The Spider Queen

(Unova Syndicate- Frontier Region)

(Unknown Spatial Zone- The Bloody Krena Warship)

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Numerous asteroids shattered to dust after being struck by heavy rounds of plasma fire that were blasted from the cannons mounted on the topside of the Imperial Army starship.

The enemy spacecraft was clearing a path through the asteroid field and heading straight for their heavily damaged starship.

Sophie stared motionlessly at the scene outside the window with numerous thoughts racing across her mind.

What to do? Was this end? Would she really never see her friends and family again?

There was a solemn mood inside the command room and the tension in the air could be cut with a knife.

Some mercenaries got down on their knees and prayed to whatever gods or higher beings that they believed in while others just watched in silence.

Captain Hessan sat in his chair with a stone-faced expression on his furry face. His paws twitched nervously as he swayed from side to side.

No one was calm in the face of death.

Sophie gently stroked Lily's back and hummed a soft lullaby that she remembered from Sui Meng's memories.

The name of the song was 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.' Lily softly stirred in her arms so Sophie stopped patting her back.

She didn't want the little girl to wake up.

Perhaps it would be better for the end to happen while Lily slumbered peacefully as she would not experience the feelings of dread and anxiety.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The shockwaves caused by the plasma rounds exploding the asteroids slammed against the hull of their starship and caused the room to shake violently.

Sophie maintained her posture by using her bladed appendages to hold her body in place but the unlucky mercenaries found themselves slamming against the closest walls or the hard metallic floor.

The mirror copy that was created from the Rsychosis technique was holding Perspherene's unconscious body to make sure that Sophie's friend didn't suffer from the impacts.

A bit of a futile effort considering that they would all die soon…

A bitter smile flashed across Sophie's face as she continued to watch space rocks that were billions of years old crumble and shatter to pieces in an instant.

Nothing lived forever.

However, Sophie was willing to try one last move.

It may turn out to be completely useless but Sophie didn't want to die without at least attempting something.

"Are the communicators still capable of sending out a transmission to the incoming starship to request a video call?" Sophie quietly asked.

Her voice echoed through the command room and caused a faint trace of hope to appear on the faces of the warriors present.

Captain Hessan shot her a look of resignation but eventually activated his wrist device and inputted a series of code.

He pressed a button on the side of the metalloid device and then quietly waited. A holographic projection appeared in the middle of the room that displayed a blank screen.

"If they bother to accept then we should see them on the screen," Captain Hessan raised his paw and pointed at the projection.

Sophie awkwardly scuttled over to the captain's chair using her bladed appendages to move around the fallen debris that blocked the way.

Lily was still wrapped tightly in her arms as Sophie had no intention of putting her down.

"Its useless you know," Captain Hessan muttered darkly once Sophie came within earshot.

"Let me tell you something about the Earth Federation… the creatures in that part of the universe are nothing more than savage barbarians."

"All they know is conquer, kill and destroy. There will be no mercy for us once our starship enters the range of their plasma cannons."

Sophie said nothing because there really was not much that she could say. The citizens of the Unovan Syndicate were right to view the Imperial Army as invaders.

The savage uncaring nature of the universe meant that it was a playground where the weak civilisations would be devoured by the strong.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

There was an odd sense of peace as the moment of death slowly arrived. Sophie reflected on the short but remarkable life that she had led.

Being the heiress of a high noble family meant that she had enjoyed wealth and privilege beyond the wildest dreams of the average citizen.

And she was especially thankful to her father who insisted that she would be named as his successor despite her hybrid heritage.

She would cherish the amazing friends that she had met… Rachel, Astrid, Qiana and many others… and then there was Cleo…

Sophie absentmindedly stroked the center of her chest where the mysterious pink mark appeared after their first night of passion.

It was the only physical connection she had left that connected her to the princess that had stolen her heart.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

There was a great deal of things that Sophie had to be thankful for but all she could think about in her final moments were the regrets.

To see her loved ones… just one more time.

A large asteroid several hundred kilometers in length was blown to pieces as the Imperial Army spacecraft finally arrived within striking distance.

Sophie and the rest of the mercenaries in the command room were drawn to the magnificent spacecraft that loomed ominously in front of their starship.

The crackling plasma energy still lingered on the tip of the multiple plasma cannons mounted on the topside of the spacecraft.

"Well… I wish I could say that it was an honour serving with you all but I'd be lying," Captain Hessan whispered hoarsely.

The rodent-like alien reached into the front pocket of his uniform and pulled out a tiny bottle filled with a greenish-yellow liquid.

He opened the cap with slow deliberate movements and then downed the entire contents in one gulp.

Bleep! Bleep!

[Incoming Transmission Detected…. Displaying…]

Everyone in the room froze and slowly turned their attention to the image displayed on the holographic projection.

Captain Hessan couldn't believe his eyes when a human female dressed in what appeared to be a metallic armour appeared on the screen.

The human female had scarlet red hair and would have been considered a beauty were it not for the long and hideous scar stretched across her face that destroyed her perfect features.

"Katarina?! Is that you?!" a shocked voice blurted out.

Captain Hessan turned around and saw the most powerful mercenary in the room stare at the figure on the screen with an elated expression.

"My lady… I must apologise for my lateness," Katarina bowed slightly and offered an apology.

"What is the current situation onboard your vessel? Is there anyone holding you hostage or capable of placing you in any danger?"

"No. I am the strongest cultivator in the room and these mercenaries are mainly in the qi body and spirit stage," Sophie replied confidently.

"As you can probably tell from a visual inspection, our starship has been heavily damaged and the engine room had been destroyed."

"Life support will only last for one day and maybe a few more hours…"

The conversation that was taking place between Sophie and Katarina was incomprehensible to the aliens in the room as they both spoke using the common Federation Trade language.

Only Captain Hessan was vaguely able to follow along with the general flow of the conversation and from what he understood…

It appeared as though the powerful mercenary that had joined his crew may be an individual with a noble identity.

Perhaps… they were not destined to die just yet…

What the captain didn't know was that in addition to talking to Katarina about the general situation, the hybrid girl was also making discrete hand signals to talk about more sensitive topics.

Katarina explained using sign language that her father's death guards had managed to disguise themselves as members of the Nephilim Church.

The current Imperial Army starship that they were using was loaned by the head commander of the Unovan operation.

It would have to be returned and there were only a certain number of extra robes and uniforms that the rescue team had brought with them.

Only Sophie and Lily's safety could be assured.