Interstellar Age

Chapter 93 Prisoner Exchange

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Emrys stood on a space station that existed at the borders of the Germanic Star-Empire and the Great Oni Empire. He was guarded by an elite cadre of Star Marines known as the Storm Commandos. Unlike their normal counterparts, these Star Marines had power armor and weapons that were painted entirely black. While their helmets had skulls painted on them.

Of the most elite Star Marines, only a chosen few would be selected for Storm Commando training. They were the premier special forces unit of the Germanic Star-Empire, and because of this, they were often tasked with protecting VIPs such as the Supreme Leader.

Other than Emrys and the Storm Commandos, there was also the Crown Prince of the Great Oni Empire, who stood at attention, with bindings over his wrists. The man had a particularly hideous scowl on his face. Naturally, this was because he had been informed of the current situation, and was livid with how his great aunt had corrupted his beloved little sister. 

But there was nothing he could do about that now. The girl had foolishly betrayed her race, and because of this, there was no spot for her left in polite society. Instead, she would have to go live with the Germans, but what life she would live, Ryu neither knew nor cared. Ayumi was officially dead to him.

Emrys gazed at his watch and sighed. The Great Oni Emperor was late, and as a man of supreme importance, Emrys did not like having his time wasted. Thus, he was just about to give an order to withdraw, when the Great Oni Fleet jumped out of quantum. 

The large fleet of military ships lie directly outside the space station, which acted as a border checkpoint between the two mighty Empires. It then launched a shuttle, which docked in the space station. Before long, the Great Oni Emperor stood in front of Emrys and his commandos with his own elite guard. 

However, when compared to the size and stature of the Germanic men, it was almost as if the Oni were dwarves. Something which not only intimidated The Great Oni Emperor but also those members of his Royal Guard who protected him.

After all, it was not even twenty-four hours ago when a naked Germanic male managed to cause such utter chaos within the palace. They could only imagine what these heavily armored and equipped Storm Commandos were capable of. 

Emrys did not bother with pleasantries. Instead, he held onto Ryu's shoulder, and said only a short and concise phrase. 

"The girl?"

There was a particularly fearsome scowl on the Great Oni Emperor's face as he snapped his fingers. Upon doing so, Ayumi was brought forward. She was garbed in a simple kimono, one which was clearly stained with her tears. And though her eyes were puffy from the amount of crying she had done since her aunt and lover were so ruthlessly murdered in front of her. There were no signs of injury upon her. 

Thus, Emrys was able to sigh with relief as he pushed Ryu forward towards his father. Ayumi was also given over to Emrys as the two siblings walked past one another without even bothering to look at each other. 

Once Ayumi was safely in the hands of the Storm Commandos, Emrys finally spoke up to the Great Oni Emperor, who had already begun to turn and walk towards the docking bay. 

"Pardon me, Kenji, but aren't you forgetting something? Where is my compensation?"

Kenji scoffed when he heard the grave tone in Emrys' voice. He then pulled out a holographic device and typed something into it. Not even a second later, Emrys smiled, as his NeuroLink alerted him that the GSE's treasury had received the agreed upon payment. Where he then turned around and walked back to his own shuttle, but not before saying his parting words. 

"It has been a pleasure doing business with you..."

This only elicited a snarl from the Great Oni Emperor as he entered his shuttle and returned to his fleet, which in the next few moments jumped out of the Star System and returned to their own borders. 

Ayumi was particularly depressed and did not even look towards her new captors. She had already lost everything. What was even the point of living? She could hardly imagine that the Germans would treat her as anything other than a prisoner. And Emrys did nothing to correct this assumption. 

Upon returning to the Germanic fleet, Ayumi was given some personal quarters. Where Emrys gave her the briefest of statements before leaving her to her lonesome. 

"From here on out, you will be a ward of the Empire. You will live in the tropical world of Teutonia, and will be assigned a guardian. If I were you, I would not give up on hope just yet. There is a surprise waiting for you on your new homeworld, one that I think will cheer you up."

After saying this, Emrys departed from the room, leaving Ayumi all to herself. Who simply scoffed at Emrys' words before mumbling her disagreement aloud, but only after he had departed. 

"Yeah right..."

---

The Journey to Teutonia was not a particularly long one, but for Ayumi, who was just barely managing to get through each day without committing suicide, it was a special kind of hell. That is, until she landed in the starport, and was greeted by her new guardian. 

The woman could hardly believe her eyes as she entered the private landing bay, where a man who should have been dead was standing there smiling, with a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates in his hands. Standing at Erich's side was none other than Yumi, who Ayumi had also witnessed being murdered just a few days prior. 

Ayumi instantly broke out into tears, and jumped into Erich's arms, questioning how he was still alive, and what miracle could possibly have been done to achieve this. 

"Erich? Aunt Yumi? You're both alive? How? I saw you both die so horribly! This shouldn't be possible!" 

Erich smiled, and he hugged the young woman, and stroked her silky indigo hair, in a way which avoided her horns. He then responded with a mysterious tone in his voice, as he dismissed the woman's question altogether. 

"In the Empire, death is not always final. We have ways to bring back those who die. I am so glad that you are safe, Ayumi. I have been beside myself these past few days, worrying about what your father might have done after he had me killed."

Ayumi was still in complete and total disbelief at what she was seeing. No matter how many times she touched Erich's face, she simply could not believe he was alive. She was quick to ask the first question that came to her mind, with a rather suspicious gaze in her amber eyes. 

"You're not androids, are you? This isn't some kind of trick, is it?"

Erich scoffed and shook his head. But it was ultimately Emrys who explained the technology that was futuristic, even by the Great Oni Empire's standards.

"No, they are not robots. I assure you that Erich and your aunt are very much alive and well. In our Empire, we have advanced cloning technology, to the point where death has virtually no meaning to our people. 

Any death that occurs within our borders can be undone by having a body of the deceased cloned, where we then download their memories into the new body. Essentially recreating that person from scratch. 

In military campaigns, we have warships that will relay these signals back to the Empire, so that any soldier who dies in battle can be recovered. As for why Erich was able to be resurrected after his death at the hands of your father, that is because we have a research agreement with your people that allows a scientific outpost to be placed in your capital world. 

This scientific outpost picked up the signal of Erich's death and relayed his memories back to the Empire. Which allowed us to bring him back with his memories intact. This is something that normally would not have been the case if he were to have been murdered in any other world outside the vicinity of our network."

Ayumi was astonished that such technology existed in the Galaxy. And though she understood how Erich was brought back from the dead, she could not fathom how Yumi had been. Thus, she was quick to inquire about this.

"Okay, I think I can comprehend this. You are saying that Erich was cloned with all of his memories, thoughts, and feelings intact. But how did you manage to resurrect my aunt? We don't have this technology in the Great Oni Empire. There is no way I can think of that you could have cloned her as well!

Contrary to what Ayumi was expecting, it was not Emrys or Erich who informed her of this matter, but Yumi herself.

"I can explain that, dear. During my last visit to the Empire, I needed a medical condition taken care of. While the doctors of the Empire were conducting the procedure, they took a sample of my DNA and a scan of my memories.

Though I don't remember everything that has happened since then, the Germans have succeeded in reviving me much in the same way that they did for Erich. You can rest easy, Ayumi. Despite everything that has happened, we are alive and well. I always told you how great the Germanic Star-Empire was, and now you can witness their glory with your own eyes!"

It took Ayumi several moments to process this information, but in the end she broke out into tears of joy, and hugged both Erich and Yumi. Both of which were happy to see the girl returned to them alive and well. Not wanting to ruin this touching reunion,Emrys then smiled and nodded at Erich before departing without saying another word. 

Now all that was left was for Erich to take Ayumi and her aunt back to his home. While the Empire prepared to instigate a civil war within the borders of their Greatest Ally, Erich would have to be the mediator between the four women in his life. There was no doubt in the man's mind that both his wife and mother would not approve of having two alien women in the house. Especially if he would be engaging in physical intimacy with the both of them.

But even if Erika and Krista had nothing but animosity towards Yumi and Ayumi, there was nothing they could do about it. After all, the house was officially Erich's, and he alone had the power to choose who lived with him, and who did not. One thing was certain, there was definitely going to be a bunch of drama the moment he brought these two women home with him.