A Path of Self-Destruction

It did not take long for S'aleth to return to the Silber Enclave, and when she did, Erich was waiting for her. He was not dressed in his usual "imperial regalia" but rather, he was wearing civilian attire. The Dvrakian beauty exited the shuttle and found that her lover was waiting for her with a wide smile on his face and open arms. 

"S'aleth, come here!" 

S'aleth, of course, jumped into Erich's arms and nuzzled her head in his chest. To her, it had only been a few days since they had been apart, but to Erich, it had been twenty long years. Thus, he couldn't help but hold the woman in his arms while processing his many complicated emotions in silence. 

For a decade, Erich was led to believe that his first love was dead, and that there was nothing that could possibly bring her back. He wanted more than anything to apologize to her, for never telling her the truth about what the Empire intended to do to her or her people. But had never been able to do so.