Intergalactic conquest with an AI

The enemy ship detonated in a final, cataclysmic explosion, a fiery shockwave radiating outward like the wrath of a dying star. The explosion was so bright it momentarily outshone the surrounding stars.

The remains of the ship were scattered into countless fragments, glowing like embers as they drifted into the void.

The bridge of the Liberator shook violently from the shockwave, though the ship's shields managed to hold. Carlos gripped the edge of his console, blinking away the afterimage burned into his retinas.

"Damn. When I said to shoot, I didn't mean obliterate the universe."

Ys's voice chimed in through the comms, smug as ever.

"Oh, Carlos, your little cannon is so cute. Did you see how my bioplasma cannons softened them up for you? You're welcome, by the way."

Carlos rolled his eyes. "

Sure, Ys. Your princessly greatness saved the day. Let's pretend it wasn't the giant hole I just blasted through their ship that did the trick."

Ys laughed, clearly enjoying herself.

"Oh, Carlos, I do love how you cling to these small victories. They suit you."

In the background, the sound of her casually munching on another piece of fruit was almost infuriating.

Ignoring her, Carlos turned to the tactical display. The remnants of the pirate fleet were in full retreat, scattering in every direction like cockroaches under a spotlight. His crew cheered, but Carlos raised a hand to silence them.

"AI, status report,"

he said, his tone firm.

The enemy capital ship has been destroyed. Remaining enemy forces are retreating. moderate damage sustained to the Liberator. Shields at 2 percent and recharging.]

Carlos nodded, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Good. And the merchant convoy?"

All merchant vessels remain secure in the hangar bay. The 198th Legion Argos successfully defended them. [No casualties among the convoy.]

"That's what I like to hear,"

Carlos said, slumping back in his chair. His battle suit groaned as he finally let himself relax.

"Alright, folks. Start cleanup. Let's round up the retreating pirates and salvage what we can. No point letting their junk go to waste."

Ys's voice crackled over the communications again.

"Carlos, don't forget to thank me properly. Without me, you'd be space dust right about now."

Carlos sighed, rubbing his temples. "

Thank you, Your Royal Laziness. I'll be sure to send you a fruit basket as payment for your 'heroic deeds.'"

He gasped dramatically.

"A fruit basket? Is that all I'm worth to you? I'll be expecting much better when I visit next."

Carlos shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips despite himself.

"AI, cut the communications before I lose what's left of my sanity."

[Understood, Admiral.]

As the channel closed, Carlos stood and stretched, the weight of the battle finally lifting from his shoulders.

"Good work, everyone,"

he said.

"But don't get too comfortable. If we survived this, it just means something worse is probably on its way."

Out in the void, the last remnants of the enemy ship's glowing debris faded into darkness, leaving nothing but silence and the faint hum of the Liberator's engines as it powered down from battle mode.

Meanwhile, in the hangar bay of the Cleopatra, Rex sat casually atop a massive cargo container like it was nothing more than a bench. At three meters tall, the towering warrior looked almost comically oversized in the bustling hangar.

His armor, still hot and battered from the battle, hissed faintly as steam escaped from vents along its joints. His presence dominated the space, and yet he seemed almost bored, leaning back with one arm resting on his knee.

"Hey, Rex! How was the big, bad battle out there? Anything fun happen?"

Nyra's teasing voice cut through the noise of repair crews.

She gave his boot a playful kick, clearly trying to grab his attention. The petite girl barely came up to his knee, but that didn't stop her from acting like she owned the place.

Rex glanced down lazily, raising an eyebrow as if noticing her for the first time.

"Oh, it's you, Nyra. Fun? Sure, if you count getting lit up by stray bullets and almost roasted alive by a turret as fun. The energy shields held, though, so I'm still here. Guess I'd rate it... a solid six out of ten. Could've used more explosions."

Nyra smirked, crossing her arms.

"Pfft, only a six? You're getting soft, Rex. Maybe next time, I'll let you handle the boring stuff while I take care of the action."

Before Rex could respond, a softer voice chimed in

. "H-Hi, Rex

," Lyra stammered, standing a little behind her sister. She fidgeted with her gloves, her face pink as she awkwardly nudged his boot the way Nyra had. The motion was hesitant, almost unsure.

Rex's golden eyes softened slightly as he looked at her.

"Hey, Lyra. How'd your first ship siege go? You holding up okay?"

Lyra's eyes widened as he addressed her directly, and she immediately froze like a deer caught in headlights. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. She glanced nervously at Nyra, who was grinning like a cat that had caught a mouse.

"Rex,"

Nyra interjected, pointing a finger at him with mock accusation.

"Could you not stare at my sister like that? You're going to melt her into a puddle if you keep looking at her with those golden eyes of yours."

"Melt her? What are you—?"

Rex paused, realizing how flustered Lyra looked. He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Ah. My bad. Sorry, Lyra. Didn't mean to freak you out. Maybe I'm still radiating heat from the laser turret shot that almost fried me. Actually, can you find me a maintenance drone to cool me off?"

Lyra perked up, her nerves momentarily forgotten.

"Y-Yeah! I'll get one right away!"

She bolted, nearly tripping over her own feet as she rushed off into the maze of cargo containers.

Rex watched her go, shaking his head.

"She's sweet, but she's going to break something if she keeps running around like that."

Nyra hopped onto a cargo drone that was hovering nearby, commandeering it as her personal floating chair.

"Don't worry. She's tougher than she looks. So, Rex, who were those guys that boarded the ship? They looked like walking jewelry displays."

Rex leaned back, his armor groaning under the shift in weight.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Beats me. Cleo said something about them before the fight, but I wasn't paying attention. Too busy trying not to get vaporized. We'll have to wait for her to finish the damage report."

He glanced at her with a smile.

"

What about you? Any trouble with those shiny rockheads?"

Nyra rolled her eyes and stretched her legs, letting them dangle off the edge of the drone.

"Not really. They didn't even bleed, which was super annoying. Our ranged weapons were useless, so we had to use the tentacles. Ugh, they were way tankier than I expected."

Nyra chuckled, reaching into his armored pouch.

"Speaking of rocks, I figured you'd like this."

She pulled out a glimmering blue crystal the size of his palm and tossed it toward her.

Rex's eyes lit up as she caught it

. "Ohhh, shiny! You actually thought of me? How sweet."

He twirled the crystal in his hand, admiring the way it caught the light.

"Don't get used to it,"

Nyra said, smirking.

"But I can't just take it for free, so tell me what you want in exchange for it." Rex asked while raising an eyebrow

Nyra hesitated, her usual confidence faltering for just a moment. She glanced at the crystal, then at Rex, before clearing her throat and grinning.

"Well, I didn't give it to you expecting something in return, but if you insist... how about a hea?"

"Hey, guys! I'm back!"

Lyra's cheerful shout echoed across the hangar, and Nyra immediately froze, her face flushing as if she'd been caught doing something embarrassing.

Lyra came bounding over, practically skipping as she led a maintenance drone into the area.

"I found one! It's already got the freezing system loaded up, so you're good to go!

" She hopped off the drone with a surprising amount of energy, patting its metallic side like she'd just tamed a wild beast.

Rex raised an eyebrow at Nyra, who was glaring daggers at her sister for interrupting

. "What were you saying, Nyra? Something about a head,

" he teased, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Let's focus on getting you cooled down before you start cooking for the rest of us."

The maintenance drone rolled forward, extending a nozzle toward Rex's suit. A blast of icy mist sprayed over him, causing steam to hiss and swirl around his massive frame. He sighed in relief, leaning back on the cargo container.

"Ah, much better. Thanks, Lyra."

Lyra beamed, practically glowing at the praise.

"You're welcome! Anytime!"

Nyra groaned, rubbing her temples.

"Lyra, stop being so cute. You're making the rest of us look bad."

The sisters bickered lightly as Rex watched, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. For all the chaos and destruction outside, moments like this reminded him why he fought so hard to protect this crew.

As the drone finished its work and trundled off, Rex stood up, his towering frame casting a long shadow across the hangar

. "Alright, enough sitting around. We've got a lot of cleanup to do. Let's get to it."

Nyra hopped off the cargo drone with a stretch, grinning.

"Race you to the next fight, big guy."

Lyra followed closely, her shy smile growing a little braver.

"I'll… I'll do my best too!"

Rex chuckled, cracking his knuckles.

"You two keep up. I don't slow down for anyone."

"....."

"Rex, what will you do with the twins?"

Cleo's voice came through Rex comunicator's private line.