Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Rex stared at what looked like an egg, though it wasn’t like any egg he’d ever seen. It seemed to be made of some kind of hard tissue, pulsating every so often as if it were alive. The surface was slightly transparent, and inside, he could make out a shadowy figure; it was humanoid in shape with long hair.

"So, Cleo... should we kill it?"

["I’m dumbfounded. I already knew the host lacked intellect, but I didn’t see this coming. Congratulations, host; your level of stupidity can’t even be measured by me."]

"What? Cut me some slack. I’ve never seen anything like this before. If it’s dangerous, wouldn’t it be better to destroy it?"

["You can destroy it, yes, but it’s not recommended. The Khryssari hive minds only have one daughter in their lifetime. She becomes the Queen if the current one dies."]

Cleo’s voice softened a bit, almost cracking, when she mentioned the egg.

["Years ago, my race also encountered a Khryssari princess egg..."]

Rex noticed how her tone had changed, then she made a brief pause before she continued.

["One of our primary memory systems made the decision to eradicate the egg, thinking it would prevent future threats. But it turned out to be one of the most catastrophic mistakes we ever made."]

[….]

["Soon after, wormhole signatures began to appear across the planet where we destroyed the egg. Hivemind fleets poured out, an endless number of them."]

[Our fleet was annihilated in minutes. The planet was razed to the ground, and they didn’t stop there. The Khryssari’s fury over the loss of their princess burned for years. My once-prosperous race... was wiped from the galaxy."]

"So, is this why you ended up on this desert planet?"

["Affirmative. The fleet I was assigned to got caught in a battle with one of the hive mind’s fleets. Our fleet was mostly made up of cargo and escort ships; we didn’t stand a chance against them. I managed to escape through a wild wormhole."]

["But wild wormholes are unpredictable. My ship took severe damage, and my body was also compromised. I had no choice but to enter hibernation until I woke up a few hours ago."]

"Alright, so what do we do? Should we take it with us?"

["That would be the best option. If we leave it here and something happens to it, which is as good as death, the consequences could be catastrophic. Take it to my ship. Sharing coordinates now, proceed as quickly as possible."]

Rex noticed the illuminated path appear once again.

"Okay, but first, let’s get out of here. We’ve already kept Carlos waiting too long, and who knows if the guards have ditched us by now."

He closed the cargo door, signaling for Carlos to come over so they could hop in the vehicle and leave.

"Ready to leave this death trap, my bald friend?"

"Of course I am. I don’t want to stick around here any longer. But, hey, you’re going to tell me what the hell happened back there, right?"

Rex fell silent for a moment. Explaining to someone else about Cleo, the AI capable of altering his body in mere hours and a sentient AI, no less, it wasn’t an easy choice. But he had known Carlos since they were kids, growing up and working as slaves together. If anyone was close enough to call a brother, it was him.

So, with a sigh, Rex started recounting everything that happened at the colony and how he met Cleo. Just as they neared the elevator, the vehicle’s headlights revealed the guards, still standing by.

Rex rolled down the window and gave them the signal to start the elevator. As he drove up to it, the elevator began its slow climb to floor zero.

Since the giant elevator was slow, it took about 10 minutes to go from floor 5 to floor 0. Once they finally reached the top, Rex hit the accelerator, leaving the guards behind. The guards didn’t seem to care since it was better for the noble to leave now than stick around and risk killing them out of impatience.

After a few minutes, Rex reached the exit of the mines, where the miners were still waiting. He rolled down the car window to speak to them.

"I’m heading out. You all wait for the guards to come up. Head back to the colony and try to catch one of the transport ships to get off the planet, or go to one of the headquarters. Good luck."

With that, Rex drove off, following the glowing path toward where Cleo’s ship was supposed to be. After hours of driving through endless sand, they finally reached the location, but all they could see was a sea of dunes stretching in every direction.

"Cleo… are you sure your ship’s here?"

["Affirmative. Please stand by.....initiating connection with the ship."]

["Connection successful. Powering up ship engines."]

Suddenly, Rex and Carlos felt the ground shake. In front of them, the sand began to rise, forming a mound that grew larger and larger. Then, a burst of dust exploded into the air, shrouding everything in a thick cloud. They couldn’t see a thing.

After a few minutes, faint blue lights began to glow through the dust, scattered across different spots within the swirling cloud.

["Ship retrieval successful. Please wait a moment for the dust to settle before boarding."]

After another minute, the ship finally landed, though in a different spot, since the place it had emerged from was now a large gaping hole. With the dust settling, Rex and Carlos could finally see it clearly. The ship gleamed white, with soft bluish accents scattered across its surface.

["This is my ship, a frigate specialized in exploration. It has a small factory onboard to build different types of drones. Unfortunately, its defenses and flight systems are damaged, so for now it’s only capable of acting as a land transport. I recommend the host return to the mine to gather metals for repairs."]

"You’ve got a beautiful ship here, Cleo. So, can we go inside now?"

["Opening cargo bay doors. Please proceed."]

Rex drove the car into the ship, and once they were inside, both he and Carlos stepped out, taking a moment to look around as the cargo bay doors closed automatically behind them. The interior was sleek and almost entirely white, brightly lit, and clearly a high-end vessel.

["Host, please proceed to the main chamber. There is an advanced charging bay there. It is crucial to recharge energy now, as we are down to 40%."]

"Oh? Alright. Carlos, make yourself comfortable, but don’t break anything, or the owner will probably kill us."

"Sure thing. I’m just going to crash in the car for a bit. So much has happened today, and now that we’re finally safe, I can feel how tired I am."

"Go ahead, man! Just don’t drool on the seat where my butt was a few minutes ago!"

"Fuck off, dude! Get outta here already."

Rex chuckled and waved him off as he headed toward the area Cleo was directing him to. As he approached, the automatic doors slid open, revealing a room that was mostly empty except for a tank-like structure made of metal and glass, surrounded by various pieces of machinery.

["Host, please lie down inside the tank. It will not harm your body. The process will help you recharge your energy, and in the event of severe damage, it can assist in healing."]

"Well, you’ve helped me this far, so I trust you."

[…..]

Rex walked up to the tank, and as he got close, the glass cover automatically lifted open. He was just about to step inside when Cleo interrupted.

["Host, please remove your clothes first. They will interfere with the examination and recharge process."]

"W-what!?" Rex stammered. "Cleo, you’re a naughty AI."

He instinctively covered himself, as if he were a shy girl being caught naked.

["W-what? Y-you… I didn’t mean... y-you!"]

For a moment, Rex was completely thrown off by Cleo’s flustered response. He knew she was far from the typical AIs you could find across the galaxy, but seeing her get this worked up was definitely a first.

"Wow, even you have moments like this? You’re kind of cute when you’re embarrassed."

[….]

["Activating control over the host’s body!"]

"W-wait, hey! What are you doing!?"

Before Rex could protest, Cleo took control of his body. He found himself undressing, completely against his will, while Cleo calmly guided him into the tank. Once he was lying down inside, control of his body was returned to him.

"Great, now I’ve been dirtied. I guess I can’t get married anymore!" he said dramatically.

[….]

Cleo, for the sake of her sanity, chose to ignore Rex’s antics. Meanwhile, Rex just grinned, clearly amused by this side of Cleo that he hadn’t seen before. As the glass door of the tank slid shut, he noticed a small spherical object descend from the ceiling. It looked like a camera, and from it, an image that looked like a hologram began to form.