Intergalactic conquest with an AI-Chapter 203 Awkward message

"Hostile forces are too numerous! They've broken through our defensive line! By the stars, what are these things? They're not…" The signal faltered and was replaced by a cacophony of white noise.

When it continued once more, the feed was in disarray. It was filled with screams and the sounds of combat. The admiral had reappeared, this time with blood on his face and sparks flying behind him. "Do not send reinforcements! I repeat, do NOT—"

The dark screen announced the end of the transmission with startling suddenness.

Pax sat back in his chair, his face unreadable as the hologram dissolved. His tentacles twitched faintly, betraying his growing irritation.

"Well," he said after a moment, his tone deceptively calm, "it seems this is no ordinary rebellion."

"My lord… What should we do?" the servant asked hesitantly.

Pax exhaled deeply, the iridescent smoke from his cigar-like object swirling around his head.

"Contact High Command. Request immediate intelligence on the status of the Hanarix sector. And send word to the nearest remaining fleets; I want this situation contained immediately. If reinforcements are needed, pull them from other sectors."

The servant bowed deeply. "At once, my lord."

As the servant scurried out of the room, Pax leaned back in his chair, his glowing eyes narrowing as he gazed out the window at the paradise world's serene landscape.

"Whatever this is," he murmured to himself, "I'll make sure it doesn't disrupt my schedule." His tentacles twitched as a dark grin spread across his face.

Several months had passed since the infamous Battle of Nakor, where humanity had achieved the unthinkable, the conquest of facilities owned by Nexum Dynamics, one of the galaxy's most powerful megacorporations.

The news spread like wildfire across the planet and beyond, leaving the nearby sectors stunned.

Since no one could believe it.

The human race, those fragile creatures that no one had even considered valuable enough to purchase as slaves for labor, had now seized a piece of the galaxy's most powerful economic empire.

For centuries, humans had been regarded as the weakest of the slave races. Too physically frail to mine the harsh asteroid fields, too biologically fragile for front-line war service. The only purpose they had served was as entertainment for the depraved or as disposable test subjects for medical experiments.

But now, the same "weak" humans had defeated a military force owned by Nexum Dynamics, a feat no one had expected, let alone believed possible.

For some, this was a cause for awe. Whispers spread across the sectors about the human's newfound strength and cunning. Rumors flew that they had developed some kind of miracle technology or that they had allied with forces even the megacorporations feared.

For others, however, it was seen as foolishness. History has proven time and time again that taking a megacorporation's facility was the easy part. The hard part was keeping it.

Retaliation from a megacorp was always swift and brutal, delivered with overwhelming force. Those who defied them often vanished without a trace, their names erased from history, their stories forgotten.

But months passed.

And the facilities remained under human control.

In one of the converted administrative buildings, now headquarters for the human forces, Saintess Lilla sat quietly in her chambers. The room was modestly decorated, reflecting her calm and serene personality. Morning light streamed through the windows, illuminating the soft white of her robes.

A light knock on the door broke the silence.

"Enter," Lilla said with her voice as calm and inviting as always.

One of her newly appointed maids stepped inside, bowing deeply before walking toward Lilla. In her hands, she carried a small, white robotic bird. Its sleek design gleamed faintly.

"Saintess," the maid began, her tone formal and reverent. "We have received a cryptic message from the underworld city." She held the bird forward carefully, offering it to Lilla.

Lilla tilted her head slightly. "A message from the city?" She took the bird delicately into her hands, its smooth metallic surface cool against her fingers. The bird chirped softly before scanning Lilla's face. A faint blue light swept across her features, and after a moment, the bird's beak clicked open.

<<Face features confirmed. Releasing message content.

The bird's mechanical voice was followed by a brief pause, and then a new voice began to play; it was soft, cute, and almost childlike. It was unmistakably the voice of Ys, the mischievous enigma who seemed to be everywhere and nowhere all at once.

"Hello? Is this recording already? How do I even know when this thing is recording?" Ys's voice filled the room, carrying her usual playful tone.

"Ys! If you don't know how to use it, let me do it!" Another voice interrupted. This one was charming and familiar. Lilla immediately recognized it as one of the twins, though she couldn't tell whether it was Nyra or Lyra; after all, their voices were nearly identical.

"Shhh! Let me do it!" Ys replied, sounding as though she was pouting. "I already won the game, so my words are absolute for 24 hours! You have to obey me, hahaha!"

"That doesn't count!" A third voice chimed in, this one brimming with indignation. "It was clear you were cheating!"

"Ha!? Stop being a sore loser!" Ys snapped back, her tone filled with mockery. "You keep saying I was cheating, but you never give proof that I did!"

The argument quickly devolved into chaotic bickering, with Ys and one of the twins going back and forth in an endless cycle of accusations and deflections.

"You two, stop it! The bird is recording all of this!" The other twin's voice broke in, exasperated. The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard in the background before the message abruptly cut off.

<<End of the first recorded message. You still have one message left. Do you wish to hear it?

The little bird's beak clicked shut as it finished speaking, its mechanical eyes blinking innocently.

The room fell silent.

Lilla sat perfectly still, the red flush on her ears betraying the embarrassment she felt. Her normally calm demeanor wavered ever so slightly. This was not the kind of message she had expected.

The maids standing nearby fidgeted awkwardly, unsure of how to react. They looked everywhere but at Lilla, clearly feeling as though they had overheard something they shouldn't have.

One maid bit her lip, trying to suppress the urge to giggle, while another looked like she wanted to sink into the floor.

For her part, Lilla simply cleared her throat, placing the bird down gently on her desk. "Well," she said softly, her voice regaining its usual composure, though her bright red ears betrayed her lingering embarrassment. "It seems they were... quite busy."

She reached out to the bird again but hesitated, her fingers hovering over its smooth metallic surface. "Should I even listen to the next message?" she murmured to herself, her expression thoughtful.

The maids glanced at each other but said nothing.

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After a long pause, Lilla let out a soft sigh, her lips curling into the faintest of smiles. "Go on," she said to the bird.

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The little robotic creature clicked its beak, preparing to play the next message.

The robotic bird chirped softly as it prepared to play the second message. Lilla, already bracing herself after the first chaotic recording, leaned back in her chair with a small sigh.

The maids, who had been silently pretending not to exist after the previous awkwardness, stole curious glances at the bird, wondering what fresh chaos was about to unfold.

The bird's beak clicked open, and the recording began.

"Lyra! Are you sure the first message was deleted?" Ys with her familiar childlike voice asked, her tone a mix of suspicion and impatience.

"I'm sure... probably..." Lyra's voice replied, sounding equally impatient. "Anyway, just say it correctly this time! I don't want to delete it again!!"

("You didn't delete it at all…") Lilla thought to herself, her expression remaining calm, though a faint sigh escaped her lips.

There was a pause, followed by the sound of someone clearing their throat dramatically.

"Ehem, well then, little Lilla," Ys began, her voice filled with pride, "I have come bearing good news, bad news, and... probably... a gray one! Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Ys, you know she can't see you, right?" one of the twins interrupted, her voice laced with exasperation. "Stop making those weird poses."

"And you also need to know this is just a voice recording. There's no interactive interface," the other twin added, her tone equally unimpressed.

A long silence followed.

"..."

"This... these little...!" Ys's voice trailed off, and then the sound of chaos erupted in the background. Thuds, muffled cries, and the distinct sound of someone's suffering could be heard as Ys presumably "educated" her companions.

Lilla's brow twitched slightly. The faint redness in her ears was starting to creep back as the maids exchanged awkward glances again, unsure whether to laugh or continue pretending they hadn't heard anything.

After a few minutes of background discipline, Ys's voice returned, sounding far too cheerful for the situation.

"Ehem! Now that my two servants have been properly educated, we can finally talk in peace."

"Alright," Ys continued. "Let's start with the bad news! The megacorp is still sending spies, pirates, and mercenary fleets to attack you guys every so often. They're annoying, but, well, that's what megacorps do."

Lilla's expression darkened slightly, her gray eyes narrowing as she processed this information.

"Now for the gray news! My aunt is taking care of them for now yay!, but she said she's keeping all the loot as payment. There's nothing I can do about it since, well, my aunt is super scary!"

Despite the ominous nature of the news, Ys's childlike voice made the remark oddly adorable. Lilla couldn't help but let out a small sigh, her lips curling ever so slightly into a faint smile.

"And now..."