Interstellar Age
Chapter 370 Master, You Dummy!

Daelia's plan to infiltrate the Germanic Star-Empire was completely and totally flawless. At least according to her own perspective. And it indeed would have been if not for one minor detail which she was missing.

This was, of course, the same minor detail which she was going to personally investigate. And that was the fact that there was an omnipresent and all knowing AI secretly embedded within the Germanic Star-Empire. One that had access to the individual NeuroLinks of every Germanic Citizen.

Tia was minding her own business, running about a trillion different processes in the background. Whether it was maintaining the largely automated industries of the Germanic Star-Empire, its automated law enforcement network, or its newly automated military components.

These were all things that Tia could run in the background, without her immediate attention being dedicated to them. After all, each one of these critical systems of society was broken down into innumerable subordinate AI, creating an almost hive mind like affect which she was in total control over.

It was perhaps because Tia was busy focusing her efforts on things like inventing new and improved deep space probes that her focus was distracted by a major red flag that went off in her security algorithm.

An undetected user had just accessed the Grid, and was gazing upon the ongoing reports of the Germanic Star-Empire's war with the Yokai Ascendency. For the longest time, the Germanic Star-Empire's biggest weakness was its lack of manpower and resources that could be used to provide logistical support to its combat units.

But now that its industries were automated, as were its support roles in the military. This was not a concern, and considering the fact that Tia was acquiring nigh unlimited amounts of natural resources in trade with foreign powers via shell corporations based outside the Germanic Star-Empire's borders, she could theoretically fuel the war effort indefinitely.

Thus, the largest gap in the Germanic Star-Empire's ability to wage war against larger powers had just been solved. Meaning that the war with the Yokai Ascendency was progressing at a rate in the GSE's favor that nobody had ever anticipated. Nobody other than Tia.

This had indeed sparked Daelia's curiosity, hence why she began investigating how this was possible on the grid the moment she entered her new body. After all, it would be several months before her ship, which was a commandeered Germanic civilian vessel, would make contact with the Empire's borders.

But it was this curiosity that immediately set off a red flag in the security system. As until Daelia had accessed the grid with her new NeuroLink, Tia had no information on it. Though the NeuroLink tried to convey the biological data that was contained within the identity which Daelia had stolen.

Tia had already determined that said individual had been terminated beyond the borders of the Germanic Star-Empire's resurrection network. Meaning, realistically, there was no feasible way for her to come back from the dead.

Yet... This new, unidentified NeuroLink was transmitting this citizen's biological data? Clearly this was the work of a hostile power who had somehow discovered the existence of NeuroLink, and was attempting to infiltrate the Germanic Star-Empire for nefarious purposes.

It was because of this that Tia immediately contacted Erich with his news...

"Master... I know your busy right now with your.... wife.... But we have a serious problem. Do you wish to cease in your endeavors, or shall I send my body to come retrieve you?"

There was a clear, enviable tone in Tia's voice as she spoke of Erika and Erich's relationship, who were currently engaging in intercourse. And Erich knew better than to keep Tia waiting. Although he could not explain it, he had a subconscious fear of angering the artificial intelligence that he had helped turn into a sentient being.

Because of this, he apologized to his wife, and assured that he had a serious matter of national security that was calling him away from her arms. Though Erika was annoyed with her husband's sudden need to leave their bed before they had even finished, she also understood that Erich was the new Supreme Leader of the Germanic Star-Empire, and they were currently engaged in a war. Thus, she did not outright speak of her frustration and instead kissed him goodbye.

Erich quickly got dressed, and absconded off to the floor directly below his residence within the Citadel, which housed his office. Where he found Tia's robotic body sitting on Erich's desk, with a mildly impatient look on her pretty face.

The man was about to apologize for his tardiness when the robotic beauty raised her hand to silence him, before speaking of why she had summoned him.

"Save it... We have bigger problems than your truancy. I'm sending you my report now..."

Immediately Erich saw the security report appear within his NeuroLink, and after reading it his appearance turned grave as he spoke a single name.

"Echo..."

Tia nodded her head and spoke in a grave tone about what she had concluded had happened after a cursory investigation.

"It would appear that Echo was smarter than either of us gave him credit for. He must have suspected that his NeuroLink was compromise and thus sent a detailed transmission about the existence of NeuroLink to the Svartalfheim information via some means which I do not have access to.

Although I can't confirm that this hostile agent is from the Svartalfheim Federation, it is the only logical conclusion I can make. The existence of NeuroLink is strictly controlled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Nobody outside of the Germanic Star-Empire knows of its existence.

Though it is possible that some other traitor could have appeared in our midst over the last five years, and alerted one of our adversaries about its existence, it is far more likely that Echo is the one responsible, and that he sent the details of NeuroLink to his masters in the Svartalfheim Federation.

I suppose this would have been his last fuck your to the Empire, most likely occurring during the lengthy man hunt that I issued immediately after the former Supreme Leader gave me permission to assume control over the Empire's network.

There is no telling what else Echo had sent the Dark Elves. But it is abundantly clear that they are currently sending an agent to our borders. One that appears to have been, prior to capture and execution, an agent of the IIS.

There are two ways which we can proceed with this master, both of which will have different outcomes. First and foremost, we can have the agent apprehended at the border, and interrogated via my enhanced truth serum.

Though this is an efficient means of quarantining this hostile agent. It will also immediately alert the Svartalfheim Federation to their arrest. By my calculations, they have an 82% chance of retaliating in some form of this were to occur, and in a worse case scenario, sending a strike team to recover their captured agent."

Tia could tell by Erich's expression that this was not an option he wanted to take unless absolutely necessary, and thus she sighed heavily before revealing the second best option they had to deal with this threat.

"The second option is to invite this agent, who disappeared years ago, to the Citadel and treat them like a returning hero. We can safely and covertly monitor them, and all their actions while here in the Empire, as well as their transmissions back to the Federation.

During this time, you can play with this agent, making them believe that they have one over on you, and then when we replace out who they really are, and what they are after, we can have them deported. After all, executing a spy of the Svartalfheim Federation, while completely justified, would definitely invoke their ire, and we are not yet ready to go to war with a Galactic Power.

Who knows, we may even be able to gain some significant intel on their plans, and why they decided now, of all times, to send an undercover agent into our borders..."

Erich seemed to approve of this plan judging by the smile on his face and was quick to voice this sentiment after he had thought it through for a few moments.

"We will go with the second option then..."

Tia smiled when she heard this, before confirming that she would make the appropriate preparations.

"Very well then, Master. I will make the preparations immediately. That is all that was needed for now, so if you wish, you can return to your wife now...."

Erich did not detect the hint of hostility in Tia's tone, and smiled as he stood up from his seat and walked out of the door, but not before saying goodbye to his AI companion.

"Thanks Tia, let me know if you need anything else."

Tia simply smiled and waved. That is, until Erich, of course, was no longer within earshot. She then hugged her knees to her chest while sitting on his desk before making a comment about his lack of social awareness.

"Master, you dummy!"