Intergalactic conquest with an AI

As the Void Crawler emerged from the stinking darkness of its lair, Rex raised his hand, signaling for his squad to hold fire. Shooting at the creature would be pointless; it could slip into the immaterial realm the moment it sensed any real danger. For now, all they could do was watch and wait.

The Void Crawler stood firm, his eyes locked onto the twisted enemies he had encountered the night before. In the past, he might have charged forward, tearing through them with reckless abandon.

But tonight was different since two dangerous presences pulsed in the air around him, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

The first energy was clear enough; it came from the towering figure standing at the front of the enemy line, radiating menace. But the second presence was hidden, lurking somewhere just out of reach, and that unknown threat gnawed at his confidence.

Still, despite his unease, he could feel the virus inside him whispering, urging him to devour the enemies before him, to consume their strength and grow even more powerful. The temptation clouded his thoughts, and before he knew it, a feral roar ripped from his throat as he vanished into the immaterial world.

"Wait... that's it? It ran away?"

Rex muttered, glancing around, eyes darting, but the creature had already disappeared.

"Rex, get ready,"

Cleo called out, her gaze fixed on the multiple screens in front of her, each showing the views of the scout drones she had sent into the creature's lair.

"The drones are dropping off the grid one by one. They're coming."

The ground began to tremble, faint at first but building to a relentless rumble. Small rocks and debris jumped and rolled as the vibrations grew stronger, until finally, from the dark mouth of the tunnel, a swarm of creatures spilled forth, hundreds, thousands of them, an endless wave of mindless hunger.

As the swarm surged forward, the Aegis sentinels in the front two fire lines unleashed a barrage of plasma, transforming the tunnel entrance into a blazing inferno. The soldiers stationed on the rooftops above picked off any that slipped through the wall of gunfire, taking down stragglers with ruthless efficiency.

"Cleo, I'm heading to reinforce the third line,"

Rex shouted as he sprinted toward the fray, swinging his claymore in wide, deadly arcs, slicing through the swarmers as if they were nothing.

For a few minutes, it seemed as if they were holding the upper hand. But then the Void Crawler reappeared, materializing behind the fire lines, striking down Aegis units one by one in a devastating ambush.

Cleo was ready. She had anticipated this tactic after losing soldiers to it in the previous battle. This time, every unit in Squad 201 was equipped with upgraded energy shields, each powerful enough to withstand the Void Crawler's attacks, even if they drained twice as much power.

The creature darted from one point to another, trying the same ambush in different spots, but Cleo had outmaneuvered it. Before the Void Crawler could react, a black-flamed sword flew through the air and plunged into its back.

A hideous, guttural roar tore from the creature's throat, its body writhing in pain, a sensation it hadn't felt since the infection took hold of it.

"Stop whining. I'm already sick of chasing you,"

Cleo muttered as she stepped forward, twin swords glinting in her hands.

The Void Crawler's eyes blazed with fury; its only thought was to tear her apart, but as it tried to shift back to the immaterial world, it found itself trapped, bound to the physical plane.

Cleo let out a lowchuckle. "

What's wrong? Stuck? Not that I care, but I had to ask. I think Rex is rubbing off on me,"

she sighed, her tone mocking as she closed in on the disoriented creature, ready to deliver the final blow.

The Void Crawler, its fury boiling over, lunged at Cleo with claws raised, aiming to tear her apart. But Cleo moved with an effortless grace, sidestepping each attack without wasting a single motion.

Her eyes stayed locked on her target, calculating every dodge leading into a precise counterattack. Each time the Void Crawler's claws missed, her blade bit into its thin, sinewy body, slicing through flesh and drawing out thick, black blood that hit the ground with a sickening splatter, releasing a stench so foul it was nearly suffocating.

Cleo wrinkled her nose beneath her visor, her voice cold and unamused.

"You stink. Honestly, I feel like I'm doing the galaxy a favor by putting you down."

She activated her helmet, sealing herself off from the creature's rotting stench, a relief for someone as obsessive about cleanliness as she was.

The Void Crawler snarled, enraged by her mocking words. It attacked even more wildly, claws striking faster, with enough force to make her shield flicker as it absorbed the blows. But Cleo was ready. As the creature lunged forward, three more blades appeared, piercing into its back.

A terrible scream tore from the Void Crawler's throat as the enchanted swords did their work. One blade unleashed a searing acid burning through its flesh and filling the air with smoke and a rancid odor.

Another blade delivered a jolt of electricity, surging through the creature's muscles, locking its limbs in spasms. The Void Crawler collapsed to the ground, writhing and convulsing, its skin smoking as it fought against the pain.

Cleo watched it thrash, tilting her head as if mildly entertained.

"Well, my job here is done. My efficiency has dropped by 65 percent dealing with you. I'll need to keep tuning this body before I can get a better body."

She gave a quick nod to the nearby Aegis units of Squad 201.

"Take care of it."

The Aegis soldiers stepped forward, surrounding the paralyzed creature. They raised their weapons and unleashed a barrage of plasma rounds, reducing the Void Crawler to little more than charred, stinking meat. The creature's remains sizzled on the ground, smoke curling up into the cold air.

Cleo deactivated her weapons, the blades dissolving back into nanomaterial, which she reabsorbed as she walked away. She tapped her communicator

. "Rex, the 'zombie boss,' as you like to call them, has been taken care of. How's it going on your end?"

"Well,"

Rex's voice crackled over the line, a hint of a laugh in it,

"the swarmers started scattering a few minutes ago. Guess they weren't too happy about their leader biting the dust. Thanks for that. By the way, Cleo, you feel like exploring a creepy alien cave?"

"What cave?"

Cleo asked, one eyebrow arching in skepticism.

Rex shrugged, already stepping toward the dark, reeking tunnel left behind by the Void Crawler.

"The Void Crawler's lair. Now that it's gone, the place should be empty. We can go in, take a look around, maybe learn a bit more about these 'zombies,' don't you think?"

Cleo let out a resigned sigh but gave a nod.

"Alright, give me a second. I'll join you."

She jumped down from the rooftop where she'd been stationed with the third fire line, landing in a crouch before making her way over to where Rex was waiting.

As she approached, Rex grinned, already peering into the dark entrance.

"Well, then, let's do this. I can't wait to see what kind of creepy shit is hiding down there."

He gestured to Squad 201, signaling them to go ahead and sweep the area, making sure there'd be no nasty surprises waiting in the shadows.

Rex and Cleo followed the squad into the cave, and as soon as they stepped inside, an overwhelming stench filled the air, thick and rancid.

The ground squished unpleasantly beneath their boots, as if they were walking across a vast slab of decaying flesh. Shadows stretched along the walls, revealing shapes and textures that were disturbing in ways neither of them wanted to think too deeply about.

"Hey, Cleo,"

Rex muttered, his voice echoing in the confined space.

"I couldn't help but notice, all the swarmers we've fought so far… they've been male. And, uh… those things on the walls look like…"

He trailed off, pointing at a mass protruding from the wall, its grotesque shape almost recognizable.

Cleo rolled her eyes and gave him a sharp kick to the ankle, cutting him off.

"Don't. Even. Think. About. Finishing. That. Thought,"

she said firmly, stepping in front of him with a glare that could pierce armor.

Rex snickered, undeterred. "

Oh, come on, you can't deny they kinda look like―

"

"Rex! Keep talking, and you'll be sleeping outside tonight. Alone."

Cleo shot him a deadly look over her shoulder and kept moving, her stride quickening as if eager to get this over with.

Falling silent, Rex exchanged a glance with one of the nearby Aegis units. He raised an eyebrow, pointing discreetly at the disturbing mass on the wall.

The Aegis unit gave a small, subtle nod, acknowledging the resemblance, and Rex smirked, giving him a thumbs-up. Then he jogged to catch up with Cleo, a mischievous grin lingering on his face.

As they continued deeper into the darkness, the atmosphere grew thicker, and the walls seemed to close in, pulsing faintly with the remnants of whatever unnatural life had thrived here. Neither of them spoke, but the silence was filled with unspoken questions, the eerie quiet amplifying the faint, wet sounds beneath their feet.

After a few minutes of walking around, they arrived to a big pool of muddy water and they could see how something big was moving under the water, Rex and Cleo looked at each other.

"So, do you wanna go to take a shower with me?" Rex said while poiting at the clearly dangerous muddy water.