Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Meanwhile, Rex’s troops were doing their best to fend off the swarming bugs, but they were losing ground fast. Their numbers were shrinking, with no real chance to fight back. Morale had already hit rock bottom. If it wasn’t for the dead bugs dropping from the sky, they would have assumed Rex had already been taken out. The only ones still functioning were the combat drones.

Cleo had them form a tight circle, moving in a sphere formation, shooting down any flying bugs that came close. But that’s all they could do. The swarm was just too massive.

Inside the chaos, Rex’s armor and helmet were taking a beating. There was a crack on the left side of his helmet, and his eye was visible, bleeding golden blood. His armor, though thick, was damaged but still holding, barely within safe limits. His shield, however, was long gone. Rex swung his twin swords furiously, cutting down bugs one after another, even using his wings to knock them back.

But no matter how many he killed, more kept coming.

The swarm thickened until he couldn’t see through it. Eventually, he was forced to the ground, the bugs attacking relentlessly.

"Dammit! Now I know how your race got ruined, Cleo!" Even under heavy assault, Rex’s sharp tongue didn’t fail him.

"Rex, you need to get out of there! With your strength, you can escape on your own!" Cleo’s voice was panicked.

"I’m not leaving everyone here to die for nothing!"

"Who cares about those inferiors? You’re the only one that matters, Rex!"

"Inferiors? Anyone fighting by my side is not inferior to me, Cleo! I’m staying, even if it kills me!"

There was a brief pause, and then Cleo’s tone shifted, cold and calculating. "Then you leave me no choice. I will take control of your body."

Cleo reached out, trying to connect to Rex’s mind and take control. But suddenly, she felt a pair of green eyes staring at her.

[Connection with the host failed.]

"W-what?" Cleo was stunned. She couldn’t believe it. Had Rex’s mental energy surpassed hers? Or was there something else?

"This is impossible! He shouldn’t be stronger than me! What’s happening?" She kept trying to seize control, but then she heard a mocking chuckle behind her. Startled, she turned around. All she saw was the cargo bay and the truck holding the hive mind egg.

"This shouldn’t be possible... but could it be?" Cleo muttered to herself, doubts swirling in her mind. She started walking toward the truck that held the egg. When she reached the back, she found the doors wide open, and the egg was gone.

"Emilia!?" Cleo shouted, hoping for a response. Silence. Then, out of nowhere, she felt something like a hand pushing through her chest.

"Hmm? This is strange. I don’t feel anything. Are you even real?" a childish voice asked from behind her.

Cleo quickly moved aside, spinning around to face whatever had just tried to kill her.

"Aha! Now I get it. You’re a hologram! Yes, mother did tell me about these things; I completely forgot!" The voice giggled with excitement, and Cleo saw a pair of shining green eyes staring at her.

"Say, do you know where my partner is? I can feel him nearby, but I can’t see him."

"I have nothing to say to you, Khryssari scum!" Cleo snapped, her voice dripping with hostility.

"Ouch, harsh!" the creature replied, unfazed. "Oh wait, I remember now! You’re one of those... What were they called?" She tilted her head, making an exaggeratedly cute face, as if trying to recall. "Ca... Le...

Mmm..." Oh yes! You’re one of those Kaelzars! My aunts wiped you out!"

The mention of her people made Cleo even angrier.

"Oh well," the girl continued, "since you don’t want to talk, I guess I’ll have to find my partner on my own. I sensed he was fighting nearby, but why would he be battling those inferior insectoids?" She paused, her expression thoughtful. "Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding... Anyway, see you later, hologram girl!" She gave a cheerful wave, then turned toward the cargo bay door.

Seeing that it hadn’t opened, she touched it lightly with her hand. A second later, long black claws sprouted from her fingers, and with a swift motion, she ripped the door open and jumped out of the ship.

Once in the air, a pair of shimmering green wings unfolded from her back, and she soared toward the hive hill.

Meanwhile, Rex was barely holding on. What had started as an attack from the flying bugs had escalated, and now the ground-bound bug warriors and sentinels were joining in. When a sentinel charged at him, the swarm of flying bugs parted to let it through.

The first two sentinels hit him hard, slamming into Rex and sending him tumbling across the ground like a ragdoll. Even in his overdrive mode, the sheer number of bugs overwhelmed him. The second charge came from his right, blindsiding him. The impact broke his arm.

With only one good hand left, Rex was in bad shape. One knee buckled, and he tried to steady himself by driving his sword into the meaty ground beneath him. But his legs, badly damaged, were barely functioning. He was now a wounded predator, easy prey for the insectoids.

"Mmm, what’s happening here? Why is my partner in such a state?" Rex heard a light, playful voice. He saw a flash of green light through his damaged vision, but his left eye was too injured to focus, and the constant alerts on his right eye’s display didn’t help either.

But at least one thing became clear: the relentless attacks from the bugs had stopped. Whoever had just arrived, Rex thought, was probably the queen of this hive.

But, as always, Rex’s sharp tongue didn’t fail him. "Ha! So, her royal highness has come to finish the job, huh? I’m honored," he said, his tone dripping with mockery.

"Finish you off? What are you talking about? You’re my partner," the creature replied, sounding genuinely confused. And her response left Rex just as puzzled.

"Partner? Who? I’ve never met you before, and I sure as hell don’t know any queen from this bug-infested hole," Rex shot back, coughing up golden blood.

"Queen? Hahaha, you’re being silly," she giggled. "I’m not the queen of this hive; I’m a princess from another hive. But... wait a second... why are you so badly injured?" She paused, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Aha! That’s right, I almost forgot! You didn’t give me enough blood the first time! My mom told me I need more to fully understand you. And, well, seeing as you’ve got blood all over the place, this should be easier!"

She kneeled down in front of Rex, staring at his face. "Hmm, this thing’s in the way!" she muttered, and without hesitation, she ripped off what remained of his helmet, letting his long black hair fall free, leaving his head completely exposed.

Rex could barely see through his right eye. His vision was hazy, but he made out a pair of glowing green eyes and the silhouette of a humanoid female. Cleo’s interface marked her as hostile. Before he could react, he felt something wet and hot against the left side of his face.

It was the creature; she was licking the blood off his face. "Hmm... your blood tastes weird... like... metal? But I’m not complaining since it’s packed with nutrients, and that’s good!"

She grinned playfully. "Our kids are going to be really strong! Now give me a second, I need to process the new information I just got from you." She closed her eyes, slowly moving her head from side to side as if sifting through data.

After a moment, she opened her eyes again, looking slightly disappointed. "Ah, I see what happened now. It looks like our bond was made by accident." She sighed, sounding a bit heartbroken.

"But, oh well!" She perked up immediately. "Now that we’re partners, the blood I took from you is enough to seal the deal! We’re officially bonded!"

Rex, still struggling to process what was happening, could only watch as the strange girl stood up and waved her hand dismissively. "Now, give me a second to take care of these insectoids who dared to bare their fangs at my partner."

At her command, the bugs that had been relentlessly attacking Rex suddenly stopped, turning to swarm the other insectoids instead. The battle shifted, with the bugs under her control launching a full-scale assault on the rest of the hive.

Despite her weakened state, the princess managed to command her forces with surprising strength. Her swarm was outnumbered, but they fought with fierce power, easily overpowering the other bugs.

Just as victory seemed within reach, Rex spotted movement in the distance. The queen of the hive had emerged. From her back, several large holes appeared, clearly preparing for a counterattack. She was ready to make her move.