Intergalactic conquest with an AI-Chapter 415: The enemy within. {3}

Tyty took a brief moment before answering, as if processing the updated data. "Negative, Commander. We have not yet located the specific object or structure the princess requested. However..."

His tone sharpened slightly. "We have identified several infected nests in the surrounding area. I strongly advise we eliminate them immediately before they spawn additional mutated variants. Their proximity to the outpost poses an increasing risk."

Lyra paused in front of the armor station, her eyes narrowed slightly while she got lost in thought for a few seconds. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

"How many troops should we dispatch to wipe out the nests?" Lyra asked while standing still as her armor unit whirred to life. "I remind you I only brought a single division of the Blood Legion here, and after weeks of nonstop waves, we’ve already lost a few units."

As she spoke, the mechanical arms of the power armor station carefully fastened the crimson-and-black exosuit around her slender body. Every plate clicked into place with a smooth hiss, forming a perfect, compact seal.

Just beside her, the silent bot maid stood with both arms extended, holding a long crimson cape adorned with the Blood Legion’s sigil, a fanged helm surrounded by blood-spattered wings. It was the mark worn only by Legion generals.

Tyty’s eyes blinked once as he reviewed the battlefield data. "According to the recon footage from the scout drones I dispatched earlier, the nests we’ve detected are among the smallest found across the planet."

"However, even at this size, we will require a minimum of one battalion of around one thousand Aegis units to effectively destroy each nest without excessive casualties."

Lyra narrowed her eyes and did a slow shoulder roll, testing the mobility of her suit. "Alright, here’s what we’ll do. You take one battalion of one thousand troops and handle one of the nests. I’ll lead the second battalion personally."

"We’ll leave two thousand soldiers behind to guard the outpost and keep the perimeter secure, and the remaining five hundred will stay on standby in case we need reinforcements or emergency backup."

"Understood, Commander," Tyty said with a nod. Then, after a brief pause, "However, who will assume command of the outpost in our absence?"

Lyra turned to the floating blue orb hovering calmly in the corner of her room. "System?" she called.

[Commander?] The destroyer’s AI answered immediately, its smooth mechanical voice echoing slightly through the room.

"You’re in charge while we’re gone. Just... try not to raise a rebellion while I’m out playing exterminator," Lyra said with a smirk as the maid delicately attached the ceremonial cape to the back of her armor.

[Understood, Commander. I solemnly swear not to overthrow your rule during your absence... though I must admit, it would make for a rather exciting day.] The AI’s voice carried a subtle hint of sarcasm, almost like a dry joke passed through a filter of wires and circuits.

Lyra gave the AI a suspicious glance. "You’re a strange one. Are you sure Cleo only gave you standard programming? Because I swear, you’re way too smug for a basic support AI."

But she waved it off with a sigh and turned toward the door. "Whatever. I’m leaving the outpost in your transparent hands. Let’s move, Tyty. We’ve got some nests to burn."

Without another word, the armored doors slid open with a hiss, and Lyra, followed by her towering lieutenant, marched down the corridor toward the launch bay. The AI orb hovered silently for a few seconds before vanishing with a flicker of light.

Deep within the destroyer’s core, where the command AI network operated unseen by human eyes, the blue orb reappeared, this time floating beside a second figure.

This one radiated a soft white light and had a holographic avatar shaped like a beautiful woman with flowing black hair and luminous silver eyes. She was reclining lazily on a digital couch, watching flickering holo-games with half her attention.

"Is there something to report?" the second AI asked, barely glancing up from her game. Her tone was casual, as if she’d just woken from a nap.

[The concubine Lyra has left the outpost and is currently leading a battalion to purge the infected nests. Shall I inform the Young Emperor of her departure?] the first AI asked, its tone as neutral and calculated as always.

The black-haired AI tilted her head and gave a little hum, placing a hand to her temple in mock thought. "Hmm... nah. No need. Just keep an eye on her from here. The Young Master gave strict orders to let her adapt to the battlefield without interference. She needs the experience."

She leaned back, kicking her legs up onto a shimmering platform of light. "You’ve done well. Here’s your reward for being a good little observer."

The white AI waved her hand, and a stream of golden data like glowing fireflies flowed toward the blue AI. The reward wasn’t just a gesture; it was a meaningful gift, extra processing power, temporary access to more command protocols, and a patch of priority status in the network hierarchy.

[Much appreciated, High Steward AI. I shall continue surveillance without interruption.]

And with that, both AIs returned to their tasks... one lazing like a goddess in digital repose, the other watching Lyra like a satellite in the sky, quietly keeping the world from falling apart.

Outside the Kaelzar Outpost’s main headquarters, the newly upgraded starport buzzed with intense activity. The ground trembled faintly from the hum of hundreds of powerful engines.

At least a hundred Blood Legion transport ships stood ready, lined up like a fleet of warbirds, their boarding ramps open and soldiers marching inside in disciplined formations.

Heavy weapon crates, mobile drones, and ammunition containers were being loaded one after another with machine-like precision. The air was thick with heat, the roar of turbines, and the scent of burning plasma fuel.

Hovering steadily above it all was Lyra’s personal command ship, an intimidating fortress in the sky, gleaming with crimson and silver armor plating. Its engines pulsed quietly, patiently awaiting its master.

Near one of the last ships, Lyra stood with her hands on her hips, watching the loading process. Her cape fluttered behind her, and the crimson glow of her eyes shimmered under her visor.

"Well then, Tyty," she said with a sly grin as she turned toward her second-in-command. "Good luck out there, dude. Don’t die, or, well... don’t get destroyed? Honestly, I’m not sure what to say to someone who doesn’t technically have a soul, but hey, you’ve got it, right?" She chuckled and gave his reinforced chestplate a playful but metallic thunk with her palm.

"Understood, Commander," Tyty replied in his calm, metallic voice. "May the might of the Kaelzars follow you into battle." He gave her a short nod and then turned around, walking off toward his assigned battalion’s ship.

A few moments later, with a synchronized blast of engine fire, the transport ships roared into the sky, splitting into separate formations and veering off toward their respective targets.

Even at maximum speed, it took Lyra’s ship about thirty minutes to reach her designated destination. She stood inside the pilot cabin with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed, expecting to see something small or maybe the size of a ruined village or a collapsed industrial site.

But what she saw instead made her eyes widen.

Sprawling across the land, stretching over several kilometers, was a monstrous landscape of twisted, blackened organic growth fused with metallic structures. The infected nest looked like a biomechanical cancer, pulsing faintly and covered in webs of red veins and spiked towers that twitched as if alive.

"...Well, I’ll be damned," Lyra muttered while staring through the reinforced viewing glass. "That’s what Tyty calls small?"

She let out a breath and turned away from the glass. "System," she called.

[Yes, Commander?] the ship’s AI responded immediately.

"Circle around the nest first. I want a full scan and a good look. Find us a decent place to drop troops and start our assault."

[Affirmative. Beginning aerial perimeter sweep.]

As the ship began banking gently to the right, Lyra turned her head to look at the figure standing quietly behind her.

The imperial bot maid was already battle-ready. Her synthetic skin glowed with a faint shimmer of protective shielding.

In each hand, she held a high-powered laser rifle, calibrated for rapid burst fire. On her back, secured with magnetic clamps, was a portable missile launcher normally reserved for mech suits since its weight alone would have crushed an ordinary soldier.

Her face, however, remained calm and composed, like a porcelain doll trained for war. "What do you think?" Lyra asked while tilting her head. "Should we try surrounding it and light the whole nest up with incendiary missiles?"

She knew her battlefield experience was still lacking, especially compared to Cleo or even Tyty but at least she could admit it. The bot maid was created by Cleo herself to serve Rex’s inner circle, and Lyra trusted her judgment more than her own at times like this.

The maid’s eyes glowed blue for a few seconds as she processed the data from the ship’s scan.

"Negative, Commander," she answered calmly, but firmly. "With only one battalion, it would be impossible to form a complete encirclement of the nest. Our forces would be spread too thin, leaving gaps that the infected could exploit"

"Once a wave emerges, there wouldn’t be enough concentrated firepower at any given point to hold them back."

Lyra sighed and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "So if we can’t surround them, then we hit them hard and fast before they can respond?"

"That would be the most optimal course of action," the maid replied. "A concentrated, overwhelming assault focused on the center of the nest. Strike quickly, eliminate the heart, and then clear the remaining infected afterward. Minimal exposure, maximum damage."

"Alright. Then we’ll do just that." Lyra cracked her knuckles and looked back at the grotesque terrain spreading below them.

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