CHAPTER 499: MOBILIZATION. {6}

Aboard the cloaked ship in high orbit, Cleo monitored the data stream. A simple notification flashed across her main display: [OPERATION STATUS - COMPLETE.] A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips. She had never doubted the outcome. With a thought, she dismissed the alert.

Minutes later, the air in the command deck hummed, and Rex materialized behind her real body. The scent of ozone and cold metal clung to him.

He didn’t need to ask. She didn’t need to look.

"Is it done?" His voice was dry, barren of emotion, the sound of a man checking off a tedious item on a list.

Cleo tilted her head slightly, her eyes still fixed on the star-chart ahead. "The lesson has been thoroughly taught," she replied, her voice a calm, cool contrast to the horror they had just authored. "The universe is now a little cleaner."

Silence settled between them, a comfortable understanding. The matter was closed. The universe had been taught a lesson in consequences.

Rex strode into the quiet hum of Cleo’s research room, the soft light glinting off the metallic seams of his standby form. Even at a restful state, his height was a solid 1.9 meters of engineered muscle and latent power. He sank into the plush couch opposite her main console, the material sighing under his weight. The formality of the school incident was gone, replaced by the familiar gravity of command.

"So," he began, settling into a more comfortable position, his voice sounding like a low rumble. "After five years. Tell me, Cleo, how strong is our fleet?"

Cleo offered a slight, acknowledging nod. Without a word, her fingers danced in the air, summoning a constellation of holoscreens that bloomed to life around them. Data streams flowed like liquid light. "These are the latest updates from our distributed shipyards," her voice sounded as calm and measured as ever. She guided the primary displays to float directly before Rex’s eyes.

Rex leaned forward, his eyes scanning the staggering figures. A low whistle escaped his lips. "Well, damn. This is... a monumental increase." The screen detailed a fleet that had swollen by over 800%.

The number was almost abstract until he saw the breakdown: 8,000 strong vessels. A powerful fist composed of 5,000 agile frigates of every class, and another 3,000 ranging from light destroyers to hulking carriers. This didn’t even account for the swarming, uncountable clouds of fighters, bombers, and support craft that filled their hangars.

Cleo simply nodded, her poker face remained impeccable. "The resource acquisition protocols have exceeded projections. With my sisters successfully securing the asteroid belts, we have established seventeen new massive mining and manufacturing facilities."

"In another five years, we can double this fleet’s size." A hint of dry observation entered her tone. "Our industrial expansion has not gone unnoticed. The news of our facilities has drawn the attention of legitimate traders, independent miners... and pirates."

Rex’s eyebrow arched, a flicker of annoyance crossing his features. "Pirates? I thought Little Red had sanitized those sectors before your construction began. She usually leaves a... very permanent vacuum."

"Affirmative," Cleo confirmed, enlarging a holoscreen that displayed a star map dotted with crimson threat markers. "My sister initially eliminated all pirate elements with ruthless efficiency. The problem is systemic. Pirates are like vermin; they breed in the dark corners of commerce. The influx of wealth from our stations has become a beacon. Their numbers have increased approximately 105% in the last standard year alone."

Rex leaned back, stroking his chin as he absorbed the tactical map. The red zones clustered around the mining facilities like flies on nectar. "So that’s why I haven’t seen Little Red sulking around the command deck. She’s been busy." His eyes narrowed on the main trade route, a glowing blue line through the chaos. "At least our primary artery is secure?"

"Affirmative," Cleo replied instantly, her golden eyes locking with his. "My sister’s main fleet is on standby at the primary mining facility, which currently lacks planetary-grade defenses. Her legion maintains internal security, rooting out infiltrators."

She summoned two more screens, while sitting beside Rex, to present a complete picture. "To date, her internal patrols have captured and processed seven hundred pirates and corporate spies attempting to sabotage or steal from within the station."

She gestured to the new displays. "As for external threats, our second fleet is assigned to permanent route security, a visible shield for our convoys. The third fleet," she said, pointing to a screen showing active pursuit vectors, "is on hunter-killer protocols, actively cleansing the pirate activity zones you see here. They are the scalpel to the second fleet’s shield."

Rex read through her report, the numbers and strategies settling in his mind like stars in a constellation. A slow, determined energy began to replace his earlier repose. He rose from the couch, his frame seeming to fill the room with renewed purpose.

"Very well," he said, his voice gaining a sharp, decisive edge. "It seems our five years of quiet cultivation are over. With a stable, overflowing river of raw materials feeding our forges... it is time to once again stretch our claws." He turned, his gaze locking with Cleo’s luminous golden eyes. "What is your assessment? Are we ready to resume our conquest?"

Cleo didn’t reply immediately. She held his stare for several long seconds, a silent conversation passing between them. It was more than a question; it was a moment of alignment. Finally, she gave a single, deliberate nod.

"The foundation is solid. The question is not ’if,’ but ’how.’ We have the power to project our will in two massive, unstoppable fists of four thousand ships each. Or..." she paused, letting the alternative hang in the air, "...we can be a swift, four-pronged spear, each tip two thousand strong. The path we choose will define our strategy. Which will it be?"

It felt less like a request for orders and more like a test of his strategic mind.

Rex didn’t hesitate. He moved to stand beside her, looking down at the star map she had conjured. "We will be the spear," he declared, his voice leaving no room for debate.

"Four fleets. You and I will command Alpha Fleet. Carlos will take Beta. Let Little Red’s... particular enthusiasms be channeled through Delta Fleet. And the twins," a faint, almost amusing smile touched his lips, "they have synced minds; they shall command Gamma. Our objective: the Nexus Outer Worlds. We will shatter their peripheral defenses before they even know a war has begun."

Cleo accepted his command with a nod, her fingers flicking through the air. The previous holoscreens vanished, replaced by a massive, three-dimensional sector map that dominated the center of the laboratory. She stood at its heart, a goddess of information amidst a miniature galaxy.

"Current Nexus holdings: two worlds," she stated, as points of light flared to life. "Over the last five years, our Kaelzar cultural and economic influence has saturated them, reaching 56% penetration. While rebel factions still cling to the shadows like rats, our newly forged Aegis Legions are more than sufficient to scour them clean."

She watched Rex’s face, reading the calculation in his eyes before delivering the crucial point. "The strategic window is now. The Void incursion we foresee is destabilizing the core systems. If we strike, it must be a total military conquest. There will be no time for diplomacy, for negotiations, or for peaceful annexations. It will be swift, absolute, and unforgiving."

Rex considered her words, his expression grim but resolved. "I agree. An aggressive approach is necessary... but," he said, turning to her, a flicker of the ruler he was becoming shining through, "let us not be mere barbarians. We will offer each world a single, 24-hour chance to surrender unconditionally... while our fleets are already in siege positions and our communication jammers blanket their planet in silence. Let them understand the totality of their choice in the shadow of our might. How does that sound?"

A rare, breathtaking smile graced Cleo’s features, a silent testament to her approval. "You are beginning to sound less like a warrior and more like an emperor," she observed, her voice holding a note of pride. "Very well. We will proceed under your terms."

Her expression shifted back to pure analytics as she summoned one final holoscreen. "There is another variable. The Human holy empire has contacted us. They propose a coalition for the coming campaigns."

Rex’s eyebrows rose in interest. Cleo continued, "In exchange for their military support, they are demanding twenty percent of the monthly revenue from each world we conquer together... and unrestricted migration rights for their citizens to settle those same worlds."

She let the proposition hang in the air, a new and complex piece on the strategic board. It was no longer just about firepower, but about the political shape of the empire they were building.

Rex fell silent, his eyes tracing the swirling nebulae and strategic markers on the holo map. The human offer was both an opportunity and a potential trap. A coalition would add considerable strength, but allowing a foreign power unchecked access could sow the seeds of a future rebellion.

"We can accept the twenty percent revenue condition," he said, his voice measured and calm. "It is a steep price, but their fleets could save us time and resources, buying us the one commodity we can never build: time itself." He paused, letting the weight of his next words gather. "But..."

He turned from the map, his gaze sharp and unwavering as it found Cleo’s. "As for their demand for migration rights... we will grant it, but on our terms. Tell them their people will have access to any world under the Kaelzar banner... any civilian world. They will be welcome as settlers, traders, and laborers."

He took a step closer, his voice dropping, laced with iron. "However, the moment they step onto our soil, they live under our laws, not their own. The Kaelzar Mandate is absolute. There will be no extraterritorial enclaves, no human districts policing themselves. They assimilate or they remain away."