Intergalactic conquest with an AI

Nyra's grin turned savage as she leaned down to whisper in his ear. "That, dear commander, is the rest of our family coming to play," she said with a sinister chuckle.

Lyra, who had been silently watching the scene unfold, stepped forward and crouched next to the commander again, her tone calm but laced with mock sympathy.

"You see, this is what happens when you underestimate us," she said, her crimson eyes glowing faintly. "You thought we were just two kids with some toys. But now? Now you'll see what real power looks like."

The fiery object in the sky grew larger and brighter, its descent accompanied by a deafening roar. The soldiers around them began to panic, their disciplined formation crumbling as fear took hold.

"Commander! We've got an incoming unidentified object!" One of the officers shouted into the chaos. "It's coming straight for us!"

"Hold your positions!" the commander shouted, though his voice betrayed his growing unease.

The soldiers aimed their weapons at the sky, their hands trembling as they waited for orders. But the fiery object wasn't slowing down. Instead, it accelerated, its glow intensifying until it was almost blinding.

The twins stepped back casually, allowing the commander to collapse onto the ground as he craned his neck to watch the spectacle above.

"Bloody, status update," Lyra said calmly, her voice cutting through the noise like a blade.

The small AI bat, still perched on Lyra's shoulder, chirped in response. "The Cleopatra-class drop pod is on final approach. Estimated impact in thirty seconds. Recommended course of action: maintain safe distance."

"Drop pod?" the commander muttered, his voice shaking. "What kind of lunatics are you people?"

Nyra crouched next to him, her crimson eyes gleaming with amusement. "Oh, you're about to find out," she said with a wink.

Above, the fiery object suddenly flared even brighter as its thrusters activated, slowing its descent at the last possible moment. It slammed into the ground with a thunderous boom, sending shockwaves through the area and kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris.

The soldiers stumbled while some fell to the ground as they struggled to maintain their footing. When the dust began to clear, the object revealed itself: a massive, heavily armored drop pod with the unmistakable insignia of the Cleopatra, the flagship of Cleo.

The pod's doors hissed open, and out stepped several figures clad in sleek, black-and-red battle armor. Each one was armed to the teeth, their helmets glowing with the same crimson light as the twins' masks.

The commander's face turned pale as he realized what he was up against. "The underground," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Nyra stood tall, crossing her arms as she surveyed the scene with a satisfied grin. "So, commander," she said, her tone dripping with mockery. "Still think you have the numbers advantage?"

Lyra tilted her head, her gaze icy as she added, "Or would you like to reconsider and talk this out like civilized people?"

Continue your saga on empire

The commander gulped, his bravado finally crumbling under the weight of the twins overwhelming show of force. He had no words left, only fear.

The commander sat frozen, his face drained of color as his mind raced. He had encountered this kind of force before, the dreaded Aegis units, rumored to be unstoppable.

During previous skirmishes with the underground city, his troops had been completely annihilated every single time. No matter how well-prepared they were, the outcome was always the same, complete and utter defeat.

And now, standing before him, were the very same types of units that had haunted the recovered footage from those disastrous encounters. While their colors were slightly different, there was no mistaking it; these were Aegis units.

His lips trembled as he forced out a nervous laugh. "O-Oh! So you're with the underground, huh? Well, now it all makes sense! Ha... haha... hahaha...!" He tried to steady his voice but failed miserably. "This was indeed a total misunderstanding! You really should've told us that sooner!"

The twins glanced at each other, their expressions turning thoughtful.

"This smells like Emi's doing," Lyra muttered, shuddering slightly.

Nyra's eyes narrowed, her usual playful smirk replaced with unease. "Yeah, no doubt about it. Everyone thinks she's all composed and cute, but deep down..." Nyra trailed off, her voice tinged with dread as both twins visibly shuddered at a memory they didn't want to recall.

Lyra cleared her throat and stepped forward, giving the commander a disarming smile that didn't quite reach her crimson eyes. "Ehem, well, seeing that you're wise enough to want to talk things out peacefully, we're willing to engage in a diplomatic discussion," she said.

Nyra nodded in agreement, gesturing to the Blood Legion assassins surrounding the officers. The assassins, with eerie precision, stepped back and released their captives, allowing the officers to fall to the ground, gasping for air.

"Now then," Lyra said, crouching slightly to meet the commander's panicked eyes, "let's clear up this little misunderstanding... well, at least the parts that are a misunderstanding."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Over the next few minutes, Lyra explained the entire situation of how Erik wasn't kidnapped but rather rescued from his tormentors at the college, and how the drones were deployed solely for defense when they were attacked by corrupt forces.

By the end of her explanation, the commander's head was bobbing up and down so quickly it was a wonder it hadn't fallen off.

"Oh! I see now! So it was just a big misunderstanding!" he said with his voice filled with exaggerated cheerfulness as he desperately tried to appease them. "Don't worry about anything. We'll clear this up immediately; absolutely no problem at all!"

Nyra chuckled, shaking her head as she leaned casually against the hood of the car. "Wow, you're really good at bootlicking. I'll give you a solid eight out of ten," she said with a smirk.

The commander didn't dare respond, only offering a strained laugh as beads of sweat dripped down his face.

Lyra straightened up and smiled sweetly. "Since you're so cooperative, there is something else we need," she said.

The commander's heart sank, but he kept his forced smile in place. "O-Of course! Anything you need! Just let me know!"

"Well," Lyra began, her tone light but firm, "there's going to be a... conflict between us and the forces of certain corporations on this planet. We plan to take them out today."

Nyra chimed in without missing a beat, still focused on braiding her sister's hair. "So, as our new 'friends,' we'd really appreciate it if you disconnected all your communication devices for the next few hours. You know, to make sure you don't accidentally get dragged into a private little dispute."

Lyra nodded, her expression becoming solemn. "It would really break our hearts if something happened to you all because of a simple misunderstanding about a private matter."

The commander gulped, feeling the full weight of their thinly veiled threat. "O-Oh! Of course! That makes sense! We wouldn't want to interfere in a small private conflict!" he said hurriedly, his voice cracking slightly.

But a thought suddenly struck him, and his brow furrowed. "But... what about the warships stationed outside the planet? What if they decide to send reinforcements? We won't be able to stop them."

Lyra's smile widened, and she tilted her head in that unnervingly cute way that made her seem far more dangerous. "Oh, them?" she said sweetly. "Don't worry about the warships. We've got some... helpers out there who'll be keeping them busy for a little while."

Nyra giggled, finally finishing Lyra's hairstyle with a satisfied clap of her hands. "Yup! By the time they realize what's happening, it'll already be too late for them to do anything about it," she said cheerfully.

The commander's mind raced as he tried to process their words. These weren't just a couple of rogue kids with advanced tech; they had resources, allies, and a level of coordination that was terrifying to consider.

Lyra crouched down again, her crimson eyes locking onto the commander's. "So, can we count on you to stay out of our way?" She asked, her voice soft but carrying the weight of an unspoken warning.

The commander nodded vigorously, his fear palpable. "Y-Yes! Of course! We'll stay out of it! You have my word!"

"Good," Lyra said with a satisfied smile, standing up and dusting off her skirt. "It's always nice when people are reasonable."

"See?" Nyra added with a wink. "Talking things out isn't so bad, is it?"

The commander didn't respond since he was too busy silently praying that whatever chaos the twins were about to unleash wouldn't come back to haunt him.

After several hours of driving and dealing with obstacles, the twins finally arrived at the rendezvous point, a secluded clearing deep within the outskirts of the planet.

A sleek shuttle bearing the insignia of the human empire was already parked there, its engines humming faintly as a group of uniformed envoys stood waiting near the ramp.

One of the envoys, a tall, sharply dressed man with a perfectly groomed appearance, checked the time on his arm device as the twins car screeched to a stop. He turned to face them with a faint scowl.

"I see you've finally arrived," he said, his tone dripping with disapproval. "Some hours late, it seems."

Nyra rolled her eyes as she hopped out of the driver's seat, her silver hair catching the moonlight as she stretched lazily. "We know, we know," she said, waving dismissively at the envoy.

"No need to be such an ass about it. We just had a little... confrontation with the defensive forces." She smirked, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "But don't worry, we sorted everything out."