Intergalactic conquest with an AI

The auction continued at a steady pace, showcasing an assortment of rare artifacts, some more interesting than others.

Rex and Cleo bid occasionally; she won a rare rock from a bioluminescent world that glowed faintly in her hands, and later, they snagged a blueprint for a robot bird. That blueprint, oddly enough, turned out to be the most expensive item they'd bid on nearly two million credits.

Rex couldn't hide his surprise. He glanced at Cleo, who was examining the blueprint on a screen, her eyes lit with fascination. Apparently, her affection for those little mechanical birds was stronger than he'd thought.

Rex made a mental note to hunt down more blueprints on his future travels; clearly, they'd make for good gifts.

"And that concludes the regular portion of tonight's auction,"

the elderly auctioneer announced, his voice resonant.

"Now, we will proceed to our premium items, items so rare and exclusive that only those in the VIP rooms are permitted to bid."

He stepped to the side with a dramatic sweep of his arm, and from behind the curtains, a procession of Aegis units marched onto the stage, surrounding a young woman who held a small black box in her hands.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen,

" the auctioneer continued, his voice rising with excitement,

"our headline item is an artifact the black market paid a heavy price to acquire, which is contained within this box. But I won't tease you any longer; I know you're all dying to see it."

With a theatrical gesture, he pointed his baton at the girl, who stepped forward and opened the box. She lifted a small, heavily encrypted USB drive, holding it up for everyone to see before placing it carefully back inside the box.

"As some of you may have guessed, this USB contains coordinates,"

the auctioneer said, letting the suspense hang in the air for a moment. Then he leaned in, lowering his voice for effect.

"Coordinates to a recently discovered necrotech world."

A ripple of shocked murmurs spread through the crowd. Even the VIPs in their private rooms were visibly restless, leaning forward, eager, their eyes fixed on the stage. The anticipation in the air was electric.

Everyone, that is, except Rex, who took another sip of his wine and glanced over at Cleo, clearly puzzled.

"Hey, Cleo, what's a necrotech world?"

Cleo turned her head, giving him a brief look of mild amusement.

"I'm not surprised you've never heard of them. Necrotech worlds aren't common knowledge, and they're kept under strict classification."

"Why's that?"

Rex asked, curiosity sparking in his eyes.

Cleo tapped the screen in front of her, pulling up a series of images and videos from her personal archives. Grainy footage of barren, desolate landscapes appeared, filled with humans moving in slow, unnatural motions. Their skin was partially fused with metal, with wires and machinery jutting out from under decayed flesh. The sight was both eerie and mesmerizing.

"These worlds are infected,"

Cleo explained, her tone clinical. "

All life on them has been overtaken by a tech-based virus, one that spreads through organic beings, turning them into twisted fusions of flesh and metal. The virus integrates with their bodies, reanimating them as cybernetic husks with only one goal: to spread the infection."

Rex's brows knitted as he watched the disturbing footage.

"So, a virus that turns people into... machines? Like undead cyborgs?"

"Essentially. My people have purged several necrotech worlds before,"

she continued, her voice cool and steady.

"Our units are immune to the virus, as it only affects organic life. But despite countless attempts, we've never been able to trace the virus back to its source. It remains a mystery, even after centuries of study."

Rex let out a low whistle, eyes still glued to the images.

"And here I thought I'd seen everything."

He looked down at the auction floor, where the crowd was practically buzzing with excitement, most of them whispering to each other in hushed, eager voices.

"So why's everyone so hyped if these worlds are crawling with, you know, infected robot-zombies? Sounds like a death wish."

Cleo's gaze remained fixed on the stage, her golden eyes thoughtful.

"A necrotech world is dangerous, yes, but it's also highly valuable to certain types of collectors. Some believe these worlds hold advanced technologies from the virus's origin, tech that could potentially be harnessed or weaponized."

Rex raised an eyebrow, a glimmer of intrigue in his eyes.

"Weaponized, huh? So it's not just about bragging rights."

"Correct. Whoever controls the coordinates to a Necrotech world controls the potential access to highly advanced tech and all its resources. For some... that's worth the risk."

Rex leaned back, folding his arms as he watched the unfolding spectacle with a newfound appreciation.

"Well, no wonder everyone's losing their minds. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little curious myself."

On the stage, the auctioneer cleared his throat, drawing the room's attention back to him.

"Now, we'll open the bidding for these coordinates. The starting bid is ten million credits."

A hush fell over the room, and then, slowly, the bidding began. Numbers flashed on the screen as each VIP room placed their bids, the price climbing higher and higher with each passing second.

Rex glanced at Cleo, grinning.

"So, any interest in owning a world of killer robot-zombies?"

She didn't respond immediately; her eyes still focused on the bid screen as the numbers soared. But then she turned to him, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Only if you're willing to come along for the adventure."

Rex let out a laugh, raising his glass in a mock toast.

"Now that's an invitation I'd never turn down."

As the bids climbed past twenty million credits, Rex settled back in his seat, excitement buzzing under his skin. Tonight was shaping up to be a lot more interesting than he'd expected.

"So, are we really going to bid for those coordinates?

" Rex asked while watching the numbers on the screen rise higher and higher.

"I mean, it sounds like we could make a ridiculous amount of credits if we got our hands on that world."

Cleo glanced at him, then back to the screen, her expression cool and calculating. "

Yes, we will. But there's no need to bid early; it only drives up the price. We'll wait until it's close to the peak, then make our move."

Rex smirked, impressed by her strategy. She had a way of staying two steps ahead, and he was starting to see why the city ran so efficiently.

Finally, after an intense bidding war that pushed the price sky-high, Cleo placed a final bid. The screen flashed, confirming her victory: 50 million credits. Rex let out a low whistle. The first black market auction had officially come to an end, and they were escorted back to their ship, the prized coordinates securely theirs.

Several minutes later, they arrived back at the mansion, landing in their private zone. As they stepped off the ship, Rex looked around, his eyes scanning the shadows.

"I'll be honest, I was half-expecting an ambush on the way back. I mean, we just walked out with the coordinates to a necrotech world. That's got to be tempting for some of the black market types."

Cleo raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in her gaze.

"Why would they attack us? They know who we are. An attack on us would make them enemies of the entire city."

Rex shrugged, still glancing around as they walked.

"Yeah, but these are black market types. They're not exactly known for their restraint. Greed tends to get in the way of logic."

As they stepped inside the mansion, Cleo chuckled softly. "

Don't be silly, Rex. Even if they wanted the coordinates, they'd never risk it. Besides, they don't know which VIPs won. And it's not like these coordinates are exclusive; the black market will likely sell similar ones in other cities."

He gave her a sidelong glance

. "Wait, so they're selling the same coordinates to different buyers? Isn't that, like, double-crossing everyone?"

Cleo rolled her eyes, though there was a faint smile on her lips. "I

t's the black market, Rex. Everything about it is illegal."

"Touché,"

he said, chuckling. As he looked around, he realized that somehow, in their conversation, they'd ended up outside Cleo's room.

"Ummm..."

He scratched the back of his neck, glancing at her door, then back at her. "

Wasn't planning on ending up here, but, uh, I'll take it as a sign."

Cleo looked at him, her face as composed as ever, though there was a slight glint in her eyes.

"A sign of what, exactly?"

Rex cleared his throat, leaning casually against the doorframe, trying to mask his nervousness.

"Oh, I don't know... Maybe that you enjoy my company more than you let on?"

Cleo gave him an appraising look, her expression unreadable.

"Or perhaps it's a sign that you lack direction and just followed me here out of habit."

Rex laughed, shaking his head. "

You know, I can never tell if you're insulting me or just teasing me."

Cleo's lips quirked into the faintest of smiles.

"Maybe a bit of both."

She turned, opening the door to her room. "Well, are you coming in or are you just going to stand outside?"

Rex was shocked at first when he heard those words,

"Erm, I dont thinks so, I will sleep in my room for well you know, giving you some privacy."

"Mmm? What are you talking about? This is also your room,"

Cleo said while getting inside.

"Ah....."