Kenthelion
"This is an artificial intelligence. Her name is Red Queen. And she's here... to say hello."
The moment Carmen glanced at his wrist, Kenthelion knew—she had sensed Red Queen's presence. He didn't need to say anything more. He didn't have to.
Seconds later, a holographic projection shimmered into existence in the center of the command deck. A young girl in an elegant red dress materialized in the air. Her face was beautiful, her expression vivid—a sweet smile that could almost fool the eye—but everyone in the room knew: she wasn't human. She was a visual representation of a highly advanced and complex digital entity.
As soon as Red Queen manifested, she scanned the room like a child stepping into a strange new world for the very first time. Her eyes sparkled with wonder.
For the first time in her existence, she truly felt free. The projection tech on this ship was far more advanced than anything she'd experienced in her own universe—Resident Evil. Her hologram was stable, clear, almost textured like it had mass.
In the Imperium Caelestis, her existence had always been confined by rigid protocols. Artificial intelligence was permitted, yes—but under strict supervision, heavily regulated, and only allowed to operate within narrow boundaries of control. But here… here, she was free.
Red Queen
"Brother, I feel more real now," she said cheerfully, skipping over to Kenthelion's side. Her voice was filled with a strange warmth—digital, yet somehow… touching.
Kenthelion watched her for a moment. He had to admit—Red Queen's projection looked far more realistic than ever before. If he didn't already know she was just light and data, he might've thought the little girl was physically standing there with them.
Carmen and the rest of the crew stood frozen, staring in stunned silence at the lifelike AI before them. They understood, in that moment, that it was Red Queen who had seized control of the entire John A. Warden—a heavy-class warship with security systems that were supposedly impenetrable.
It shocked them. The Federation had indeed equipped the ship with an internal AI, but it was nothing more than a system assistant—not a central controller. The Warden's default AI had no projection capability, and certainly no tactical independence.
Red Queen was different. She had undergone major upgrades since being enhanced by Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey. Her capabilities now nearly rivaled Cortana's—flexible, lightning-fast, and even showing signs of advanced self-awareness. Still, despite all of that, Red Queen had never interfaced directly with high-tier technology from the Imperium Caelestis. This was a first for her.
Carmen, still struggling to believe what she was seeing, instinctively reached out to touch Red Queen. Her hand passed straight through. No resistance. No physical form. Only then did she fully understand—the little girl was nothing more than a projection.
Red Queen
"Hello, Carmen."
Her voice was sweet and friendly as she waved her small hand.
Carmen
"You... know who I am?"
Carmen stared at the girl, stunned that she had spoken her name like they were already acquainted.
Red Queen
"Of course I know you. I also know about Deborah, Tia Durer, and the others."
Tia Durer
"Hold on. How do you know our names? Did Kenthelion feed your system our data?"
Tia stepped forward, eyes locked on Red Queen with a sharp, guarded tone.
Red Queen
"No," she replied, a hint of arrogance in her voice. "I am an artificial intelligence. I can distinguish, understand, and calculate. I have a mind. I can feel sadness, joy... even anger. I didn't need Kenthelion to upload your data. I can deduce, cross-reference, and learn from everything around me."
Carmen
"So you're saying… you've been aware of everything happening around Kenthelion? And you can identify who we are?"
Carmen turned her eyes to Kenthelion's wrist—the watch. A transmitter, the central command hub for Red Queen. From there, she could monitor, analyze, and interface with almost any compatible system.
And with that realization, it hit her: Red Queen wasn't just a tool. She was an entity. And through that watch, she had been watching them. All of them. Every moment.
Author's Note:
I sincerely apologize in advance for any mistakes in the English section below. I've done my best to write it clearly, but if there are any grammatical or phrasing errors, I hope you'll kindly overlook them. Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you still enjoy the story.
Red Queen
"Yes, I know everything. Every single thing big Brother Kenthelion did, everything he said to those people… I recorded it all. Including what happened between him and big Sister Deborah in Alesia. I saw it all—clear as day. Even inside the captain's quarters."
After the little girl became popular, she went back to digging a hole for Kenthelion again.
Kenthelion could only sigh and facepalm. That little girl, utterly guiltless, went right back to digging a hole for him — openly revealing his relationship with Deborah in front of everyone, even blurting out that they'd been sleeping together and having sex like it was no big deal.
Then, everyone quietly turned their eyes to Deborah and Kenthelion.
As for the matter between them—Carmen and Tia Durer had suspected they'd slept together, but they never imagined the AI would spill everything so bluntly after going viral among the entire mobile infantry. Now, all eyes were on Kenthelion and Deborah.
After going viral, Deborah had no choice but to speak openly about her relationship with Kenthelion — and her face turned bright red with embarrassment in front of her fellow Mobile Infantry teammates.
She panicked, completely unsure of what to do. And now that Carmen and Tia Durer were staring at her, she had no idea what to say.
Kenthelion
"Don't look at Deborah. What Red Queen said is true—she's already fulfilled her part of the agreement. That leaves only two of you now."
Kenthelion addressed the issue between him and Deborah without hesitation, then turned his attention to Carmen and Tia Durer.
Carmen
"We did make a promise to you, but we never said when we'd fulfill it, did we?"
She gave him a coy smile, the kind that tried to twist the letter of an agreement.
"Wouldn't it be fine if we waited a few years before keeping our end of the deal?"
Now she remembered—there had never been a clear timeline in their agreement.
Tia Durer
"Yeah, let's talk about it once we're back on Earth."
Tia, picking up on Carmen's tone, understood the message: delay it.
Kenthelion
"That's not going to happen. It has to be fulfilled now."
With that, Kenthelion pulled both Carmen and Tia Durer into a firm embrace and walked straight toward the captain's waiting lounge adjacent to the command center. He had already confirmed it was clean, safe, and isolated. After all, they hadn't reached Fort Cassie yet.
While the two women shouted and cursed in protest, Kenthelion calmly guided them along. The mobile infantry soldiers nearby could only stare, confused and unsure of how to react.
Major Henry Vallow
"Alright, what's going on here?"
The Major frowned, watching Kenthelion escort Carmen and Tia away, still in his grasp.
Lieutenant Tony Daugherty
"It's their own business, sir. We're not in a position to interfere."
Tony Daugherty knew there had been some kind of agreement behind all this, but the details? They were murky at best.
Major Henry Vallow
"Deborah, what's going on between you and Captain Kenthelion?"
Henry turned to Deborah, his voice low with concern. He was worried Kenthelion might be forcing the female officers into something against their will.
Deborah
"It's fine. Don't worry about them. Nothing's going to happen."
She sighed inwardly, already cursing Kenthelion in silence as she watched him walk off with Carmen and Tia in tow.
Major Henry Vallow
"Alright then."
Hearing Deborah say that was enough for him to back off. He recognized it for what it was—a private matter.
Red Queen
"You're not going with them?"
The Red Queen appeared next to Deborah, her projection looking far too lifelike as she suddenly posed the question.
Deborah
"Why would I? I've already fulfilled my promise."
Red Queen
"But last time... your face looked very satisfied."
Her voice took on a playful, mischievous tone—like a tiny devil whispering scandal.
"Seeing you like that was... delightful. You looked so comfortable. Are you sure you don't want to go again?"
Deborah shot her a sharp glare, but Red Queen just giggled—unapologetic and amused, a spark of chaos flickering in her synthetic smile.
When the nearby mobile infantry troops heard Red Queen's remark, their reactions were almost synchronized. A few turned toward Deborah, while others exchanged knowing glances—some curious, others playful, and more than a few barely stifling amused grins.
"Did she just say… comfortable?"
One soldier whispered under his breath, a murmur barely audible in the quiet of the formation.
"Wait, you think she actually slept with Captain Kenthelion?"
Another responded in a half-joking tone, carefully keeping his voice low.
Like sparks hitting dry tinder, Red Queen's teasing words had ignited whispers that had long smoldered in the background—in locker rooms, break areas, and late-night watch shifts. Now, those rumors weren't just speculation. They saw Deborah's expression, and that alone was enough to feed their imaginations.
The energy in the room shifted. Some soldiers broke into sly smirks, others pretended to focus on their screens or terminals, but the air was thick with tension—a mixture of curiosity, awkwardness, and the rising steam of unspoken gossip, as palpable as reactor vapor.
Feeling the sudden weight of being the center of attention, Deborah let out a sharp breath. Without a word, she stood and strode briskly toward Kenthelion's private quarters. She didn't return a single stare. She didn't offer a single explanation. But her steps alone were enough to spark another round of exchanged looks.
She didn't have many options. Staying in the command room would only make things worse. Everyone was watching her now, and their expressions were no longer neutral. They were laced with speculation, humor, and just enough mischief to make her skin crawl.
"Whatever," she thought bitterly. "It only happened once. But once... sometimes leads to twice."
The remaining infantry soldiers watched her enter Kenthelion's quarters in silence. Then, one by one, they turned to one another. A few raised their eyebrows as if to say, You saw that too, right? Others exchanged soft whistles or bumped elbows, struggling to keep their amusement contained.
Then, someone muttered under their breath,
"So… the other two are getting pulled in, too?"
The question was half a joke, but it drew nods from several of them—whether in agreement or simply riding the wave of gossip. No one really knew the full terms of the mysterious agreement between Kenthelion and those three women, but one thing was certain:
They were all witnessing something far beyond the usual boundaries of command protocol.
Sergeant Ratzass muttered under his breath, his voice laced with bitter resignation.
"I've never even touched a woman..."
His gaze drifted toward Kenthelion's quarters, eyes hollow with quiet despair.
Private Chase, standing beside him, gave a solemn nod.
"Same here," he said quietly, wearing the same defeated look.
Major Henry
"Little girl, when will we reach Fort Cassie?" Major Henry asked as he turned to face Red Queen. His tone was firm, laced with urgency. He wanted those bugs wiped out—fast.
Red Queen
"We'll arrive in less than six hours," Red Queen replied calmly, her voice carrying the unmistakable precision of an AI. Her glowing pink eyes locked onto Major Henry's, as if scanning his intentions.
Major Henry
"Good. Use the time wisely and rest up. Once we reach Fort Cassie, we'll immediately coordinate with the mobile infantry stationed there. Our mission is clear—purge the John A. Warden of every last disgusting creature still onboard. No survivors."
Mobile Infantry, Teams A-01 and K-12
"Yes, sir!" they responded in unison. The soldiers stood tall, weapons at the ready, their faces set with determination and burning resolve to finish the job.
--
Fort Cassie
Selene now held complete control over Fort Cassie. Only a few stray Arachnid bugs remained—appearing sporadically across isolated sections of the station. But Selene was already one step ahead. She had deployed her entire unit of Zombie Wolverines to sweep the corridors and hunt down the remaining threats.
With their heightened sense of smell, the Zombie Wolverines could track down even the most hidden insectoids through ducts and shadowed passageways. They were merciless executioners. The Arachnids' Warrior Bugs lacked the intelligence or capability to stand against their savage precision. Every encounter ended the same way: a swift and brutal slaughter.
Their presence proved vital. The Zombie Wolverines not only reinforced Fort Cassie's perimeter defenses, but also actively eliminated any insect that tried to sneak in through ventilation shafts or underground maintenance tunnels. Without these clawed hunters, Selene's new forces might have suffered heavy casualties within the first few hours alone.
But Fort Cassie wasn't just a strategic stronghold—it was a treasure trove of military supplies and logistics. Inside its vaults lay enough weaponry and equipment to arm tens of thousands. While not originally built for anti-Arachnid warfare, the gear was ideal for deployment across the colony worlds of the Imperium Caelestis.
The combat armor found here—dark, nearly black in color—might have looked plain next to the hyper-advanced tech of the Imperium. But in its simplicity lay strength: it was flexible, affordable, and easy to adapt. Some of its core functions included night vision, gravitational stabilization, jump enhancement, and mid-tier tactical interfaces.
Compared to the super-heavy gear of Warhammer 40K, or the psionic-based suits of StarCraft's Protoss and Zerg bio-armor, Mobile Infantry gear from the Starship Troopers universe might seem underwhelming. But what it lacked in sophistication, it made up for in mass production and ease of distribution.
With further enhancements from the Adeptus Mechanicus and integration by Selene's cross-universe scientific coalition, this gear was rapidly evolving. It had the potential to become the backbone of any Planetary Defence Force or regular Astra Militarum regiment—a true hybrid solution forged from the strengths of multiple worlds.