Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Rex's expression softened at the sound of her voice. "Mmm, well, yeah. What other guy do you know with a voice as deep and sexy as mine?" He joked while trying to lighten the mood as he walked toward her.

But as he approached, he heard faint sobbing coming from behind the curtain. His playful demeanor vanished in an instant. He quickly pulled the curtain aside, revealing Nyra sitting on the bed, her knees drawn to her chest while tears streamed down her face.

"Nyra?" Rex's voice was gentle now, filled with concern. He sat down beside her, his hand instinctively reaching out to pat her head. "Why are you crying? What's wrong?"

Nyra looked up at him, her eyes red and swollen, her lower lip trembling. "Rex, I..." Her voice broke, and she buried her face in her hands, unable to continue.

Rex's heart ached at the sight. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "Hey, it's okay. Just tell me what's going on."

"I... I was talking with the medical bot a few minutes ago, and it gave me the results of my examination." Nyra choked out between sobs, her tears streaming down her face like a river she couldn't hold back.

Rex's brow furrowed, his arms tightening around her. "Why are you crying? Is something wrong? I thought everything was fine now," he spoke with his voice being soft and comforting, trying to soothe her trembling form.

"It's not that there's anything wrong with me... It's just..." Nyra turned to face him, her crimson eyes glistening with tears, her cheeks flushed with emotion. "I'm pregnant, Rex. And I... I know you don't love me... and that you already have Master Cleo and Ys... and that you probably just see me as a little girl, and you don't want—" Her words were cut off as Rex pulled her into a tight embrace, silencing her fears with his warmth.

"Nyra, these are wonderful news!" Rex exclaimed with his voice brimming with joy. He pulled back just enough to press his forehead against hers, his hand gently cupping her tear-streaked face. His own emotions were raw, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "Are you sure about this? Really sure?"

Nyra nodded, her breath hitching. "Yes, I'm sure. The medical bot checked me multiple times because I asked it to... Are you... happy?" Her voice was small, almost disbelieving, as if she couldn't fathom his reaction.

"Happy? Nyra, I'm over the moon!" Rex laughed, the sound rich and full of life. He hugged her tightly again while spinning her slightly in his excitement. "I'm going to be a dad! Hahaha, suck it, Carlos! Now I'll have a son or a daughter too! Who cares which it is? It's ours!" His voice boomed through the medical bay, his joy uncontainable.

Nyra's mind raced, her thoughts a whirlwind of relief and disbelief.

{Is he really this happy? Did I really suffer all this time alone, worrying for nothing? I'm such an idiot. I should've told him the moment I realized my symptoms might mean I was pregnant.}

Her heart swelled with a mixture of guilt and overwhelming happiness.

Clutching Rex's shirt tightly in her hands, Nyra buried her face in his chest and began to cry again. But this time, her tears weren't born of sadness; they were tears of pure, unbridled joy. Rex wanted their child. He was happy. He was happy. All those drama novels she'd watched, the ones where the father rejected the mother and child, had filled her with dread.

But this... this was nothing like those stories. This was real. This was them.

Rex held her close, his laughter softening into a warm, contented smile as he stroked her hair. "It's okay, Nyra," he murmured. "We're in this together. You, me, and our little one. Everything's going to be okay."

As Rex basked in his fleeting moment of bliss and his crew prepared to resume their assault on the mist-shrouded planet, another team from Lilla forces found themselves in a far less fortunate situation. Fate had dealt them a cruel hand... they had just come face to face with one of the Free Colonies squads.

A guttural chuckle echoed through the communications.

"Well, well... what do we have here?" The fishman's voice was full of disdain, his semi-transparent helmet revealing his scaled face twisting into a sneer. "A human... and a female, no less. As if this forsaken rock wasn't cursed enough, now there's a woman here too. Just my damn luck."

Paladin Seris took a bold step forward, her armored boots pressing firmly into the damp ground. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Got a problem with a woman leading?"

The fishman scoffed while tightening his grip on his laser spear. Then, with sudden fury, he thrust it forward, the weapon humming with energy.

"STAY BACK, YOU INFERIOR CREATURE!"

The moment the threat was made, Seris Crusaders surged forward, forming a shield wall in front of her. Their energy blades ignited in unison, crackling with power, while the Zealots behind them raised their rifles, locking onto the Free Colonies squad.

Yet the odds were grim.

Fifty Crusaders with Fifty Zealots against nearly 300 soldiers of the free colonies.

And worse yet, they had no idea if reinforcements were lurking in the mist. The situation was spiraling into a bloodbath before a single shot had been fired.

The fishman leader shook his head mockingly. "This is why women shouldn't lead armies. A little teasing, and you lot immediately reach for your weapons. So primitive. So inferior."

Laughter erupted from the Free Colonies squad, their jeering voices carrying through the thick mist.

Seris remained unfazed. Instead, a slow smirk spread across her lips. Experience new stories on My Virtual Library Empire

"Hmph. At least I'm not as stupid as you." She raised a hand, signaling her troops to form a tight defensive circle. "You do realize, don't you? All that noise…"

The laughter faltered.

Seris' eyes darkened as the first sound rumbled through the mist with a distant, chittering whisper, rising like a storm.

Then came the next.

And the next.

The sound of thousands. No, hundreds of thousands.

The harvester swarm had heard them.

A Crusader with echolocation abilities stiffened. His voice was strained as he whispered into the comms, "Paladin Seris, we're surrounded. Their numbers… they're endless."

Silence fell over both squads.

And then through the swirling mist came the first glint of razor-sharp mandibles.

"They're here! Hold the defensive formation! Fall back to the Kaelzar outpost now! Keep suppressing fire at all costs!"

Seris squad began their retreat, moving with calculated precision. The air crackled with tension as a harvester lunged at a crusader's shield, only to be vaporized by a retaliatory laser blast.

In one fluid motion, the crusader deactivated his shield, swung his blade in a deadly arc, and beheaded the creature before reactivating his defenses. Behind him, the Zealots unleashed a relentless barrage of electric rifle fire, their shots illuminating the battlefield as they rained down on the endless horde of harvesters in the distance.

The Free Colonies squad, however, stood their ground. Arrogant, ruthless, and undeniably elite, they mowed down harvesters with cold efficiency. Their disdain for others, especially women, was no secret, but their combat prowess was unmatched. They were a force to be reckoned with, their skill rivaling only the megacorps themselves.

"Paladin! We've got a problem; a golem is charging straight for us! ETA: less than two minutes!" The crusader shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos as he cleaved through another harvester.

{Tsk… This is bad. We don't have the firepower to take down a golem. Even if I engage it, the most I can do is buy time. Damn this mist, it's messing with my cybernetic implants...}@@novelbin@@

"All units, keep falling back! I'll hold off the golem. Zealots, provide cover fire; do not let those harvesters surround me!"

"Understood, Paladin!" the Zealots responded in unison, their voices steady despite the looming threat.

But before they could fully prepare, the ground trembled. The golem emerged from the mist, its massive form casting a shadow over the battlefield. Seris didn't hesitate. With a powerful leap, she activated her plasma sword, its blade humming with lethal energy.

She swung at the golem with all her might, but the creature blocked the strike effortlessly, its armored hand absorbing the impact without flinching.

{Tsk. Just as I thought... not even a scratch. My strength isn't enough. But oh well… I have its attention.}

The battlefield fell silent for a split second, the weight of the moment pressing down on everyone. Seris gritted her teeth, her mind racing with strategies while the golem loomed over her, its glowing eyes piercing through the mist.

The golem roared, its deafening roar shaking the very air. It raised a massive fist and slammed it downward; Seris barely evaded, rolling to the side as the impact shattered the ground beneath her.

She wasn't strong enough to destroy it. But she was fast enough to outmaneuver it.

With precise movements, she led the golem's attacks into the oncoming harvester swarm, forcing it to crush its own allies in the chaos. Step by step, she fought, retreating alongside her squad, buying time while waiting for an opening.

As Seris squad fought desperately to retreat, their every move a battle against the relentless golem and the swarming harvesters, a silent awakening occurred far above them, in the cold, dark void.

A pair of piercing green feral eyes snapped open, glowing with an otherworldly intensity. They were followed by another pair, and then another, until hundreds of luminous green eyes ignited like stars in the abyss. The faint hum of bioarmor powering up resonated through the silence of space, their intricate designs glowing with an eerie, bioluminescent light.