Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Nyra's pale face turned toward him; her tired but gentle smile softened the sharp edges of his pain. Her hands, though weaker than before, tightened around his as if to anchor him.

"Rex…" she whispered while her voice trembled, "you are his father. Nothing in this universe will ever take that away from you."

He shook his head slowly, his teeth clenched, his jaw tightened. "I failed you. I failed Lyra. I failed them… If I had just—" His voice broke mid-sentence, and his hand trembled in hers.

"—if I had just protected you, none of this would have happened. I wasn't there when you needed me the most."

Nyra's eyes shimmered faintly with tears, though her smile never faltered. "And yet… you came...."

For a moment, he couldn't speak. He looked down at her belly, the gentle curve that carried his child... their child. His throat tightened, his heart felt like it would shatter, and his lips quivered as he finally allowed his hand to rest fully against her stomach. Warmth spread through his palm; it was a fragile warmth but undeniably lovely.

A single tear escaped him, sliding down his cheek as he whispered, "...I don't deserve this."

"Rex..."

Rex froze when he heard Nyra say his name. Her voice was thin and weak, as if every word had been pulled from the bottom of her chest.

He rose from his chair without thinking. Before he could say anything, Nyra lifted a trembling hand and shook her head, quiet but firm, stopping him mid-step.

"I know you did not want this child," she spoke slowly so the words did not break. "I know you did not want what happened between us. I know you saw us more like sisters, or like daughters you would protect. I know I put you in a terrible place by getting pregnant." Her voice broke, and the tears came like a river that would not stop.

She cupped her stomach with both hands, as if to protect the small life inside, and the gesture made her sob softer and harsher at the same time.

"But I just need to know," Nyra's voice sounded small and fierce, "if you could ever love me... if you could ever love us...." Her fingers moved gently over her belly. Her tears ran free from her rosy cheeks.

For a long moment the only sound in the bright, clinical room, besides the steady beeps and whispers of the medical machines, was Nyra's quiet sobbing. It filled the space like a second pulse.

Rex inhaled slowly until his lungs felt full. He let the breath out and returned to his seat. He walked back to her bed and sat down close enough that their shoulders almost touched.

He lowered his mouth and placed a kiss on Nyra's forehead. His hand was warm on her cheek, wiping away the wet tracks of her tears with a thumb that shook her a little.

"Of course I love you, Nyra," he said with a steady and low voice. "Even if this happened in a way I could not control, once I took you... you became mine in a way that matters.... You are my woman."

At that, Nyra's eyes flashed as if reflected by a small light. Tears spilled over again, but this time there was something like relief mixed in with the pain. Rex felt his chest tighten when he added, softer still, "And our child. I love him... He is my son... He is our son... He is everything I have been waiting for."

He pressed another kiss to her forehead and closed his eyes for a moment, letting a distant memory come forward like a faint scent.

When he was very young and still had the kind of memory that stuck to small things, he had lived as a slave. He and Carlos belonged to a household of another race that treated them better than some, but never like family.

At night Rex would climb the outer wall of the house and sit where he could watch the night market below.

The market was alive with lamps and voices and the warmth of families gathered together. People laughed and argued, vendors called out their prices, and the smell of roasted food drifted up like an invitation Rex could not take.

He watched them with a hunger that was not for food. He wanted a place at a table. He wanted someone who would call him brother or son. He wanted a home.

"Hey, what are you doing up here, kid?" "A voice said once from behind him. It was sudden and cheerful, but it made Rex jump so hard he almost fell, but then a small hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back to safety.

"Careful!" the other boy said while laughing loudly. "Come on, hurry up. I can only hold you for a second."

The other child helped Rex scramble up the wall. They landed together on the narrow ledge, breathing fast, each with their stomach in their throat. The night wind touched their faces, and for a moment they just sat there, two small figures against the wide sky.

"Thank you, but who are you?" Rex said finally as he stood. His voice was small and somehow charming.

The boy puffed up and struck a pose that made Rex smile without meaning to. "Who am I? I am Carlos. The great Carlos!" He said it like a secret made public.

Carlos stood and looked at Rex with bright eyes. He was all energy and mischief. "If the guards catch you, you will be better off dead than in the punishment room," he added. His tone was sharp and practical but somehow calm for the little Rex ears.

Rex remembered how different that night had felt. The market lights and the low murmur of families had seemed both cruel and beautiful.

Carlos sat on the stone wall with his legs dangling freely, swinging them without a care. He tilted his head toward Rex and asked with a playful smirk, "So, why did you climb all the way up here, kid?"

Rex hesitated, his small fingers gripping the rough stone beneath him. After a moment, he sat back down beside Carlos, his eyes fixed on the glowing night market below.

The colors, the laughter, and the smell of food drifted upward like something from another world. His voice came out timid, almost fragile. "I... I just wanted to see all those families down there."

Carlos spat carelessly to the side and frowned. "Families, huh? And what's so good about them anyway? Why stare at them like that?" His tone was rough, but his eyes lingered curiously on Rex.

Rex's voice broke slightly as he whispered, "They all look so happy. I just… I just wonder what it would feel like to have a father… or a mother… or even a brother." The words wavered, as though each one carried a hidden weight too heavy for him.

Carlos snorted, shaking his head with exaggerated bravado. "Honestly? Who cares about that stuff? I never had a family either, and I've managed just fine." Then his face suddenly lit up, and he shot to his feet as though struck by lightning. "Wait! I got it!"

Rex blinked up at him, confused, as Carlos puffed out his chest proudly. "Since you don't have a family and neither do I… What do you say we fix that? I'll be your brother, and you'll be my sister!" He spread his arms wide as if declaring some great truth to the entire world.

Rex's eyes widened. His small head shook quickly, his long hair brushing his cheeks. "I… I can't be your sister."

Carlos froze mid-pose. "Eh!? Why not!?"

"Because I'm a boy," Rex said softly, his cheeks reddening with shyness. His words seemed to disappear into the night air.

Carlos's jaw dropped. He stared at Rex as though he had just confessed to being a dragon in disguise. "HAAA!? You're a boy?! With that face? And that long hair!?" His voice echoed off the walls like a shout of thunder.

The noise carried further than he intended. Guards stationed nearby whipped their heads around and spotted the two boys on the wall. In an instant, boots pounded against stone as they charged forward.

Carlos and Rex barely had a moment to realize their mistake before the guards grabbed them both, dragging them down roughly. What followed was a blur of fists, boots, and shouted curses.

They were beaten until their small bodies could no longer resist, then thrown into the cold, dark punishment room with no chance to explain that they had never even tried to escape.

Inside the cramped room, silence reigned except for their labored breathing. Rex sat curled in a corner, hugging his thin legs to his chest, trembling in pain and shame.

Carlos groaned as he dragged himself closer, wiping blood from his lip with a crooked smile. "Ouch… those bastards. One of these days, I swear to the stars, I'll make them pay." He spat at the locked door, his defiance remaining unbroken.

Then, without hesitation, Carlos reached over and ruffled Rex's messy hair with a rough but gentle hand. "Well, look at that. We got beaten up together and even tossed into the same cell. You know what that means?" His grin widened as if he had just discovered treasure. "That makes us brothers!"

Rex lifted his head slowly, his tear-stained face uncertain. "Brothers? You mean… really?"

Carlos's grin only grew. "Of course we are. No, even better! We're not just normal brothers. We're super brothers!" He shouted those words with pride, pounding his little fist against his chest like a soldier declaring his oath.

The guards outside misheard his bold cry and assumed he was cursing at them. The door burst open again, and both boys were dragged out for another round of beatings.

But even as the pain settled into their bodies, the bond between them had been forged. They laughed through their bruises, and in that laughter was the seed of something unbreakable.