Intergalactic conquest with an AI

The red leader smacked him on the back of the head, though his own face was still bright red. "Shut up!" he hissed, though his gaze hadn't left Sharon for even a second.

Meanwhile, Sharon turned back toward the group, her golden hair flowing like liquid sunlight as she addressed them one last time. "Thank you for letting me borrow him," she said sweetly, flashing a polite smile that sent the younger engineers into cardiac arrest.

Then, with one arm wrapped around Carlos to steady him, she began leading him toward the exit. "Let's get you some fresh air, Carlos," she said softly, her voice like a balm to his spinning head.

"Sure thing, Sharon twin," Carlos muttered, his words barely coherent.

Behind them, the hangar bay erupted into murmurs and whispers. The legend of the "golden goddess" would no doubt spread far and wide among the crew by morning.

As Sharon and Carlos stumbled down the corridor toward the elevator, Sharon glanced at the tipsy man leaning heavily on her for support. Despite her strength, she let out a playful huff. "Geez, Carlos, you're too heavy!" she pouted, trying her best to keep him upright.

"Who are you calling fat?" Carlos slurred, his words thick with drunkenness. He lazily waved his free arm, nearly losing his balance in the process. "It's not fat; it's... it's cybernetics! I've lost so many limbs I can't even count them anymore! Look!"

To prove his point, Carlos raised his left arm and shifted it into its minigun form with a series of metallic clicks and whirrs. The barrels spun briefly before locking in place, a faint hum of energy radiating from the cybernetic implant.

Sharon's green eyes widened slightly as she looked at the weaponized arm, impressed despite herself. "Huh," she mused, tilting her head curiously. "That's actually kind of cool. Maybe I should cut my arm off and get a cybernetic implant too. What do you think?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Carlos stopped dead in his tracks. His drunken haze seemed to clear just enough for his face to twist into a mix of horror and disbelief. Without warning, he turned to Sharon, pushing her gently yet firmly against the wall.

"Don't even think about it," he said, his voice low and serious. His right hand reached up, grabbing hers and raising it to eye level as if to inspect it.

Sharon blinked, stunned by the sudden shift in his tone and demeanor. "C-Carlos?"

His eyes locked onto hers, no longer clouded by alcohol but instead burning with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat. "You're perfect just the way you are," Carlos said firmly, his voice steady. "It'd be a crime against humanity if your perfect, natural beauty was ever damaged. Do you understand?"

Before she could respond, Carlos brought her hand to his lips. He pressed a slow, deliberate kiss to her knuckles before giving her hand a playful nip, his sharp brown eyes still locked onto hers.

Sharon froze, her cat ears twitching and then drooping as her face flushed a deep red. She stared at him completely, at a loss for words. No one had ever treated her like this before, not as an object of status, not as a tool for power or influence, but as a woman. A desirable woman.

For the first time in her life, Sharon felt vulnerable, but in a way that didn't scare her. She felt a warm flutter in her chest, an unfamiliar sensation that made her heart race. Carlos's gaze was unrelenting, filled with a raw and honest desire that left her unable to think, let alone speak.

Carlos, noticing her reaction, smirked slightly. Without saying another word, he grabbed her hand and gently but firmly pulled her toward the elevator. Sharon, still confused and unsure of what was happening, followed him silently. Continue your adventure with empire

The elevator ride was filled with a heavy, charged silence. Neither of them spoke, the air between them thick with unspoken emotions. Sharon's face remained flushed as she stole occasional glances at Carlos, who stood beside her with a calm, almost predatory confidence.

When the elevator doors finally opened, Carlos wasted no time. He stepped out quickly, still holding Sharon's hand as he led her down the hallway to his assigned dorm.

Once inside, the door slid shut behind them with a soft hiss. Carlos let go of her hand and moved toward the small table in the corner of the room, but Sharon stayed by the entrance.

She stood there awkwardly, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her uniform as her cat ears drooped slightly. Her usually confident demeanor had vanished, replaced by a shy, almost timid expression.

Her green eyes darted around the room before finally settling on Carlos, who was now rummaging through a small storage compartment. "C-Carlos?" she stammered, her voice soft and uncertain.

Carlos turned to face her, leaning casually against the table as he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah?" he said, his voice still carrying that relaxed, teasing tone.

Sharon hesitated, her cheeks growing even redder. She looked down at her hands, playing with her fingers nervously. Her tail swayed slightly behind her, betraying her conflicted emotions. "I... I..."

Carlos's smirk softened into a gentle smile as he straightened up and took a step toward her. "What is it, Sharon?" he asked, his voice kind but firm.

"I..." Sharon's cat ears twitched as she glanced up at him, her green eyes shimmering with an unfamiliar vulnerability. "I don't... understand what's happening."

Carlos stopped a few steps away from her, tilting his head slightly as he crossed his arms. "What do you mean?"

Sharon swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. "No one's ever treated me like this before... not like you just did."

Carlos's expression softened even further, and he let out a small chuckle. "Well," he said, scratching the back of his head, "maybe it's because no one else sees you the way I do."

Sharon's eyes widened slightly, and her heart skipped another beat.

Carlos took one last step forward, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're not just some fancy daughter of a bigshot, Sharon," he said, his voice steady and sincere. "You're... well, you. Beautiful, strong, and someone worth treating with respect."

Sharon felt her knees weaken slightly, and her tail swished nervously behind her. She didn't know what to say and didn't even know if she could say anything. For the first time in her life, she felt seen. Not as someone's daughter or a prize to be won, but as herself.

"Carlos..." she whispered, her voice trembling.

Carlos gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before stepping back slightly, giving her some space. "Hey," he said with a small smile. "Relax. You're safe here, alright?"

Sharon nodded slowly, her heart still racing as she looked up at him. "Thank you," she said softly, her voice barely audible.

Carlos chuckled again, shaking his head as he moved toward the small couch in the corner. "No need to thank me," he said, flopping down onto the couch with a sigh. "Just... don't go cutting off any limbs for cybernetic implants, okay? I wasn't kidding about that."

Sharon let out a soft laugh, her tension easing slightly as she moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "Alright," she said, her voice carrying a hint of her usual confidence. "I'll think about it."

The room fell into a comfortable silence, the earlier tension replaced by a quiet understanding. For the first time in a long time, Sharon felt at ease, and she couldn't help but wonder if Carlos felt the same.

Sharon sat on the edge of the bed, her golden hair framing her flushed face as she gazed at Carlos. He was sitting on the small couch, his brown eyes locked on hers.

His gaze was unyielding, filled with a raw intensity that made her breath hitch. She tried to look away but found herself unable to resist the magnetic pull of his eyes.

As her heart raced, she slowly reached for the zipper of her jacket, sliding it down with trembling fingers. The motion revealed the thin fabric of her T-shirt, which clung to her curves and accentuated her ample chest even more.

Carlos's gaze darkened slightly, and she could see the shift in his demeanor. He stood up, moving toward her with deliberate, measured steps until he was standing just a few centimeters away.

Sharon's hands moved instinctively, unbuttoning Carlos's pants with quiet determination. This time, there was no drunken haze, no confusion... just mutual understanding and desire. They both knew exactly what was about to happen, and neither had any intention of stopping it.

For the rest of the night, the small metallic room became their world. The faint hum of the ship's engines faded into the background as the two surrendered fully to each other.

What happened between them was theirs alone, a private moment shared only by a man and a woman who, for that night, chose to lose themselves in one another.

Hours later, Carlos lay sprawled on the bed, gasping for breath as though he had just run a marathon. Sharon rested on his arm, her golden hair in wild disarray, as if a storm had passed through the room.

Her cheeks were still flushed, and her eyes sparkled with a newfound light. She gazed at him with a small, content smile on her lips.

"That was... wow," Sharon said softly, her voice laced with exhaustion and satisfaction.

Carlos let out a low chuckle, turning his head to meet her gaze. "Heh, I know. I'm amazing, right?" he said with a cocky grin. "I felt like I was a young lad back in my teens again."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Sharon giggled at his remark, the sound light and musical. "You're incorrigible," she said, playfully nudging his side.

"Hey, I just call it like it is," Carlos replied, still grinning.