Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the chaos of the battlefield, Rex was locked in a brutal dogfight. His golden armor gleamed as he soared through the void, weaving and twisting to avoid enemy fire.

The 201st Flying Wing fought valiantly around him, their sleek Wraith-class fighters engaging both pirate ships and the new enemy fighters, which moved with eerie, almost unnatural precision.

These new fighters were unlike anything Rex had seen before. Their designs resembled floating rhombuses of jagged rock, glowing faintly with intricate energy patterns etched across their surfaces.

Their appearance was alien and ancient, and their method of attack was both terrifying and reckless.

Instead of engaging in traditional gunfire, these strange fighters would ram into their targets, using their reinforced bodies as weapons. The force of their impact was catastrophic, often resulting in the complete destruction of the enemy ship, though at the cost of their own.

"Rex!"

Cleo's voice came through his comms; her tone clipped with urgency.

"Those fighters are kamikaze-class drones. Avoid direct engagement. They're designed to target anything larger than a shuttle with overwhelming kinetic force."

"Yeah, I noticed,"

Rex replied, narrowly dodging one of the drones as it hurtled toward him. The glowing rhomb scraped against his shields before spinning off into the void.

"They're like suicidal meteors with engines. Real friendly."

Another drone locked onto Rex, its glowing patterns intensifying as it powered up for a final charge. Rex made a sharp dive, his golden wings flaring as he increased thrust to maximum. The drone followed, its trajectory locked, closing the distance rapidly.

"Mini Cleo!

" Rex shouted.

"Deploy countermeasures now!"

[Deploying plasma mines] Mini Cleo responded in her cheerful, robotic tone.

Three glowing golden orbs shot out from Rex golden halo, floating briefly before detonating in brilliant explosions. The pursuing drone was caught in the blast, disintegrating instantly as its energy core overloaded.

Rex let out a breath, his focus never faltering. Around him, the 201st fighters were adapting quickly to the new enemy, using their superior maneuverability to lure the kamikaze drones into traps or crash them into each other.

Even so, the fight was brutal. Several Wraith-class fighters had already been lost, their debris drifting silently through the void. But the Kaelzars, true to their nature, pressed on with unrelenting determination.

"Rex!"

Lyra's voice broke through his communications.

"How's it going up there?"

"Peachy,"

Rex replied dryly, narrowly dodging another charging drone.

"What about you and Nyra? You better not be getting yourselves killed."

"We're fine!"

Lyra replied quickly, though the sound of gunfire and explosions in the background suggested otherwise.

"We're winning, idiot!"

Nyra's voice cut in, laced with her usual confidence.

"Don't take too long up there. We've got the ground fight under control, but these guys are built like rocks, literally."

"Yeah, I noticed that too,"

Rex said, smirking despite the chaos.

"Keep them busy. I'll clean up the skies and join you soon."

Back on the Cleopatra, the main cannons had finished locking onto their target. Cleo's voice carried across the ship's systems:

"The enemy capital ship is locked. Main cannons are fully charged. Opening fire."

The Cleopatra's main weapons roared to life. The two kinetic cannons unleashed devastating rounds, each shot streaking through the void with blinding speed. The rounds struck the enemy ship's hull, punching through its armor and sending shockwaves rippling across its structure.

Then, the third main cannon, the laser cannon, powered by Cleo's advanced energy systems, fired its golden beam. The weapon unleashed a blinding ray of concentrated energy, carving through the void and slamming directly into the enemy's command tower.

The beam didn't just pierce the hull; it vaporized it. The enemy's bridge exploded in a cascade of fire and debris, the ship's systems faltering as command functions were obliterated. Secondary explosions erupted across the ship's surface as its core destabilized.

"The enemy vessel has been neutralized,"

Cleo said, her voice as calm as if she'd just announced the weather

. "Redirecting fire to remaining threats."

As the capital ship broke apart, Cleo's focus returned to the battlefield inside the ship and the remaning fighters that were now going to retreat after their last capital ship was destroyed.

"Rex! Come in! Answer now, or your brother here will become some delicious roasted meat!"

Carlos's voice crackled through the communicator, distorted but loud enough to carry his usual mix of sarcasm and urgency.

Rex immediately frowned, his golden eyes narrowing as he adjusted his fighter's controls. The 201st Flying Wing was trailing behind him in formation as he made his way back to the Cleopatra's docking zone.

"What do you mean, baldy?"

Rex asked, irritation creeping into his voice.

"Wait… don't tell me you're under attack too."

"What? You guys were attacked too?! Wait, that doesn't matter right now!

" Carlos shouted back, the sound of alarms and static filling the background.

"I was ambushed by two big ships, and my shields are already down. I'm under hea―"

Before Carlos could finish his sentence, the transmission erupted into chaos. Explosions roared through the communicator, so loud and violent that Rex instinctively pulled back from the console. The line crackled with static before cutting off entirely.

"CARLOS?!"

Rex yelled into the comms.

"Carlos! Answer me!"

Silence. Experience tales at empire

Instead of Carlos, it was Cleo who responded. Her voice was calm but carried a grim undertone.

"It's no use, Rex. His ship's communication array was likely destroyed in the attack. That explosion you heard must've hit it directly."

Rex clenched his jaw, his fists tightening around the controls.

"Damn it!"

he growled, frustration boiling over.

"Cleo, what's his status? Can we get a visual?!"

Cleo's holographic form materialized on the fighter's HUD, her expression as composed as ever. With a wave of her hand, a holographic projection of Carlos's Eclipse-Class Dreadnought, the Liberator, appeared.

The massive ship was marked with multiple critical damage indicators, its hull glowing red in several places where enemy fire had penetrated its armor. Red warning lights flickered across the hologram, signaling the ship's perilous condition.

"The Liberator is in critical condition,"

Cleo said, her voice flat but with a faint undertone of concern.

"Its shields have completely failed, and its hull integrity is compromised. Energy reserves are nearly depleted. At this rate, Carlos has approximately fifteen minutes before the ship is irreparably destroyed."

"FIFTEEN MINUTES?!"

Rex shouted, his anger and worry mingling. "

Can we make a wormhole jump to his location?! We've got to help him, Cleo!"

Cleo shook her head, her holographic eyes meeting Rex's.

"Negative,"

she said bluntly.

"The Cleopatra used the majority of its energy reserves maintaining the Armored Maiden function and powering its shields during the previous battle. The reactors require at least two to three hours to regenerate enough energy for a long-range jump."

"Two to three hours?!"

Rex slammed his fist against some space debris, his frustration palpable. "He doesn't

have

that long!"

For a moment, the communicator voice chanel was filled only with the sound of Rex's labored breathing as he struggled to think of another solution. His mind raced, searching for anything,

anything

that could be done to close the distance to Carlos in time.

Before Rex could spiral further into his frustration, a familiar, sultry voice cut through the comms.

"Heheh… I heard everything, darling,"

the voice cooed, dripping with amusement and mischief.

Rex froze, his golden eyes narrowing.

"Ys?!"

On the other end, Ys's voice was laced with her usual playful tone, but there was a dangerous edge beneath it.

"That bald little friend of yours is in trouble, yes? Don't worry, darling, I'm already en route to his coordinates. I'll be arriving in five minutes… or less."

"Five minutes?!"

he echoed, his voice filled with equal parts relief and irritation.

"Wait... how the hell are you even there?!"

"Let's just say I had a feeling something fun was going to happen in that direction,"

Ys replied, the sound of her laughter echoing faintly through the comms.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Besides, I've been itching to test out the gift my dear mother gave me."

Rex's brow furrowed.

"Gift? Wait, don't tell me…"

"Oh, I won't ruin the surprise,"

Ys purred, her voice practically dripping with glee.

"Let's just say that these enemies of yours, these 'big ships,' as the bald one calls them, they're about to regret showing up today."

On the Liberator, Carlos gritted his teeth as the ship groaned under yet another volley of enemy fire. Sparks flew from consoles around him, and the bridge crew scrambled to keep the vessel functional.

"Status report!"

Carlos shout, his voice sharp as he clung to his captain's chair, which shook violently under the strain.

"Shields are gone, Admiral!"

one of the Aegis units reported, its robotic voice unwavering despite the chaos

. "Hull integrity at 32%. Weapon systems at 45% capacity. Reactor output is insufficient to maintain sustained fire."

Carlos swore under his breath, slamming a hand on the armrest of his chair.

"Damn it! These bastards came out of nowhere!"

The Liberator was outmatched. The two enemy capital ships that had ambushed him were relentless, their coordinated attacks leaving him no room to maneuver.

The Liberator's energy reserves were drained from previous battles, leaving it unable to maintain its shields. Carlos had managed to land a few solid hits on one of the ships, but it wasn't enough to turn the tide.

"Admiral,"

another Aegis unit called out

, "we are detecting an incoming warp signature. Unknown vessel approaching fast."

Carlos's eyes widened slightly.

"Reinforcements?!"

Before the Aegis unit could respond, the ship shook again as another barrage of enemy fire struck its weakened hull. Alarms blared, and Carlos grabbed the armrests of his chair to steady himself.

"If it's not reinforcements, we're screwed anyway,"

Carlos muttered, his tone grim.