Intergalactic conquest with an AI

"Mmm… this is turning into a problem," Cleo muttered to herself. Her tone remained calm, but her brow furrowed slightly. "Their fleet numbers are increasing faster than predicted… and that dreadnought... they've got something serious hidden inside it. Our fortress shield might not last much longer."

A shimmering pulse of light appeared beside her as the young AI materialized, her projection taking the form of a curious-looking girl clad in a simplified version of a Kaelzar child in Cleo's memories.

[Creator] the young AI said with a melodic voice, [our fighter forces on the planet have dropped to dangerously low numbers. Should I deploy reinforcements?]

"Yes," Cleo replied without hesitation. "Deploy another hundred units and…" She curled her fingers slightly while a soft glow began to form in her palm, a floating sphere of pure code, sparkling like a digital star. "Also send the one my other self modified... the wild AI. The one my other self gifted an ego."

[You mean the AI who lost his core during the mercenaries ambush?] the young one asked while her expression tilted in concern.

"Yes. He's been itching for revenge ever since. Let him have it," Cleo replied softly, handing the glowing core over.

The young AI accepted it carefully, the code sphere glowing gently in her small hands. [Should I assign him to the front lines, or give him something else?]

Cleo thought for a few quiet moments, staring out into the black velvet of space, her eyes reflecting the stars and blinking flashes of distant explosions.

"No… don't throw him into the front. Let's use him differently. Assign him to one of the mobile suits, one of the more advanced prototypes. This will be the first true test of my elder sister's combat framework."

[Understood,] the young AI said with a bow, before vanishing into a trail of blue sparks.

Cleo stayed there, standing alone atop the command tower of the fortress, her holographic hair fluttering like strands of digital silk in the artificial wind.

After yet another hour of brutal, nonstop fighting, the long-awaited fighter reinforcements finally arrived, swooping down from the skies like angels of vengeance.

Their arrival couldn't have come at a better time. The enemy bombers had been freely harassing the Kaelzar frontline for too long, unleashing waves of destruction from above.

But now, with the Cleopatra's fighters reinforcements cutting through the skies, the tide began to shift. The one-sided aerial assault was finally halted as the enemy bombers were forced to retreat or be destroyed in midair.

The arrival of more fighter squadrons allowed Cleo to push the heavy frigates closer to the battlefield. She made sure to keep a calculated distance, maintaining a safe buffer zone in case the enemy had hidden anti-aircraft weapons lying in wait.

But this forward positioning came with major advantages: the frigates turrets, though still a bit out of range for full effectiveness, could now lend support to the ground forces with intermittent artillery salvos.

It wasn't ideal, but most of the ship's missile payloads were being reserved for greater threats; even so, partial fire support helped a lot. The rhythm of war changed slightly in favor of the Kaelzar troops.

The booming echoes of distant turret fire now blended with the chaos on the front lines, giving their ground troops a morale boost, if only a small one.

Meanwhile, in the broken remains of a burned-out outpost near the front, Lyra stood next to a chained Lizardman scout, her golden chains glowing faintly under the cloudy sky.

The chains were forged from Rex's blood; they tightly bound the reptilian warrior to the cracked ground. The Lizardman's body was a mess of blood, cuts, and bruises, and a dark red pool had already formed beneath him. Yet despite his injuries, his sharp eyes still burned with defiance and unbroken will.

"So... you're not going to talk either, huh?" Lyra asked while tilting her head slightly as she dragged a crimson whip through the dirt. Her tone was playful, almost flirtatious, but her words were sharp. She raised the whip again and let it crack against the ground beside him with a sudden snap.

"Hisss... when the Great Recollector finds you... your fate will be far worse than mine, you twisted freak," the Lizardman growled through gritted teeth. Despite the pain, his voice held venom, and his reptilian eyes locked onto hers without fear.

Lyra let out a long, theatrical sigh before turning to look at the tiny chibi-style hologram floating beside her of Mini Cleo, who fluttered near her shoulder like a cute yet dangerous digital fairy.

"So... that's what he said," Lyra muttered. "This is the fourteenth one I've captured. Fourteenth! And just like the others, he keeps his snout shut. Not even a whisper worth keeping. Got any ideas, little genius?"

Mini Cleo tapped her chin with her tiny glowing fingers.

[Hmm... we could take him back to the defensive line. If we can get him onto a transport ship, we can send him directly to the original. She has more... invasive methods for extracting information....]

[Something about mining their memories straight from the brain cortex.] The chibi AI beamed with a warm, cheerful smile as she spoke, as if talking about tea and biscuits.

Lyra blinked and stared. "You know… for someone so small and freaking adorable, you say the scariest stuff like it's a bedtime story. I mean, damn... I'm used to torture and pain and all that, but you really put it into perspective."

She poked her own cheek with a gloved finger and gave a playful pout. "Maybe I'm the one getting weird. I've started... enjoying this a bit too much."

Then, her eyes flicked toward the bound Lizardman. "Hey, tell me something. Do we need him alive for that brain-mining thing Cleo does?"

[Nope!] Mini Cleo replied with a sweet tone, tracing her finger across her own tiny neck in a mock execution gesture.

[Actually, considering we don't have enough escorts right now and he could escape or cause trouble, it would be safer to just finish him off here.]

Lyra gave a delighted giggle and slowly walked toward her prisoner. The smile on her lips was both charming and chilling. She knelt in front of the Lizardman, close enough to see the blood dripping from his scaled face. She looked into his eyes and whispered softly.

"You know… someone once told me that blood never lies. That it's the one thing that'll never betray you. But... I think they were wrong. So very, very wrong."

With one gentle pat on his head, almost like a lover's farewell, Lyra smiled sweetly... then snapped her fingers.

In that instant, the very blood that had leaked from the Lizardman's wounds twisted unnaturally, rising from the dirt in the shape of deadly red pikes. With a grotesque squelch, they reversed direction and stabbed straight back into his open injuries, skewering his body from the inside.

"HISSSSSSS!!! MONSTER!!!" the Lizardman howled in agony, his tail smashed against the ground in a desperate frenzy. The golden chains shimmered as they held him still, remaining unyielding despite his frantic struggle.

But Lyra wasn't listening to his words, since she had already deactivated the universal translator on her wrist device. The constant insults had grown dull and predictable. Now, she just watched him suffer in silence... with a tilt of her head and a flicker of amusement dancing in her eyes.

"And there you have it! All packed up and ready to go!" Lyra chirped with a grin as she slung a sleek, blood-forged container over her shoulder.

Inside it, nestled securely like a gruesome trophy, was the severed head of the defiant Lizardman. The container pulsed faintly with a crimson glow, as if it were still feeding off the lingering energy of its gruesome contents.

With a small hop in her step, she turned toward Mini Cleo's floating chibi hologram. "So, what now, tiny general? Do we pull back?" Mini Cleo twirled in the air with a sparkle in her eyes.

[Sure thing, mini boss! Let's get—] She paused mid-sentence, her voice cutting off sharply. Her tiny digital eyes widened. [Wait—stop! Quickly, activate your cloaking device—right now!]

Lyra didn't question her. She'd learned by now that when Mini Cleo got serious, there was always a reason. Without hesitation, she tapped a glyph on her gauntlet, and her body shimmered into near-invisibility, blending with the smoke and debris around her.

[Climb to the top of that building—fast!] Mini Cleo's voice was now sharp and urgent. [I need to confirm something. My scanners picked up something strange, but it could've just been a bug... and I really, really hope it was a bug.]

Hearing the seriousness in the little AI's voice, Lyra didn't waste a second. With enhanced strength and agility, she vaulted up the broken wall of a half-destroyed building; her movements were as swift and fluid as a jungle cat. In just a few seconds, she reached the rooftop and crouched down, scanning the battlefield below.

"So? What am I looking for?" she asked while her eyes darted across the war-torn landscape.

From her vantage point, she could see the full chaos of the ongoing battle. The sky above was a swirling mess of clashing fighter craft, darting through smoke and clouds of colorful flak.

Every second, the heavens were lit up by plasma trails, anti-air bursts, and the distant rumble of ships locked in a violent dance of death. Below her, explosions rippled across the ruins, and the screams and growls of both Kaelzar and enemy forces echoed through the rubble-filled streets.

[There! Right there! Let me show you what I caught for a brief second!] Mini Cleo's voice popped into Lyra's helmet just as the HUD lit up.