Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Several mechanical tentacles extended from the Aegis unit's back with a quiet hum. One tentacle began cutting away the shredded fabric of the injured guard's uniform, while another applied a cool, glowing gel directly to the wound.

The third tentacle, equipped with a precision laser, expertly cauterized the severed blood vessels, sealing the injury with incredible speed and efficiency.

To his surprise, the guard felt no pain. The gel numbed the wound entirely, replacing the agony with a strange, soothing sensation.

But it was then that he heard a voice he could recognize anywhere.

"B-Brother…?" he whispered, his voice hoarse, disbelief etched across his face.

"Thank your lucky stars, because I'm right here, little bro!"

The injured guard's heart nearly stopped as he turned back toward the smoke. From the haze, his older brother emerged, alive and very much intact. His uniform was tattered, and his face was covered in soot, but there was a wide, cocky grin plastered across his face.

"W-What… how… you… I…" The injured guard stammered, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.

"Ha! You thought I was dead?" His brother laughed, clapping a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "So did I, honestly. Hell of an experience, I'll tell you that. But lucky for me, that big guy over there wasn't ready to let me bite the dust!"

He pointed toward the hulking figure standing at the edge of the smoke. It wasn't an Aegis unit. No, this was something far more terrifying. Towering at nearly three meters tall, the new Tyrant-Class Heavy Infantry unit stood like a juggernaut of war.

Its armor was reinforced with overlapping plates that gleamed dark crimson under the station's flickering lights, and its weapon systems hummed ominously with latent energy.

The Tyrant-Class unit held a massive plasma cannon in one hand, its barrel still glowing red-hot from recent use. On the other hand, it gripped a melee weapon that resembled a halberd, with its edges crackling with energy. The glowing red eyes embedded in its helmet scanned the battlefield, assessing threats with eerie precision.

"That thing saved you?" the injured guard asked, still trying to wrap his head around the situation.

"Saved me? Ha! More like it stomped through those rock bastards like they were nothing and pulled me out of the fire. I swear, I've never seen anything like it," his brother said, his grin never faltering.

The older brother crouched down, sliding an arm under his sibling's shoulder to help him stand. "Come on, we need to move. The command room's just ahead. They've got doctors waiting for you there."

The injured guard winced as he tried to put weight on his good leg. "I... I can't walk on this," he muttered, frustration and pain lacing his voice.

"Don't worry about that; I've got you." The older brother adjusted his grip, practically lifting his injured sibling off the ground as he began retreating toward the command room. "I'm not letting you die here. Not today."

The injured guard glanced back toward the battlefield one last time. The Aegis unit that had treated him was already moving on to assist other wounded soldiers, its mechanical tentacles working tirelessly.

The Tyrant-Class Heavy Infantry was wading into the chaos, cutting down Revenant golems with brutal efficiency. Plasma bolts and energy blasts illuminated the corridor, but the towering war machine remained unstoppable, carving a path of destruction through the enemy forces.

For the first time since the invasion began, the injured guard felt a flicker of hope.

"Brother..." he said softly, his voice trembling.

"Yeah?"

"…Thank you."

The older brother smiled, his grip tightening protectively around his sibling. "Anytime, little bro. Anytime."

Together, they pressed on, retreating toward the command room as the echoes of war thundered around them.

Once the surviving guards had been safely evacuated by the medical Aegis units, the newly arrived Blood Legion took full control of the battlefield.

The precision and coordination of the Aegis units were unmatched, their plasma rifles lighting up the dark corridors with bursts of crimson energy.

Each shot was aimed directly at the heads of the Revenant golems, forcing the hulking creatures to falter and shift to a defensive posture, shielding their vulnerable crystals from the focused fire.

But their hesitation sealed their fate.

Charging headfirst into the chaos was the Tyrant-Class Heavy Infantry unit, a war machine designed for close combat supremacy. While the Revenant golems matched the Tyrant in sheer size, the gap in power and combat optimization was vast. The Tyrant-Class operated at near Tier 3 power levels, making it a devastating force of destruction.

The Tyrant closed the distance in seconds, its halberd raised high. With a single, crushing blow, it shattered the crystalline hands of one golem before driving the weapon straight through its head, obliterating it in a spectacular spray of glowing shards.

The golem collapsed lifelessly at its feet, its body crumbling into a heap of broken crystal and metal.

The next golem barely had time to react before the Tyrant unit drove its foot into the creature's leg joint with bone-crushing force. The golem's leg gave way instantly, and it toppled to the ground, its head exposed.

Without hesitation, the Tyrant leveled its plasma cannon and fired a searing shot directly into the back of the fallen golem's head. The resulting explosion sent fragments of crystal scattering like shrapnel.

This scene of brutal efficiency repeated itself over and over as the Blood Legion relentlessly pushed forward.

The Aegis units provided precision suppressive fire, targeting weak points in the Revenant forces, while the Tyrant tore through the enemy lines with devastating close-quarters combat.
Explore stories at empire

The once-unstoppable golems now found themselves outmatched and overwhelmed by the superior tactics and firepower of the Blood Legion.

After several minutes of intense fighting, the Blood Legion secured the main staircase. The defenders now stood at a jagged hole in the hull, a breach caused by one of the Revenant drop pods during the initial invasion. Beyond the hole lay the trading station's outer hull, where the golems had begun spreading their destruction.

The Tyrant unit strode forward, its glowing crimson eyes scanning the breach. It raised its halberd, pointing the weapon toward the hole as if issuing a silent challenge to whatever awaited on the other side.

[Report: The zone has been secured.]

[Request: Advance through the hole and engage hostile forces to prevent further destruction inside the facility. Awaiting permission.]

The Tyrant's deep, mechanical voice echoed through the station as it relayed its request to command. Just as the transmission ended, another Revenant golem crawled through the breach, only to be met with a devastating swing of the Tyrant's halberd.

The weapon cleaved through the golem's head in a single, fluid motion, sending its shattered remains tumbling back into the void.

Lyra, standing in the command room, watched the scene unfold on her holoscreens. The battle was far from over, but for the first time, the defenders had gained momentum. The Blood Legion was proving itself as a force to be reckoned with.

She turned to the holo-screen displaying the Tyrant unit's glowing red visage. "Permission granted. Advance through the breach, but retreat if you encounter resistance too powerful to handle. We can't afford to lose you."

[Permission received.]

The Tyrant unit's eyes flared brighter for a moment before it issued orders to the nearby Blood Legion forces.

[Squads 4 and 5 follow me.]

With flawless coordination, the Blood Legion began pouring through the breach. Each unit's feet were magnetized to the surface of the station's hull, allowing them to move across the exterior without being flung into the void of space.

The sight of crimson lights streaking across the hull like a swarm of mechanical predators was both haunting and awe-inspiring.

The Revenant golems on the hull turned to meet the new threat, their crystal weapons glowing as they prepared to launch another barrage. But the Blood Legion was already moving, advancing with terrifying speed and precision.

Plasma rifles flared to life, cutting down the nearest enemies with pinpoint accuracy while the Tyrant unit led the charge, its halberd crackling with raw energy.

The hull of the trading station became a new battlefield, one where the Blood Legion fought to reclaim every inch of ground.

"It seems the twins are performing better than I anticipated," Cleo murmured to herself while watching the holographic display of the battle in the trading station.

The crimson lights of the Blood Legion units glimmered as they swarmed out of the station to meet the Revenant forces head-on. The sight of the Tyrant-Class units carving through the crystalline golems brought a faint smile to her lips.

But her focus quickly shifted. Outside the station, the Revenant fleet was still holding its position, bombarding her forces from a distance, waiting for an opening. Cleo knew that letting them linger any longer was dangerous; they needed to strike back before the enemy could consolidate their gains.

"Well then," Cleo said as she straightened her posture, her voice calm yet resolute. "It's time to launch our counterattack. System, transmit the attack coordinates to the Holy Maiden. Let's see if she is as loyal as she claims to be."

[Coordinates sent. Holy Maiden has acknowledged receipt. Awaiting Order.]

Cleo didn't respond immediately. Instead, she turned and walked toward the center of the command room, where a regal throne-like chair awaited her. She lowered herself into the seat with deliberate grace, resting her hands on the armrests as the faint hum of the ship's systems filled the room.

Closing her eyes, she allowed her main consciousness to leave her body, her neural link connecting her directly to the Cleopatra's internal systems.

Within moments, her mind synchronized with the battleship, and her holographic avatar materialized outside the ship, standing atop the enormous barrel of its primary cannon.