Interstellar Age

Chapter 426 Meeting an Unlikely Ally in the 22nd Century

Erich gazed around the streets of the city of Munich. Specifically, during the early days of the 22nd century, which he had clearly sent himself back in time to. Everywhere he looked, people were staring at him. And why wouldn't they?

By human standards of this era, he was exceptionally tall, currently standing at 7 feet tall. He was a monster. Not to mention his unique silver hair and eyes. But what was stunning to Erich was how little of his ancestors could he see on the streets of their own country.

In the year that he was currently standing in, the German people, like most European peoples, had become a minority in their own country. Mass immigration via false claims of asylum, and overall declining birth rates from the native peoples of Europe had almost all but guaranteed their own replacement with in the countries their ancestors had built.

Because of this, at most 40% of the people in Germany were ethnically German, and the majority of them were hiding out further inland, outside of the cities which were full of crime and civil strife, something that had been brought to the streets of Munich and other large European cities by the so called "refugees" who began flooding the country a century prior without limits.

In fact, the woman who called out to Erich was one of the few Germans on the streets of Munich that he could see. She was surprised by the enormous man, with such unique coloration of hair and eyes.

He may be excessively tall, but he was also excessively handsome. Why she doubted she had ever seen a man so attractive in her life. Even if his height was daunting. Erich looked down at the woman and spoke to her, his words translated via his own NeuroLink to fit the German language of the early 22nd century.

After all, his own variation of the language had changed drastically, blending with the other Germanic countries which the founding ancestors of the Germanic Star-Empire hailed from. Erich was so stunned by what he saw, despite already having been taught this in his school years, that he couldn't help but ask the woman if he was really in a German city.

"I'm sorry… I think I might be lost… Is this really Munich?"

The woman smiled and nodded her head. She had no idea what Erich was thinking, or the disgust he felt as watching the streets of a city his ancestors built be inhabited primarily by foreigners. After all, he could safely say that this city was far past its glory years.

This, of course, was surmised by the ruined appearance of the city and its streets, no doubt caused by the neglect of proper maintenance resulting from the poor economy which itself came from an overburdened welfare system and the foreigners who leeched off of it.

Because she didn't understand what Erich was feeling, this woman politely nodded her head and asked if he was okay.

"Of course it is. Where else would you be? Are you okay? You look out of sorts?"

Erich quickly responded, arguing why the city looked this way, even if he already knew the answer.

"If this is Munich… Then why are there so many foreigners here? Where are all the Germans?"

This line of questioning was forbidden, quite literally by law, which punished it as "hate speech." No doubt causing the woman who had bought into the propaganda which was designed to destroy her nation and people to lash out at Erich, hitting him with her purse as she walked off and cursed him, all while threatening to report him to the authorities.

"Nazi scum! To think I tried to help you! I'm reporting you to the police!"

This was bewildering to Erich. And sure enough, he heard sirens approaching not long after as he tried to gather his thoughts on what this all meant. Once he heard this, Erich began to walk off, trying to blend into a population which he, a genetically and cybernetically enhanced human, could never blend into.

Luckily for him, someone had spotted his conversation with a woman, a man with a like-minded philosophy. And when this man saw that Erich was foolishly trying to blend in, he grabbed hold of his arm and tried his best to drag him into an alleyway.

"Brother, you have balls, but even you should know the basic rule of surviving in this world. Never reveal your power level in public! Come with me quickly if you don't want to be arrested!"

Erich noticed the man was one of his people, an ethnic German, and apparently one who was not crazy like the woman he had met earlier in the day, thus he followed the man into the alleyway. Where he knocked on the door to a one of the buildings within.

Shortly after the knock, a slat opened to reveal a pair of eyes that came with a whisper.

"Password?"

The man who was helping Erich was quick to repeat the phrase, a phrase that was well renowned in the Germanic Star-Empire as it was taught in their history.

"The Black Sun rises in the west! Now let us in Wilhelm!"

The door quickly opened, allowing Erich and the man beside him to enter. Albeit Erich had to lower his head to enter the doorway. Where his massive size surprised all the men inside. Many of which were carrying assault rifles and wearing body armor.

Once the door was shut behind them, a heavily armed man approached Erich and the man who helped him while chastising them both.

"Who the fuck is this giant and why the hell have you brought him here, Manfred?"

Erich looked at the man next to him, the man who had brought him into this secret safe house, and immediately recognized him. Why he didn't before, Erich did not know. Perhaps it was because he was so bewildered by everything he had seen. But when he did finally recognize that the man beside him was the first Supreme Leader of the Germanic Star-Empire, he couldn't help but speak the man's name aloud.

"Manfred? Manfred Hartmann?"

The men inside the complex stared at Erich, including Manfred himself, who was surprised that Erih knew who he was. There were a lot of questions which they had for this silver-haired giant who appeared out of nowhere, most important of which was just who the hell he was.