Intergalactic conquest with an AI

The champion's laugh grew louder, almost maniacal, as he pointed at Ys with one of his clawed hands. "Tell me, little sister," he said mockingly, his voice dripping with venom.

"what's next? Are you going to regress to Tier 1 and start licking the dirt beneath our feet? Hah! You might as well crawl back to whatever gutter Mother dumped you in!"
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The laughter stopped abruptly with the sharp, mechanical sound of a shotgun being reloaded.

The champion's glowing eyes snapped to Rex, his wings stilling as he noticed the plasma shotgun aimed squarely at his head.

Rex's voice cut through the hangar like a blade. "I don't know who you are or what rank you have here," he said, his tone low and menacing, "but the one you're insulting is my wife. So I'd really appreciate it if you…"

He raised the shotgun slightly, steadying his aim directly at the champion's forehead. "SHUT THE FUCK UP AND STEP AWAY FROM MY GIRL!"

The hangar fell into a tense silence.

The champion's mandibles twitched in surprise for a brief moment, but then his expression shifted into something more sinister. His wings spread slightly, glowing faintly as his towering frame loomed over Rex.

"And what are you going to do with that toy, human?" The champion sneered, his voice full of contempt. "Do you even realize where you are? Who you're pointing that thing at?"

His green eyes glinted with amusement as his mandibles curved into a sharp grin. "You're a little insect standing in a hive of giants, and you think you can bark orders at me?"

Rex didn't budge. His stance was steady, the shotgun unwavering in his grip. "I don't care if you're a giant, a god, or the Queen herself," he growled. "What you will do is stop insulting my wife, or I swear to god, I'll paint this hangar with whatever color your blood is."

The champion's smile faltered for a split second, but it returned quickly as he let out a deep, guttural chuckle. "Bold words, little human," he said while taking a single step closer. The barrel of the shotgun was now almost pressed against his forehead.

"But do you have the guts to pull the trigger? Do you really think you'll live long enough to see the aftermath?"

Ys, who had remained silent up until now, finally spoke. Her voice was soft, almost amused, but carried an underlying sharpness. "I wouldn't test him if I were you, T'Kalthar."

T'Kalthar turned his gaze to Ys, his mandibles twitching in irritation. "And why is that, little sister?" he asked mockingly.

Ys smirked, stepping out from behind Rex and crossing her arms. "Because Rex isn't like anyone you've dealt with before. He doesn't bluff."

Rex tilted his head slightly, his golden eyes gleaming behind his helmet. "She's right, you know," he said. "The last guy who called my bluff? Let's just say he didn't live long enough to regret it."

T'Kalthar's mandibles clicked as he considered his options, his gaze shifting between Rex and Ys. The tension in the air was palpable, and the other Khryssari champions behind him seemed to be watching intently, their glowing eyes flicking between the three figures in front of them.

T'Kalthar let out a sneer, his mandibles twitching with disdain. "Do it," he said mockingly, his glowing green eyes boring into Rex as if daring him.

"Go ahead, human. I know your kind. I've eaten some of you from time to time... survivors from wars, stragglers from destroyed fleets. Every single one of them was pathetic, useless trash that—"

Before T'Kalthar could finish his sentence, the sharp crack of a shotgun echoed through the hangar.

Rex had pulled the trigger.

The plasma shot hit T'Kalthar squarely in the face at point-blank range. Ordinarily, a plasma blast like that wouldn't even tickle a Tier 6 Khryssari, as their bodies were reinforced with energy harnessed from stellar cores.

But T'Kalthar had made the fatal error of assuming Rex wouldn't actually fire. He hadn't braced himself, and the unexpected impact caused him to stagger slightly.

The burn mark on his face wasn't deep, but it was enough to leave a blackened scorch across his otherwise pristine exoskeleton.

T'Kalthar stood there silently for a moment, his towering form eerily still. Slowly, he raised a hand to his face, brushing away the smoke and wiping the burn mark with deliberate precision.

His expression didn't show pain; it was more disbelief. The champions behind him shifted uneasily, their eyes narrowing as they watched the exchange, but none dared to step forward.

T'Kalthar finally lowered his hand and looked back at Rex, who was still standing in the same spot, the shotgun still raised. Rex hadn't moved an inch, and his helmeted gaze remained locked onto the Khryssari champion.

The tension in the air was suffocating.

T'Kalthar's mandibles twitched as he let out a low, guttural growl. "While I would very much like to end you for that little stunt," he said, his voice calm but laced with venom.

"Mother's orders were to escort you and that trash—" he flicked his gaze briefly to Ys "—to her. So, be glad, human. You get to live another day."

He turned sharply on his heel, his wings twitching with restrained anger, and made a hand signal to his fellow champions. The gesture was unmistakable; it was a command for Rex to follow them.

As the group began moving toward the Queen's chambers, Ys walked beside Rex, looking up at him with sparkling eyes that practically radiated admiration.

"Darling… since when were you more of a devil than I am?" She asked with her voice full of awe. Her expression was so exaggerated that there were practically little stars in her eyes.

Rex let out a nervous chuckle, lowering the plasma shotgun and absorbing back the nanomaterials. "I'll be honest," he muttered while glancing at her. "I think I shit myself the second I pulled the trigger. Good thing this suit doesn't let the smell out."

Ys giggled while wrapping herself around his arm like a playful child. "You're amazing~!" she said, giving him an affectionate squeeze. But then, as if casually mentioning the weather, she added, "Oh, by the way, my brothers are directly connected to my mother's hive mind. Sooo… she probably saw that little show just now."

Rex stopped dead in his tracks. He could feel his blood turn cold as he slowly turned his head to look at Ys. "Wait… Are you telling me... your mother saw me trying to blow her son's head off?"

"Yup~!" Ys said with a silly laugh, her innocent grin almost infuriatingly carefree.

Rex's shoulders slumped slightly as he muttered under his breath, "Oh, I am so dead."

"Hehe~! Don't worry, darling," Ys said, patting his arm reassuringly. "Mother doesn't really care about fights between her sons. She can just make more of them anytime she wants, you know? She only cares about the greater good of the swarm. Losing one or two sons doesn't make much of a difference to her."

Rex let out a long, exasperated sigh, running a hand down his helmeted face. "Yeah, real reassuring. You're telling me she doesn't care if I kill one of her kids. Great. That's not terrifying at all."

Ys giggled again, clearly enjoying his discomfort. But her playful demeanor shifted slightly when Rex asked his next question.

"So… I remember I heard somewhere that a Khryssari Queen can only produce one daughter in her entire lifetime," Rex said, his tone curious but cautious. "Does that make you her favorite or something? Is that why these guys hate you so much? Are they just jealous because you're her golden child?"

Ys's smile dimmed for a moment, her gaze lowering slightly. "Not exactly," she said quietly. "What they said before was true, you know. I was a failed experiment for her."

Rex frowned; his curiosity piqued, but his heart tugged slightly at her tone. "What do you mean?"

Ys took a deep breath before explaining. "When I was created, Mother used the genes of a void creature that she and my aunts defeated after years of fighting. It was supposed to create a being that could reach unimaginable power..."

"A perfect mix of void and Khryssari traits. But what she got... was me." She gestured to herself with a weak smile. "I can barely reach Tier 3. That's nothing compared to what she hoped for. In her eyes, I'm a disappointment. A failed experiment."

Rex looked at her, unsure of what to say. But before he could respond, Ys's smile returned in full force. "But enough about me~!" she said cheerfully, pointing ahead of them. "We're almost at Mother's chambers!"

Rex followed her gaze, and his eyes widened slightly at the sight before him.

In the distance, the Queen's chamber loomed like an alien fortress. It was a massive, spherical structure that dwarfed even the colossal Khryssari ships around it.

The chamber was surrounded by thousands of Khryssari of all sizes and forms, each one patrolling with a precision that was both awe-inspiring and deeply unnerving. The sphere itself pulsed faintly with green light, its surface covered in organic, bone-like structures that twisted outward like jagged spines.

"That's… impressive," Rex muttered while staring at the gargantuan structure.

Ys grinned, leaning against him playfully. "Told you~! Mother always makes an entrance."

As they approached the entrance to the Queen's chamber, Rex couldn't help but feel his pulse quicken. The sheer size of the structure was daunting enough, but it was the two massive figures stationed in front of the entrance that made him instinctively tighten his grip.