Interstellar Age

Erich sat in the middle of his history course with a bored expression on his half-asleep face. As his silver eyes gazed out the window of the classroom, he could faintly hear his teacher's monotone voice as it droned on about a subject he was all too familiar with.

A holographic projection appeared in the center of the classroom, which the teacher interacted with as he delved through the milky way galaxy to find the target of his interest until finally a small star system appeared within the sight of everyone who was privy to this lecture.

The moment these high school seniors, who were only three days away from graduation, laid their eyes upon the small continental world whose crust was filled with oceans, they groaned in lament, knowing exactly what their teacher was about to tell them.

This did not deter the instructor who began his speech with a fit of passion, that was relatively unfamiliar to those in the audience.

"Who can tell me what this planet right here is? Anyone? How about you Silber?"

Erich sat upright, upon hearing the derogatory nickname that even his family referred to him as, before giving the answer that the teacher was looking for.

"Earth…"

An unusual smile spread across the teacher's face, as he spoke with such zeal that his students thought that perhaps the man in front of them was actually a doppelgänger.

"Correct! This is Earth, the world our ancestors fled from nearly four hundred years ago. Can anybody tell me why this was the case?"

Despite everyone in the class knowing the answer, as this propaganda had been drilled in their heads since they were small children, nobody dared raised their hand, perhaps out interest in just what had gotten this old man so fired up for the first time since they had begun taking his courses four years ago.

Upon seeing that nobody wanted to answer the question, the teacher begun to explain the origins of their Empire as the holographic projection shifted from a view of the Earth to various scenes that were more appropriate for an adult audience.

Whether it was graphic violence, usage of illicit substances, or outright sexually suggestive material, the class witnessed the decadence of humanity in the years leading up to the great exodus. All while the teacher summarized the content.

"The year is 2125, and humanity has just discovered the warp drive. For the past two hundred years, humanity had been progressing on a path of self-destruction. Everyone, no matter how foolish or malicious they may have been, were given political power, in the form of suffrage. This foolish idea had disastrous consequences as society had spiraled into decadence and conflict.

Now, I know this is hard to believe considering that we have all but eliminated these aspects from our society. But imagine if you will a world where you are forced to lock your doors at night. A world where you must keep arms in your home to protect yourself and your family from your neighbors.

Theft, murder, and rape had become a daily aspect of living on Earth in the 22nd century, and one did not know when they would become a victim of their fellow man. Drugs and alcohol were widespread, to the point where even the youth could not escape their poison. And perhaps the most diabolical aspect of it all was the sexual revolution, which led to the destruction of the family unit."

Upon saying this last part, the instructor shivered in visible disgust, clearly finding the sexual revolution to be the most disgusting part of human history. He then continued to rant on about his lecture with the same fiery voice he used prior to this interruption.

"Needless to say, this society could not last long, and thus by the time the warp drive was invented in 2125, the civilizations that our ancestors had built were on the verge of total collapse. In his infinite wisdom, the first Supreme Leader of our Empire, made use of this new technology to escape from the decadence and decay of humanity.

Our ancestors followed the Supreme Leader into the stars in search of a new home. Which we found in the world we now known as Germania, but during those days, it was simply referred to as Kepler-452b. In the following centuries, our ancestors built a society that could stand the test of time, and the horrors of the vast universe.

Through the sacrifice of our ancestors, we have become a regional power! So remember this, as you all venture out into your mandatory military service! Civilization is built upon self-sacrifice! The idea that I am willing to give up something for my family to succeed, and that my family is willing to give up something so that the nation can succeed! Self-Sacrifice is the first principle of civilization! So go forth and make our Empire great!"

The bell rang immediately after the teacher's speech ended, causing Erich and the rest of his classmates to rise from their seats. Schools were segregated based upon sex in the Germanic Star Empire, and thus the entire class was filled with young men.

However, despite this fact, Erich stood out from all of his peers. Why was this the case? Well, that was because of his unusual appearance. In the Germanic Star Empire, all infants were genetically enhanced to become super humans.

However, the result of this enhancement could have certain side effects or mutations. As part of his gene therapy, Erich was superior to a baseline human in every way. He was taller, stronger, smarter, more agile, and capable of greater physical and mental feats.

However, unlike his peers, who all had blonde hair and blue eyes, he was a mutant with silver hair and eyes. A mutation that just barely allowed him to exist, for if a far more taboo mutation had occurred, he would have been terminated upon birth.

Despite being deemed unfit for termination, Erich had always been discriminated against because of his unique appearance. Thus, as he walked out of the classroom, he was physically accosted by some of his classmates.

"Where do you think you're going, Silber? You're eighteen now! Which means you must have gotten your monthly stipend! If you know what is good for you, then you will transfer the balance into my account. It is not like a mutant like you have even been assigned a wife!"

That's right, in this fascist society, even something as intimate as marriage was determined by the state. Usually as a result of genetic compatibility, though sometimes for propaganda purposes. A mutant like Erich would never be allowed to get married, or pass on his defective genes.

Thus, his stipend, which was designed to help citizens financially support their families, had no meaning for a man like him, and yet he was entitled to it as a citizen of the Empire all the same. It was no wonder that these bullies wanted him to cough over his money. Probably so they could spend it on some lavish gifts for their young fiancées.

In the Germanic Star-Empire, men and women married young, and had families shortly thereafter. Especially when military service was compulsory for all men who had just entered the age of adulthood. These men who would die in pursuit of the Empire's glory would be married first, and only after their wives had conceived a child would they be shipped off to combat.

Despite knowing all of this, Erich did not simply hand over his stipend. Even if he had no valid use for it, money was money, and since he did not yet have a job, this was the only income he could get his hands on. Thus, he would be damned before he handed it over to some random asshole.

In that moment, Erich closed his eyes and opened his mind to the possible outcomes of the actions he planned to take. In an instant, a premonition flashed in his mind about the next seven seconds. Whether he would win the fight, flee, or get his ass beat.

The outcome of his premonition was something that only Erich could see, as it was a special ability, gifted to him through his gene therapy. Thus, after witnessing the immediate future unfold in his mind, he chose one possible future and acted according to the vision.

Erich's hand moved so swiftly from his side that the leader of the bullies did not even have time to react before he was punched in the throat. An act which dropped the young man to his knees, which Erich immediately responded to by kneeing his victim in the head, knocking him out cold.

After knocking out their leader in an instant, the other two boys were bewildered, but rather than stand and fight them, Erich fled through the halls of the school, dashing faster than his opponents as he narrowly avoided their takedown attempts.

Eventually Erich made his way to the parking lot, where he climbed into his hover car, and took off to the skies, fleeing the scene of his crime entirely unscathed. As he looked out the rear window, he flipped off the boys who were left in his dust, before cursing them in their own minds with his second ability, telepathy.

"Get fucked, cunts!"

Seeing that Erich had gotten away, the bullies went back to retrieve their leader, who was lying face first on the floor of the School's hallway.

---

Erich swiftly returned to his home, where he disembarked from his hovercraft, and entered through the doors of the large mansion. The man had nine siblings, of which he was the oldest. Yet despite the fact that many of his brothers and sisters were already home, not a single one of them greeted Erich as he walked through the halls of their home with a stoic expression on his young and handsome face.

It was not until he reached the doors of his room, and encountered his younger sister, Heidi, that someone finally spoke to him.

"Oh, shit, look who is back…"

Heidi was dressed in a lavish evening gown, and had an expensive purse in her hands. Her hair was dolled up for the evening, while her face was caked with makeup, it was clear that the girl was about to go out with her fiancé to some fancy dinner. The very thought of which made Erich feel bitter inside, causing him to lash out with a sharp tongue.

"Yeah, I'm back, like you give a shit. If you don't mind, I have some studying to do…"

This response elicited a snort from Heidi's mouth, who responded to her brother's statement in a conceited tone.

"Study? Really? Since when have you ever bothered studying?

Honestly, father must have pulled a serious favor with someone important to get you inoculated with a Grade S serum when you were born. It is a pity that you ended up a mutant because of it. But at the very least, you are physically and mentally superior to most of your peers. I bet you are even graduating at the top of your class, aren't you?

Or you would be, if they allowed mutants like yourself to hold such an honor… Such a waste… anyway, dearest brother, I am off to go meet up with Jurgen. Oh, and by the way, be prepared to receive a scolding from mother. She found your contraband when cleaning your room…"

The moment Erich heard his sister's final words, he felt as if his spine had been dipped in ice. Mother had found his contraband? That was not good… Not good at all… In the Germanic Star-Empire, porn was illegal. It was neither permitted to be produced nor possessed. At the same time, sex outside of marriage was strictly prohibited. When both of these were taken into account, Erich in particular had a hard time settling his masculine urges, because he was a mutant and would never be permitted a wife.

Thus, he had taken a risk, and illegally imported some pornography from one of the neighboring Alien civilizations. After all, the Great Oni Empire had a thriving pornography industry, and they were relatively close to baseline humans in appearance, albeit with horns on their heads.

For his mother to find these items, he was in for a world of trouble. With this in mind, the moment Erich opened the door to his bedroom, he braced himself for the scolding he was about to receive from his mother, who was undoubtedly sitting in his room, waiting for him to return home from school.