The Spider Queen

A memory stick?

Sophie frowned slightly as she unwrapped the thin sheet of paper to find a small metalloid device hidden inside the folds.

She examined the structure of the memory stick only to discover that this was a model that could only fit into ports from communicators built by Earth Federation companies.

Sophie ran her fingers along the edges of the device and could not help but get a sinking feeling in her chest.

Something didn't feel right…

There were no such things as pure coincidences in this world and Sophie was suspicious about the sudden discovery of a mysterious memory stick.

Why was it placed in a location that was easy to accidently find?

Was she supposed to discover it?

And perhaps the most important detail….

Why was it a memory stick designed to be read by communicators manufactured by Earth Federation companies.

Captain Dawn wore a model designed by the craftsmen in the Hyperion Order and none of the other members in the squad seemed to have communicators that could read this type of memory stick.

Sophie's communicator was the only device who could see what information was inside.

Chills ran down Sophie's spine as she realised what was really going on.

This was clearly some type of trap or set-up…

But what was the purpose?

If the captain wanted to harm her then it would be a simple matter to just attack.

Why go through all this trouble?

Sophie closed her eyes and thought about what to do next. It was dangerous to stay here but right now there was no other choice.

The mission to find the plant would last for one more week and it was impossible to sneak out of the camp undetected.

Still there was something she could do…

A bloodthirsty snarl flashed across Sophie's face as she reached into her storage bag for a tiny vial containing a purplish dust.

Uncorking the vial caused an unpleasant smell to fill the air but Sophie did not pay any attention to the foul odour.

She carefully wrapped up the memory stick in exactly the same way she had found it and then placed the sheet of paper back into the metallic cylinder.

Before closing the cylinder, Sophie poured out the full contents of the vial into the cylinder with a cold glint in her eye.

The purple crystals shimmered slightly under the light, but their colour soon turned transparent as they fell into the cylinder.

No doubt, the person behind the scenes wanted her to read what was on the memory stick but Sophie would not satisfy his wishes.

Just in case she was going to be framed, Sophie left behind a nasty surprise in store for the next person who would open the device.

It was a slow acting toxin that had the effect of paralyzing the body once qi was circulated over a period of time.

And more importantly…. its symptoms would perfectly mimic qi overdraft so there was no chance that the victim would suspect that he had been poisoned.

Sophie had tried to get this toxin in contact with the Captain's skin but could not find an opportunity under his watchful eye.

This was the best chance.

"Big sister I'm hungry!" an unhappy call came from the dining room as Lily couldn't wait any longer.

"Just two more minutes," Sophie replied back.

She washed her hand under the sink and then brought the big pot to the dining room table.

There were no more fresh plates in the sink, so Sophie reached into her storage bag to pull out some plastic kitchenware.

The appetizing scent of well-cooked meat along with the visuals of perfectly chopped vegetables floating merrily in the stew caused Sophie's mouth to water.

Sophie poured the mixture into separate plates and then placed two sets of cutleries on the table.

Lily was a growing girl, so Sophie made sure that her plate contained extra vegetables along with a hearty serving of broth.

"Thank you," Lily smiled cutely and gave Sophie a kiss on the arm.

"Make sure not to burn your tongue," Sophie laughed as she saw Lily focusing intensely on blowing the soup on her spoon.

Sophie took a quick sip and felt the warmth of a hot meal slowly slide down her throat. There wasn't much talking as both girls were pretty hungry.

The soup in the pot slowly decreased until only a thin morsel of qualrian meat remained at the bottom of the container.

Sophie rubbed her belly contently as gazed at Lily who was nodding her head sleepily.

She picked up the little girl smoothly with one arm and brought her to the cot.

Lily yawned quietly as Sophie pulled the blanket over her body and turned off the lights.

The room inside the tent instantly plunged into darkness but this was not a problem for Sophie as her golden eye gleamed softly.

It was unusually peaceful.

Sophie absentmindedly rubbed the stump where her left arm used to be and maybe it was her imagination, but she could feel a bit more growth.

"What am I going to do," Sophie whispered to herself as the minutes ticked by.

She was suddenly struck by an intense feeling of loneliness. It had been months since she had been teleported to this foreign land with no way to communicate back home.

She missed her dad….

She missed her friends…

She missed Cleo…

A single tear ran down the side of Sophie's cheek as the hybrid girl allowed herself to be vulnerable for maybe the first time in weeks.

The pressure of seeing the future was slowly beginning to cause Sophie to crack.

Every time she closed her eyes, she would see Lily's broken corpse and her body skewed by the captain's sword.

It was a never-ending nightmare.

And so far, her only plan was to somehow poison the captain before the fight. This was barely even a plan and Sophie knew it.

It would be nice if the captain personally picked up the metallic cylinder, but Sophie didn't hold out much hope.

But what else could she do?

Think… think…

Sophie leaned back against a nearby wall but all she could focus on were Lily's soft breaths as the little girl slept peacefully.