Intergalactic conquest with an AI

For a moment, the room was silent. Lyra stared at the sword on the floor, her eyes wide with confusion, while Nyra looked between Rex and the weapon, anger flickering with hesitation. She tightened her grip on her sister’s hand, torn between the fear she felt and the hatred she carried.

Rex remained still, his gaze unwavering.

"I won’t stop you. If this is what you need to do, then do it. I’ll accept the consequences."

Nyra’s hands trembled as she reached toward the sword, her fingers hovering above it, eyes filled with a mixture of pain, anger, and doubt. She glanced up at Rex, and in that moment, saw no malice in his face, only the weight of his words and a quiet acceptance.

Finally, she dropped her hand, stepping back and looking away, her eyes filling with tears. "I... I don’t understand... Why would you give me a chance to hurt you...?"

Nyra dropped to her knees, her small body trembling as tears welled up in her eyes. Her voice quivered as she spoke, the weight of her guilt crashing down on her.

"I-I... it was me, wasn’t it? Because of me, Papa died. He died because he was trying to protect me. It’s all my fault!"

Her brave facade shattered, and she broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably.

Rex watched in silence for a moment, his expression softening. Without hesitation, he moved toward the twins and wrapped his arms around them both, pulling them into a firm, reassuring hug.

At first, Nyra resisted, her small fists pressing weakly against his chest, but then she melted into the embrace, her sobs growing louder. Lyra clung to him as well, tears streaming down her face. Though they had known Rex for less than an hour, there was something about his presence, his warmth, and his strength that made them feel safe, even in their grief.

Minutes passed, and the room filled only with the sound of their crying. Rex stayed still, kneeling on the floor, holding them close as they released the pain they had been carrying for far too long.

When their sobs finally quieted, Rex released them gently, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. He met their tear-streaked faces with a steady, understanding gaze.

"Listen to me,"

Rex said softly, his deep voice carrying a comforting strength.

"There isn’t a father in the universe who wouldn’t do what yours did."

Nyra and Lyra looked up at him, their eyes wide and red, their breaths still shaky.

"For him, you two were the most precious thing he had left in this forsaken world. If he could use his body to shield you, to give you even one more second of life, that’s a decision he would never regret. Not even for a moment."

Rex’s voice grew even gentler, his words laced with compassion.

"In his final moments, he made sure you both were safe. That’s not something to blame yourself for. It’s not anyone’s fault. You got that?"

The twins stared at him, their guilt slowly giving way to understanding. Finally, they nodded, wiping their tear-soaked faces. Rex smiled softly, reaching out to ruffle their hair.

"That’s better," he said warmly.

Then, as if switching gears, Rex’s tone lightened.

"Now, Cleo here mentioned that you two need to consume blood to stay healthy. That true?"

He looked at them with a casual expression, as though the subjects were nothing out of the ordinary.

The twins froze, their faces turning pale. Nyra stuttered, her voice cracking with fear.

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"How do you know that?"

Rex chuckled softly.

"Well, my wife here,"

he said, gesturing to Cleo,

"is in charge of everything on this ship, including the doctor bots. She told me about it. Don’t worry, though. It’s not a big deal. The galaxy is full of different kinds of people and races. Needing blood? That’s not even the strangest thing out there."

Lyra’s usually calm demeanor broke as she gripped her sister’s arm tightly, her voice rising with emotion

. "But in this world, there’s no one like us! Everyone treated us like monsters because of it!"

Tears began welling up in her eyes again, her voice trembling with frustration.

Cleo stepped forward, her voice cool but firm.

"That’s because they were clueless civilians,"

she said.

"Of course they’d react that way; they don’t know anything about the Blood Clan of assassins."

Both twins froze, staring at Cleo with wide, shocked eyes.

"The... Blood Clan?"

Lyra whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Wait... what? Blood Clan? Assassins?"

Rex’s eyebrows shot up, clearly more surprised than the twins.

Nyra blinked, her confusion quickly turning to curiosity.

"What’s the Blood Clan? What do you mean by assassins?"

Cleo crossed her arms, her golden eyes narrowing as if she were piecing together her own thoughts.

"The Blood Clan is an ancient faction of assassins scattered across the galaxy. Your ability to consume blood isn’t unique; it’s part of your heritage. It’s what made your people some of the deadliest fighters in the galaxy. Most people don’t know about them because they operate in the shadows, and only those involved in... unsavory circles would even have heard of their existence."

Lyra’s mouth fell open.

"Wait, you’re saying we’re connected to... assassins?"

Cleo nodded.

"Exactly. Your physiology matches theirs, enhanced strength, agility, regenerative abilities. All of it is fueled by blood consumption. It’s no coincidence. You’re part of something far greater than you know."

Rex rubbed the back of his head, clearly processing this new information. "

Wait, hold on. Assassins? Ancient factions? You’re telling me these two kids are descendants of some super-secret galaxy-wide assassin cult? And no one told me?"

Cleo shot him a sideways glance.

"I didn’t think it was relevant until now."

"Not relevant? I’m standing here babysitting two tiny super-assassins, and that’s not relevant?"

Rex said, throwing his hands up.

"What else are you hiding, Cleo?"

Nyra and Lyra exchanged glances, their fear giving way to curiosity and disbelief. For the first time, Nyra spoke without hostility, her voice small but steady.

"If... if that’s true, then why didn’t Papa ever tell us? Why didn’t he know?"

Cleo sighed, her expression softening slightly.

"The Blood Clan fractured a long time ago, scattered across the galaxy. Many of their descendants don’t even know who they are anymore. Your father may not have known the truth about your heritage... or maybe he was trying to protect you from it."

The room fell silent as the weight of her words sank in. Lyra glanced at her sister, her voice trembling.

"Do you think we’ll ever find out the truth?"

Rex kneeled down again, giving them both a reassuring smile.

"If that’s something you want, we’ll help you find the answers. Together."

He looked back at Cleo, his grin playful but genuine.

"Right, oh mysterious wife of mine?"

Cleo rolled her eyes but smiled faintly.

"Yes, together."

For the first time, the twins looked at Rex and Cleo not with fear or anger but with a flicker of hope.

"Well,"

Rex began, crossing his arms with a wry smile,

"that brings us to the golden question. Where exactly are we supposed to get blood for you two? Everyone here is basically a machine, unless you’re okay with swapping out blood for some nice, warm engine oil."

The room went silent. When Rex glanced up, he noticed Cleo and the twins were all staring at him, their expressions unreadable. He blinked, pointing at himself. "

What? Why are you guys staring at me like that?"

Cleo tilted her head slightly, her tone completely neutral as she replied, "

You’re the only one on this ship with blood running through your veins."

Rex froze, the realization hitting him like a ton of bricks.

"Wait... what? Hold on a second; you’ve got a body too, right?"

He gestured toward Cleo, his tone a mix of hope and mild panic.

Cleo gave him a flat look, folding her arms across her chest.

"True, I do have a physical body, and it looks exactly like a human’s. But what flows through my veins is nanomaterial. This body isn’t flesh and blood; it’s made entirely from that material.

"

"Nanomaterial,"

Rex echoed, groaning as he rubbed the back of his neck. He let out a small, defeated sigh and held up a hand, summoning a knife with his nanotech.

"Fine, fine. So what do I need to do? Cut my neck open or something?"

Cleo’s golden eyes narrowed slightly, her disgust unmistakable as she leveled her gaze at him. "

And then what? You expect these little girls to lick your wounds with their tiny tongues? Do you even hear yourself right now?"

Her tone was icy, her disdain unfiltered.

Rex jumped back, nearly dropping the knife.

"Whoa! No! That’s not, hold on! That’s not what I meant!"

His face flushed as he waved his hands frantically, trying to backpedal.

"I swear, it’s nothing like that!"

Cleo sighed, clearly unimpressed by his flustered explanation. She ignored his stammering and picked up two syringes, each capable of holding a liter of blood.

"You’re hopeless,"

she muttered before giving him a sharp look. "

Sit down and stop talking before you make it worse."

Rex sighed, relenting. He sat down as Cleo approached, rolling up his sleeve.

"I can’t believe this,"

he mumbled as she methodically drew two full liters of blood from his arm.

"I’m going to pass out and die on this ship one day, and you won’t even care."

Cleo gave him a quick glance as she finished.

"Correct,

" she said dryly, sealing the syringes with precision. She poured the golden blood into two elegant wine glasses before handing them to the twins, who stared at the cups warily.

Nyra looked up at Rex, her voice soft but hesitant.

"Are you... sure this is safe for us to drink?"