Intergalactic conquest with an AI
Chapter 404 - 404: Weapons free. {4}

"There is no need to escort them," he said, his voice unusually quiet but sharp like the edge of a blade. "Eliminate them all and continue the search. Anyone who dares to steal from my empire… does not deserve to live."

The Tyrant Unit lowered his head further, accepting the order without question. Rex turned back toward the sky, watching the stars with an emotionless gaze. In the distance, the lights of orbiting wreckage still drifted slowly like dying embers.

His wing gave another soft twitch, the only sign of tension in his otherwise still body.

Meanwhile, far above the planet's atmosphere, Cleo was already preparing for the next battle. The Musician General's fleet had arrived, his sleek, menacing ships shaped like instruments of death. In response, Cleo was quickly forming her own counter-formation, bringing together the full might of her fleet.

What remained of the once-proud Treasure Fleet was now a shadow of its former glory, reduced to just 1,400 ships.

After executing an emergency warp jump to avoid complete annihilation, they had reappeared at a distance of just over 100 kilometers from Cleo's line, a distance considered dangerously close in the vastness of space.

At that range, there was no time to hesitate. There was only one thing left to do... prepare for battle.

Across the stars, formations locked into place, energy cores hummed to life, and silence gave way to the tension of two titanic forces readying for the clash. The cold void of space was about to erupt once more with fire and fury.

[Creator, Reporting, the enemy fleet is currently holding position at approximately 100 kilometers from our formation.]

[Based on the analysis of the Cleopatra-class weapon systems, only our long-range cannons and artillery units can reach that distance effectively. Awaiting your orders, how should I proceed?]

After narrowly escaping disaster in the last encounter, the young AI decided not to take any chances this time.

Though her mind contained billions of calculated strategies, patterns, and tactical movements, she had come to understand something crucial: too many choices can be just as paralyzing as having none.

To avoid another critical misstep, she chose to share her proposed strategy directly with Cleo through their synchronized data stream.

"There's no point in wasting valuable ammunition firing into the dark at a distance where we can't guarantee a hit,"

Cleo said, her voice calm and steady as always. Her fingers moved with elegant precision over the glowing keys of her holographic interface. "Let them decide if they want to charge or flee. Either way, we win."

Surrounding her were hundreds of holographic clones, each a perfect mirror of Cleo typing and issuing orders with synchronized movements, helping her coordinate the massive digital and physical machinery of war.

She orchestrated them all with a focus so intense it seemed mechanical, yet it came naturally to her. Then, without warning, an incoming transmission pinged across her field of vision.

[Incoming Call: Tyrant Unit #9843012. Priority: High.]

She answered smoothly. "Heads-Up Display, relay the report. Tyrant Unit #9843012, proceed."

A deep, metallic voice responded through the communicator. "Reporting as ordered. The Young Emperor has started displaying significantly more decisive behavior."

"However, it is accompanied by increasingly erratic emotional responses. According to another Tyrant Unit, he has issued a direct command to execute all surviving enemies on sight. No exceptions. Should we intervene?"

Cleo's expression didn't change. Her eyes remained on the data scrolling past her, unbothered by the shocking nature of the news.

"Negative. Continue with your surveillance only. Intervention is strictly forbidden unless given direct authorization. That will be all," she replied with icy precision.

"Understood, Princess," the Tyrant Unit replied, then ended the call.

With the directive given, the mechanical soldier turned to a nearby escape pod. Its outer shell had already been peeled open like a fruit. Inside, a Nexum soldier, bloodied and terrified, scrambled weakly as the towering Tyrant Unit reached in and pulled him out effortlessly.

"No! Wait, please! I surrender! I've already surrendered!" the soldier cried, clinging desperately to the iron grip around his throat.

But the Tyrant showed no hesitation. No emotion. No mercy. Without saying a single word, he twisted the soldier's neck with a sharp, calculated motion.

The sickening snap echoed through the metal corridor like a final judgment. The soldier's body went limp, his face frozen in horror as his neck crooked and broken like a crushed apple stem.

Several long hours had passed, filled with silence and tension, but eventually, the enemy treasure fleet finally made its move.

From their formation and retreat patterns, it was clear that Admiral Cetus had chosen to prioritize the massive amount of wealth stored within their cargo holds over engaging in a risky battle for control of a remote outer world.

The young AI, always vigilant, quickly noticed unusual activity. Her digital eyes scanned the enemy fleet.

[Creator, I'm detecting multiple wormhole readers activating within the hostile fleet. Shall I send a disruption signal to interfere with their escape?]

she asked, her voice sharp but uncertain. She turned her gaze toward Cleo, who was immersed in her work, her fingers dancing rapidly across her holographic keyboard. Countless identical holographic clones around her mirrored her actions with precision, all working tirelessly on a classified special project.

Cleo's main body was floating effortlessly in the air, her attention fixed on a large, wall-sized holo-screen displaying live footage of Rex. She didn't even glance at the AI when she responded.

"Negative. There is no need to interfere with their escape at this point. Attempting to stop them now would be far more dangerous than simply letting them go," Cleo replied coolly, her voice unshaken by urgency.

"If we destroy the treasure fleet, it will provoke Nexum to send a larger, more aggressive retaliation force. And while we may be powerful enough to escape such an assault, the planets we've just conquered will be lost in the process. That is not a trade worth making."

Then, switching to a more commanding tone, she issued a new order through the command network.

"High priority directive: all Kaelzar legions are to evacuate the planet within the next twenty-four hours. Do not waste time searching for survivors; leave that responsibility to the local allied forces."

The message was instantly received by every high-ranking unit within the Kaelzar legions. Among them was Rex.

He stood alone on what used to be a fertile farmland, now reduced to ash and ruin. The earth beneath him was blackened by fire and debris from a portion of the treasure fleet that had been destroyed earlier.

Smoke drifted in the wind like ghosts, and the silence was broken only by the soft crackling of dying flames.

As Rex's communicator buzzed with Cleo's message, he knelt down silently and picked up the body of a local civilian, a child, perhaps, that had been caught in the chaos. The corpse was slightly burned, but some of the features remained intact.

Rex stared at the lifeless body for several long moments, unmoving, his golden eyes reflecting quiet fury and sorrow.

Then, without a word, he stood tall again. His massive, metallic wings spread wide. With one mighty, thunderous flap, he launched himself into the sky, rising rapidly through the planet's atmosphere, heading toward the orbital fortress above.

He didn't look back.

After a high-speed flight through the upper atmosphere, Rex finally reached one of the massive hangars attached to the fortress floating in the planet's orbit.

As he landed with a metallic thud, steam hissed out from the joints of his heated armor. A few silent maintenance drones quickly approached, surrounding him like shadows. With precise movements, they began cooling down his armor and running diagnostic checks.

Rex didn't say a word. He stood there completely still, his face expressionless, his body as unmoving as a statue. It was as if the powerful warrior inside that armor had disappeared, leaving only an empty shell behind that was silent and numb.

When the cooldown process was complete, Rex slowly turned and walked toward one of the highly restricted teleportation platforms inside the fortress.

This particular teleporter was no ordinary one; it was protected by a defense system so advanced that even a speck of dust moving too fast might be vaporized before it reached the inner bridge.

He stepped through, and in an instant, his body reformed inside the command bridge access hall, a long corridor reinforced with heavy shielding and chilled air that bit at the skin.

Waiting for him was a tall, graceful bot maid, one of the most advanced of her kind, holding the highest rank among the hundreds of thousands of similar units aboard the Cleopatra. She gave a polite bow as she welcomed him with a soft, mechanical voice.

"Welcome back, young emperor. I trust your return was without trouble."

She handed him a thick, silver-lined thermal cloak. The air around them was icy, nearly freezing, thanks to the intense cooling systems needed to balance the heat from the bridge's layered defenses and energy cores. It was a place of safety and danger, cold and steel.

Rex took the cloak and draped it over his shoulders. His eyes, however, never stopped moving, scanning the space ahead as though searching for something or someone.

"Where's Cleo?" he asked, his voice steady but heavy.

The bot maid kept her gaze lowered, her posture perfect and submissive, as protocol demanded.

"The princess is currently in her personal chamber, located just beyond the command bridge. Would you like me to notify her of your arrival?"

"There's no need," Rex replied, already moving toward the elevator. "She already knows I'm here."

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