Intergalactic conquest with an AI

long," Cleo tilted her head slightly, her mechanical iris glowing a soft blue as she performed her calculations. "I do not believe so. The current probability indicates that he is attempting to give you face rather than take it. He wants to clear things up without lowering his own status."

Rex blinked, then let out a small chuckle. "So what you're telling me is… he's basically here to play nice, but he's too proud to just admit it."

"Accurate," Cleo replied simply, smoothing her dress as she prepared to disembark.

With a sigh, Rex straightened and stretched his shoulders. "Guess I should go before I accidentally level this parking lot. Damn, and here I was hoping I'd just get to sit quietly in the back." His silverish wings rippled once, catching faint sparks of light as they folded neatly against his back.

The armored vehicle's ramp hissed open. The nobles outside, who had been frozen in tense silence, collectively gasped as the first figure stepped into the glow of the courtyard lamps.

Cleo descended first, her beauty and presence refined, her gaze calm and calculating. Whispers swept through the crowd; from her aura alone, she would have been marked as someone far above a mere merchant.

Then Rex appeared. His boots struck the ramp with a metallic thrum, and the silver aura that had shaken the entire estate earlier clung to him like a second skin, even though he kept it restrained.

The enormous wings of living metal unfurled slightly, catching the light in dazzling patterns, their edges gleaming like blades forged from starlight. His expression was calm, but his presence alone was oppressive, like standing before a storm held barely in check.

The planetary champion's tentacles twitched involuntarily as he took in the sight. He managed to keep his composure, but his two Tier 4 guards behind him had already lowered their heads, unwilling to meet Rex's gaze directly.

Rex placed his hands casually behind his back, tilting his head as he looked at the champion. "Well, here I am. Didn't mean to cause a scene… but your people seem pretty jumpy."

The nobles and merchants dared not make a sound. In their eyes, the so-called "rich peasant" had just walked out looking like a war god.

"Do not trouble yourself. It was nothing more than a slight misunderstanding on our part," the planetary champion said, his voice remaining calm yet loud enough to carry across the courtyard.

His eyes shifted briefly toward the nobles and guards who still struggled to remain upright under the lingering weight of Rex's earlier aura. One noble in particular, the very one who had demanded Rex be dragged out, looked as though he might collapse entirely, his tentacles twitching in shame and fear.

Rex, however, remained unaware of what had truly happened. To him, the nervous tapping of his foot had been nothing more than a habit. He did not realize the waves of energy rolling off him had nearly brought the gathering to its knees.

He only turned toward Cleo, curious at her silence, yet she said nothing, merely closed her eyes with a faint, almost indulgent sigh before slipping her delicate hand around his arm. The touch was gentle but steady, anchoring him in place.

Clearing his throat, Rex decided to respond in kind. "Ehem. Don't worry about it," he said while forcing the polite smile he had once practiced endlessly during his years as an office worker, the same smile that smoothed over unreasonable clients and demanding supervisors.

"I understand that when you're organizing something as large as this… there are bound to be a few mistakes. Right?" The planetary champion's tentacles stilled for a moment, then he laughed; it was a short, deliberate laugh, the kind meant to ease tension.

"Hahaha, of course. Well spoken. Then allow me to correct this mistake properly. Please, follow me. I have already prepared your accommodations on the third floor. The auction will begin shortly." He gestured with an elegant sweep of his hand toward the grand staircase that spiraled into the heart of the mansion.

Rex was more than happy to accept the offer. The weight of dozens of mixed stares pressing down on him was suffocating, and he had never enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention.

Straightening his back, he let Cleo guide him forward, away from the murmurs, toward the grand doors of the mansion.

The gathered nobles watched closely, their whispers hushed and heavy with awe. To them, the scene had already shifted. Where a moment ago Rex had been an intruder wrapped in suspicion, now he was someone even the planetary champion treated with respect and courtesy.

"Here, my friend, this is the private room I prepared for you," the planetary champion said as he guided them into a wide chamber with an arched ceiling and a wall of transparent crystal overlooking the grand ballroom below.

"From here you will see everything without being disturbed. Now then, I will take my leave. I still have many guests to greet."

He gave a small bow of respect before departing, his Tier Four elites following in perfect formation behind him. The moment the door closed, the atmosphere shifted.

Rex finally let out a long sigh and sank into one of the ornate chairs. "That was… something," he muttered while rubbing the back of his neck.

"First time I've ever had that many eyes on me at once. Honestly, I'd rather have the hostile stares on a battlefield. At least those I know how to answer." With a tug of his hand, he pulled Cleo down onto his lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

She didn't resist, nor did she show the faintest trace of embarrassment. Instead, she settled into place with practiced ease. By now, this had become a quiet ritual between them; after all, whenever Rex had a chance, he made her sit with him like this. And though she could never explain why, she had grown accustomed to it, even comforted by it.

"Rex," Cleo's voice was calm, though her glowing eye pulsed faintly with hidden data streams, "don't relax too soon. I am detecting the arrival of two additional Tier Five planetary champions in orbit."

With a flick of her fingers, she summoned a holo screen into existence. The projection showed two heavily armed frigates descending through the planet's atmosphere, their hulls bristling with weapons.

"These are not local ships. I have already infiltrated their navigation systems," she continued, her tone almost casual despite the magnitude of what she was saying.

"Their course indicates they are heading directly here. There is a forty-eight percent probability that this auction will feature a noteworthy relic or artifact… and a fifty-two percent chance of a hidden special event."

She dismissed the projection with a wave, then turned back to Rex. Her eyes softened as she studied him; he was already leaning back, his head resting on the chair, eyes closed as though he could will away the chaos outside.

For a moment, Cleo simply watched him, then lifted her hand. A silver ripple spread across her palm as she shaped a delicate brush from the living metal within her body. With slow, gentle strokes, she began fixing his long hair, combing it smooth strand by strand.

If anyone else in the galaxy could have witnessed this simple scene, they might have gone mad with envy. Living metal was the crown jewel of technology, a treasure even the most powerful megacorporations had failed to reproduce.

The only samples they possessed came from ancient Kaelzar ruins scattered across the stars, tiny fragments compared to the abundance Cleo commanded so effortlessly.

And yet here she was, wielding the rarest substance in existence, not for war, not for creation, but for something as simple and human as brushing Rex's hair.

"Do you think I should cut my hair? I feel like it's already getting too long," Rex murmured, his voice relaxed as he leaned into the gentle rhythm of Cleo's brush strokes.

The sensation of her fingers moving through his hair, guided by the living metal comb, was oddly soothing, far more comforting than any battlefield victory or nobleman's flattery.

Cleo's hand stilled for a moment. Her gaze flickered downward, and when she finally spoke, her voice was soft, almost hesitant. "Negative… I… I like it the way it is." The words left her lips slowly, so quiet that another person might have missed them entirely. But Rex heard her perfectly.

His eyes opened, catching the faintest trace of warmth in her expression. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He reached up, cupping her cheek with surprising gentleness for a man who carried storms within him.

Drawing her closer, he pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that was tender yet lingering, a silent answer to the affection she had just revealed.

Cleo did not remain still. She kissed him back eagerly, her body leaning into his with a subtle hunger that was almost new to her. Before, when Rex had kissed her, she had responded out of curiosity or mimicry, her artificial body only able to imitate the human warmth she observed.

But ever since ascending with him to Tier Five, her connection to the living metal had deepened. Her synthetic shell was no longer simply a machine; it now pulsed with sensations so vivid they rivaled any human's touch.

Now, every kiss set fire to her nerves, and every caress drew her deeper into a world of warmth and tenderness. It had become her quiet addiction. She craved it in stolen moments, and sometimes she and Rex would lose themselves for half an hour or more, sharing nothing but the closeness of lips and the warmth of their embrace.

Rex's fingers brushed against her jaw, sending another ripple of sensation through her body. She shivered, wanting more, and for a fleeting instant she considered forgetting everything else... the nobles, the auction, even the planetary champions outside. But reality intruded.