The door of the bridge snapped open. Outside, four legionnaire guards stood to the side in two lines. Under their vigilant glances, a female figure walked in. Jean silently closed her right palm on another pile of broken glass, reducing the already shattered pieces into particles too small for human eyes to see.

”I see you have received quite the benefit.” Nova scanned Jean from top to bottom with her mechanical eyes. The thin layer of pajamas Jean wore could barely cover her skin. However, Nova wasn’t looking at the bare skin, at least not just the skin, but also her power scale. Jean’s psionic level was off the chart.

Jean smiled warmly, crossing her legs. “Indeed. Speaking of, how’s poor old Alarak?” If Nova was back, and judging from her look she was victorious, Alarak must be in some real trouble. He would be lucky if he was still alive...or rather unlucky. The tal’darim were strong, but not strong enough to withstand perhaps the largest fleet in the sector.

Nova grinned coldly and stepped to the side. A mechanical legionnaire walked in. Jean rose her eyebrows.

Nova tapped the legionnaire’s arm with her index finger. “This is Alarak.” The legionnaire didn’t move. The only thing that distinguished him from standard legionnaires was the red plating on his head.

Jean coughed and almost fell out of her chair, completely taken by surprise. “I’m sorry?” She asked, returning her gaze to Nova once again, waiting for an explanation.

“I downloaded his conscious and turned him into a purifier AI. All ideas of self interest removed. Replaced by complete loyalty to you and you alone. His memory and his battle skill are still present.” Nova walked closer and said wickedly. “Made to serve your greatest enemy. This is the best punishment.” She sat on the armrest of the seat Jean was sitting on and rested her right hand on Jean’s back. Her legs dangled down, crossed, as she faced Alarak. The layer of pajama wasn’t an obstacle as she felt the warmth on her palm.

Jean was impressed. Nova appeared all nice and cute and cuddly in front of her, but behind the smiles and kisses and sexes she was still a merciless ghost agent. Alarak had hurt Jean, and to Nova that was worse than anything else the Highlord could’ve possibly done. Taking the captured Highlord and turning him to Jean’s slave was something Nova was totally capable of doing.

“Remind me to stay away from you when you’re upset.” Jean joked.

Nova grinned in return. She gave out another silent order via the purifier data web, and Alarak walked out of the bridge. As he left, he closed the door, leaving the two in the bridge alone for some private moment.

“Nice job on dealing with Amon, by the way.” Jean complemented as she stood up and poured a drink and handed it to Nova. For a moment she looked like a wife welcoming her husband home from a battlefield. That wasn’t exactly wrong. “B501 told me how pathetic he was at his last moments.”

Nova jumped down from the armset and drank the drink. Her mechanical body was made to look like that of a human. Nova could still eat and drink and do everything a normal human being could do. She could even get drunk if she wanted to. “About Amon, when are you planning to enter the void and kill him?” Jean had told Nova about her plan to go through Ulnar and end Amon once and for all.

“We’ll wait for ten more days.” Jean replied.

Nova’s face turned slightly red. Whether it was from the alcohol or from some other reason was unknown. “So what I’m hearing is we have ten days and nothing to do?”

Jean shrugged before realizing what Nova was referring to.

In the bridge of battlecruiser B501, Jean laid on her bare back. Her cheek was red. She breathed heavily as she strolled her fingers through Nova’s long, blonde/white hair.

“That was…” Nova started as a giggle before finally broke out into laughers. Jean joined her. The two laid in relief for a few minutes. Jean suddenly felt the beauty beside her taking a deep sign.

“What’s wrong?” Jean felt a wave of sadness coming off Nova.

“I…” Nova stumbled. “I just want you to know how grateful I am.”

Jean rose her eyebrows.

Nova ignored Jean’s confusion but nonetheless continued. “For my entire life, I have been used as a living, breathing weapon. Fagin. The Confederacy. The Dominion. Ever since the rebels killed my parents, everyone I met sought to use me against their enemies. A weapon. That’s it. Nothing else.” Fagin was a crime lord that controlled the gutter on Tarsonis.

Jean frowned. “And you’re so sure I am not using you?“

Nova grinned sadly. “Fagin starved me for days until I submitted. The Confederacy and the Dominion mind controlled me.” She strolled her fingers along Jean’s skin. “I’d say you’re pretty nice to me.”

“Plus, I have felt something from you that I have never felt for decades.”

“What is it?”

“Love.”

If Jean wasn’t an emotionless girl she would’ve burst out in laughers. The irony was...sad.

“And I just want you to know that I will do anything, anything, to protect this love. Whoever wants to take you away from me, whoever wants to stop you, whether it’s the Terran Dominion or Amon or this Supreme One or anyone else, I will do everything I can to stop them. No matter the cost.” The ghost said firmly.

“I don’t care if the world burns. I will gladly end this entire sector and everything and everyone in it for you.”

Jean slightly understood what happened.

As cold and merciless as Nova appeared, seeing the world that she grew up in burn was not an easy task. Nova grew up in the Terran Confederacy and had served the Terran Dominion for most of her life. Connected to the purifier network, she saw countless planets burn and countless terran die. And yet she did nothing. She had the command over the purifier fleet. She could call them back anytime she wanted to. She could save the world and all the billions and billions of people in it. Yet she did nothing.

She did nothing because she knew Jean needed the death of the sector to achieve her goal. She knew what was good for Jean, and she did exactly that.

Just like she said, Nova didn’t care if the world burns as long as it was good for Jean.

Jean smiled and grabbed onto Nova’s hands. “I will never fail you. I can promise you that.” At least I will never fail you when you don’t betray me and when you are still worthy.

Nova smiled innocently.