Chapter 219 The storm that is approaching. (12)

Words : 1168 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

a few days later, following the tense discussions in the meeting room, cleo and lilla had reached a mutual understanding. with negotiations finalized, the human envoy departed the cleopatra, marking the beginning of a new chapter, one that would inevitably lead to massive conflict within the human empire. the seeds for an internal war were sown, and lilla knew she'd have to prepare for the storm ahead. meanwhile, once all the diplomatic obligations were finally out of the way, rex wasted no time. he took his small fleet and left the sector, setting a course to the trading station located within a sprawling asteroid belt. the station, with its massive construction bays and bustling shipyards, became the perfect place for the next phase of their preparations. for the next two months, the cleopatra underwent significant upgrades to its weaponry and shielding systems. alongside this, cleo spearheaded the production of advanced fighter and bomber units. among the new designs was the wraith-class fighter; however, the star of the new fighter fleet was the venom-class bomber, a cutting-edge bomber unit designed specifically for high-impact strikes. the venom-class bomber was a sight to behold. its wide-bodied frame was reinforced with heavy hull plating and glowing energy vents running along its sleek sides. its wingtips flared outward, and bomb bay doors lined its underside, capable of deploying devastating payloads. equipped with plasma bomb bays, heavy torpedo launchers, magnetic shielding, and anti-fighter laserturrets, it was built to deliver overwhelming firepower. but as formidable as it was, the bomber came with one glaring flaw: it was slow... painfully slow. with practically no energy shield capability and limited maneuverability, the venom-class bomber was the definition of a glass cannon. its survivability relied entirely on tactical precision and heavy fighter escort. this drawback became a point of contention during training, leading rex to commission a new addition to the cleopatra, the game room. the game room was a high-tech simulation chamber, featuring spherical pods that allowed users to practice simulated battles. the pods could replicate scenarios spanning ground, air, water, and space warfare using both existing and experimental units designed by cleo. it was an efficient way to train without wasting valuable resources or risking lives. "dammit, cleo!" rex shouted as he emerged from one of the simulation pods, his hair disheveled and his face flushed with frustration. "can't you do something about these damn turtle-slow bombers? i can't even get them to the objective without enemy fighters tearing them apart!" cleo, standing nearby with her ever-composed demeanor, handed him a cold bottle of water. "negative," she replied calmly. "increasing their speed without adding an energy shield would be far too dangerous for the pilots. they'd be sitting ducks the moment they were detected." rex groaned, uncapping the water bottle and taking a long drink before retorting, "then at least give them an energy shield! anything to stop them from getting shredded out there!" cleo shook her head, her golden eyes glinting with amusement as she summoned a holoscreen in mid-air. "also impossible. adding an energy shield would increase their energy output significantly, making them detectable from far greater distances. worse, if a bomb were to detonate inside the shield due to malfunction, it could cause a chain reaction, annihilating the entire bomber. look," she said, gesturing to the screen, which displayed footage of one of her test runs. "and what about our defenses?" rex asked, tearing his eyes away from the holo screens to glance at cleo. "how are they coming along? are we ready for them?" "negative," cleo responded bluntly. she flicked her wrist, and a new series of holo screens appeared, displaying real-time progress reports on the station's upgrades. "while the anti-fighter and bomber defensive towers on the station are operational, we're still waiting for completion of the new energy core reactor and the military-grade dual energy shield. without those, our defenses are still incomplete." enjoy exclusive adventures from empire rex clicked his tongue in frustration but nodded. "i'll leave that to you, then," he said while leaning back into the pod's cockpit. "keep me updated on their movements. i'll handle this simulation for now." "understood," cleo replied with a short nod. as rex settled into the simulation, she turned on her heel and left the game room, her mind already shifting to the many tasks ahead of her. as cleo walked through the sleek corridors of the cleopatra, her focus was interrupted by a familiar and unwelcome voice. "hello there, cold beauty~" cleo's eyes narrowed slightly as ys appeared beside her, waving playfully and tilting her head to catch cleo's face. ys's movements were carefree and unbothered, the polar opposite of cleo's rigid and disciplined demeanor. "what do you want, y'ssera?" cleo asked, her voice laced with its usual chill. it was a tone she reserved exclusively for ys, a voice that always carried an undercurrent of tension and... something darker. despite the years they had spent together, cleo could never bring herself to truly accept ys. after all, ys was a khryssari, a species responsible for exterminating much of cleo's own race. even now, the sight of ys's playful grin was enough to stir old, bitter memories. ys, undeterred by cleo's cold tone, placed a finger on her cheek and made an exaggeratedly cute face. "oh~, come on~, don't be so bitter with me," she said while pouting slightly. "how can you be so cold to someone as cute as me?" cleo sighed audibly, her patience wearing thin. "every time you come to me, it's because you want something," she said, her voice flat. "so, what is it this time, y'ssera?" "hehe~," ys giggled, twirling a lock of her hair as she walked alongside cleo. "you know me so well! ehem..." she paused dramatically, her playful tone dropping into something far more serious. "i came with a message from my mother, and it's for you." cleo froze mid-step. her golden eyes narrowed as she turned to face ys fully. "your mother?" she repeated, her tone sharp. the mention of one of the hive minds, the supreme leaders of the khryssari, was enough to immediately command cleo's attention. even with all her power, the hive minds were beings she had to approach with caution. seeing cleo stop, ys gave her a wide grin, clearly relishing the reaction. "that's right," ys said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "she asked me to deliver this to you personally. so, cold beauty, are you going to listen, or do i have to make you~?" cleo's hands clenched into fists at her sides for a brief moment before relaxing. her expression remained icy, though there was now a faint edge of wariness in her eyes. "i'm listening," she said. "good~," ys said with a teasing sing-song lilt. she leaned in closer, her grin widening. "it's about the revenant ascendancy."

Chapter 219 The storm that is approaching. (12)

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