobody who could stop us!"

Erich chuckled and nodded his head before giving Mala some particularly good news.

"That's good, because I intend to give the entire clan their own set of Power Armor. I just don't know how to convince Lunaria of approving such an expense...."

Mala was beyond excited when she heard this and had even picked Erich up into the air and kissed him as if he were the maiden. Where he quickly struggled out of. Ultimately, the loving gesture turned into a grappling contest, as the husband and wife fought for physical supremacy. That is until a familiar voice interrupted them, seemingly from the ship's intercom.

"Apologies for interrupting this Orc mating ritual... But, Master does not need to worry about convincing the Alfheim Empress to support him in this matter. Tia can manufacture Power Armor for Master and his troops that is even superior to the equipment Master currently has...

It might take a few weeks to set up production, but in at most two standard galactic months, Master will have his army properly equipped. Should Tia also prepare some more advanced weapons while she is at it?"

Erich had all kinds of questions on his mind when he heard this, like just where Tia was acquiring the resources to achieve all of this, but every time he asked her about the subject, she simply pled the fifth. Thus, he could only thank her for her efforts, and hope she delivered.

"Alright, that sounds good to me. It gives us time to regroup with the Clan, and have them properly train with the equipment. What do you think Mala, do you think this is a good idea?"

Mala was currently in a headlock that Erich had captured her in during their wrestling, and had stopped what she was doing when she heard Tia's voice. She simply smiled and confirmed that two months was good enough in a way that stoked Erich's ambitions.

"Husband... With this, we could be the first to unite the clans in galactic history! By then, the entire galaxy would be yours for the taking!"

Erich thought the woman was exaggerating and thus shook his head and chuckled before responding to her in a deliberately vague manner.

"We shall see...."

With this, Tia would begin the production of arms and armor for warriors of the Ironhand Clan, as for any other instruments of war, the adorable artificial intelligence would begin designing new ships for the Ironhead Clan that were capable of competing with the heavy hitters of the galaxy, as well as new combat vehicles.

Because just like Kali, Tia recognized how useful the Orcs were to her Master's ambitions. Even if she herself thought of the Orcs as a particularly loathsome species.