Intergalactic conquest with an AI
Chapter 85: Mauler Juggernaut.

Within moments, a low rumble echoed through the city as the Mauler drop pod hurtled from orbit, streaking through the clouds like a comet.

It slammed into the ground nearby with a deafening crash, unfolding to reveal the massive war machine, an armored juggernaut bristling with high-caliber weaponry and reinforced plating. The Mauler's cannons began to glow as it powered up, the deep hum of its engines reverberating across the battlefield.

Rex grinned, anticipation lighting up his face.

"Alright, let's see how this so-called boss handles some real firepower."

The Mauler Juggernaut's targeting systems locked onto the towering zombie, and with a thunderous roar, it unleashed its first salvo, a blast of plasma so intense it turned the night into day for a brief moment.

The impact struck the creature dead center, sending it staggering backward; chunks of its armored hide blasted away, exposing the raw, pulsing flesh beneath.

For the first time, the mutant seemed to hesitate, its monstrous form wavering as it struggled to recover from the blast. But Rex wasn't done yet.

"Keep firing,"

he ordered, his voice cold and unyielding.

The Mauler unleashed round after round, each shot tearing into the boss with merciless precision. The ground shook with every impact, the relentless firepower of the Mauler proving too much for even this formidable enemy.

But this boss wasn't about to go down quietly. With all the energy it had absorbed from the relentless attacks, it unleashed a powerful counterstrike, firing a barrage of explosive energy blasts toward the Mauler.

The zombie's shots tore through the air with blistering speed, each one a deadly streak aimed directly at the Juggernaut.

The Mauler Juggernaut, with its massive, lumbering frame, had no chance to dodge. Speed was its Achilles' heel, and even if it had tried, its heavy armor made evasion almost impossible.

The energy blasts struck it dead-on, a brutal assault that cracked its shields and engulfed it in a shower of burning plasma.

But when the smoke began to clear, the Mauler stood tall, its thick armor barely dented; the only damage was a few scorched marks, paint singed, and peeling. The zombie's assault had done nothing more than scratch the surface of its impenetrable hull.

And then, for the first time, a guttural voice rumbled from within the Mauler's comms

"[Die, scum.]"

Rex's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait, did he just say that?"

he muttered, glancing at Cleo, who looked equally taken aback. The Kaelzar machines were never programmed for speech beyond their commands. This was new... and unsettling.

But the Mauler didn't pause. With a low whir, missile pods unfolded from its shoulders, each one primed and aimed at the stumbling boss.

The zombie monster staggered, trying to evade, but it was too late. The missiles shot forward, tracking the target's every move, and as they hit, they splintered into smaller explosives, each mini-warhead detonating with pinpoint precision across the creature's armored form.

Cleo watched the devastation unfold, her face lit by the glow of her holographic screens.

"Finish it off, but leave the head intact; I want that brain preserved for study."

Through the thick smoke of the explosions, the Mauler advanced, relentless as ever. The boss creature was still standing, but only barely, its twisted body riddled with burns and wounds, patches of exposed flesh sizzling.

Without hesitation, the Mauler surged forward, ramming into it with a brutal shoulder check that sent the zombie boss sprawling onto the ground.

Towering over its fallen foe, the Mauler aimed its plasma cannons at the creature's neck. Then, in a merciless display, it fired shot after shot, each blast a concentrated pulse of energy that tore into the creature's body with surgical precision.

The Mauler didn't stop, each discharge pounding into the zombie's form with a cold, unfeeling rhythm, reducing it piece by piece into nothing more than scorched remains.

When the barrage finally ended, silence fell over the battlefield. Dust and smoke drifted in the air, and as it settled, Rex and Cleo could see the aftermath: only the zombie's lower half remained, mangled and broken, with a half-shattered head lying in the rubble.

Rex let out a low whistle, impressed.

"Now that's what I call overkill."

Cleo smirked, her eyes gleaming as she cataloged the data streaming in from the Mauler's systems.

"Efficient and thorough. Just the way I like it."

The Mauler stood there, motionless, awaiting its next command, still exuding an air of cold, mechanical menace. This wasn't just a machine; it was a weapon, a relentless force that had turned the tide of the battlefield in mere minutes.

With the boss defeated, Rex glanced back at Cleo, nodding.

"Alright. Let's wrap up here and get the salvage crew in. And don't forget to collect that brain sample; I have a feeling it might reveal something interesting."

Cleo raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity crossing her face. "

Agreed. I want to know what made that thing so resilient. If we're facing more like it, we'll need all the intel we can get.

"

As they turned away, the Mauler remained standing amidst the ruins, a silent sentinel among the wreckage. And somewhere in its core, a spark of awareness seemed to flicker for just a moment, almost imperceptible, before it returned to stillness, waiting, as if biding its time.

The nearby Aegis units moved quickly, forming a defensive perimeter around the remains of the zombie boss. They knew, thanks to Cleo's research, that other infected would often swarm to devour the corpse of a powerful fallen foe, sometimes even consuming each other in the chaos.

Some units set the body aflame, ensuring that it wouldn't be reanimated or scavenged, while others secured the head, binding it with heavy chains. Moments later, sleek Wraith fighters descended, clamping onto the chains and lifting the grotesque trophy back to the main ship for further study.

As they prepared to leave, Cleo turned to Rex, watching as he reluctantly rose from the old sofa he'd dragged out of a nearby house.

"The head's already been secured on the ship,"

she said, glancing at him.

"Are you coming with me, or do you want to stay?"

Rex stretched, giving the makeshift couch one last look.

"I'll go with you. I want to check on the twins; see how they're doing."

The transport ship arrived, and the two of them boarded, ascending swiftly to the main vessel. Once docked, they went their separate ways; Cleo headed to the hangar to oversee the zombie boss's head being unloaded, while Rex made his way to the medical bay.

The med-bots had reported that the twins were awake, and he braced himself as he entered the sterile, white-walled room.

Inside, the twins were sitting up in their beds, talking in low voices. The moment they noticed him, Nyra's expression darkened, and she sprang up, eyes blazing.

"You!"

she screamed, her voice thick with anger and grief.

"You're the one who killed Papa!"

In a burst of rage, she grabbed anything within reach, pillows, small medical instruments, even a metal tray, and hurled them at him, one by one.

Each item clanged harmlessly against Rex's energy shield, flickering to life around him, but he didn't flinch or attempt to stop her.

Two Aegis units stationed outside stepped forward, ready to restrain the child, but Rex raised his hand, signaling them to hold back. He stood silently, letting Nyra vent her pain, her small body trembling as she threw every ounce of her fury at him.

"Stop, Sister!"

Lyra cried, her voice weak but insistent. She slipped out of her bed, still unsteady from her fever, and wrapped her arms around Nyra, pulling her back.

"Please... he saved us."

"How can you say that?"

Nyra sobbed, her fists clenching in helpless rage.

"He killed Papa! I saw it. I saw him do it right in front of us."

Her voice broke, and tears poured down her face.

Lyra's own eyes filled with tears as she held her sister, trying to comfort her despite her own sorrow. Seeing her sister's pain only made Nyra's anger fade, and her small shoulders slumped as she turned to embrace Lyra fully.

The two girls clung to each other, crying softly, sharing the weight of their grief in the sterile quiet of the medical bay.

Rex remained where he was, his expression unreadable as he watched them. He stood in silence, waiting patiently until the storm of their emotions had subsided, giving them the time and space they needed to process what they'd lost.

He knew there was nothing he could say to ease their pain, and perhaps, right now, they wouldn't want to hear it.

After their tears finally slowed to quiet sobs, Rex took a moment before approaching. He picked up a tray of food, a simple meal with some pre-packaged rations, juice, and a small bag of chips.

He walked slowly toward the twins' bed, his heavy footsteps softened by his deliberate care. When he reached them, he knelt beside their bed and, with a soft click, deactivated his helmet.

As the helmet retracted, his face was revealed, unexpectedly gentle, framed by long black hair that fell loosely around his shoulders. He looked nothing like the cold, armored figure they'd seen on the battlefield. Instead, he seemed almost... human. A person, not just a weapon.

The girls looked at him in silence, their eyes red and puffy, their expressions wary but curious.

"I know you're both hurting right now,"

Rex began quietly, his voice calm and steady.

"Losing your father... it's a pain no one should have to endure. And there's nothing I can say that will make it right."

He set the tray down on the bed within reach, nudging it gently toward them.

"But you still have to eat. Your father entrusted both of you to me, and I promised him I would look after you."

Nyra's eyes narrowed slightly, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"You… you promised him?"

Re

x looked at Nyra eyes before answering.

"I...."