The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Outer Regions)

(Planet Vrean- Unknown Ruins)

Sophie held Cleo's hand as the pair wandered through a hot desert with a blue sun shinning brightly overhead.

The sand was a purplish-grey colour, and one could see dust storms raging in the distance covering vast areas of land.

They were not the only ones currently exploring the desert as dozens of passengers were also mulling about.

A pretty human woman wearing a brown uniform was currently leading the group towards an unknown location.

"Do you want some water?" Sophie asked lovingly as she took out a white tissue from her storage bag and gently wiped the sweat off Cleo's face.

"Sure babe," Cleo replied warmly as she opened up her mouth and stared at her girlfriend in anticipation.

Sophie laughed as it didn't take a genius to realise with her girlfriend wanted.

She took a large sip of water from the bottle attached to her hip and then pressed her lips against Cleo's.

"We are almost there… just ten more minutes!" the tour guide loudly shouted as she pointed towards a large sand dune.

Sophie broke off the kiss and planted another soft peck on Cleo's cheek before turning her attention back to this mysterious desert.

Planet Vrean…

It was one of the first stops on the two-week vacation space cruise.

Passengers were allowed to disembark on the planet and would be accompanied by guides to show them around this peculiar world.

Of course, this was all optional and many passengers chose to stay behind on the starship, but Sophie wanted to explore a bit with her girlfriend.

It was always fascinating to visit new planets and see how life developed.

The hybrid girl shifted to the right just as a long snake-like creature slithered pass her foot.

It had thousands of tiny black legs which it used to scuttle through the sand with awkward movements.

Amazing…

Sophie tilted her wrist communicator towards the animal and snapped a quick picture using the embedded camera.

"Do watch your feet…. there are a couple of Yacaers roaming about but don't worry because they are harmless," the tour guide shouted as a few screams could be heard at the back.

"They look so fucking gross!" a finely dressed man shouted as he hurriedly ran away from the snake-like creature.

"The Yacaers are more scared of you than you are of them… just give them some space and they will not bother you," the tour guide gently explained while trying her best to hide her annoyance.

By the gods… she hated rich tourists….

They always panicked at the first sign of something and no matter how many times she tried to warn them…

Someone would inevitable do something stupid.

"Come on Isabella… just one more year… then you can pay back those stupid student loans," the tour guide muttered under her breath.

Her quiet whispers went unheard by the other passengers except for Sophie whose pointed ears flicked towards the guide's direction.

"I can't believe that one week has passed already," Cleo spoke casually as she looked around the desert for any more signs of life.

"This vacation… it really has been perfect. Thank you…"

"Anything for my princess," Sophie whispered softly as she raised up Cleo's hand and kissed her soft fingers.

"Anything?" Cleo raised up her eyebrow and stared at her girlfriend with mischief dancing in her piercing green eyes.

"Your wish is my command your highness…" Sophie played along and gave a mock bow.

The pair continued to flirt uninterrupted until the group finally arrived at the massive sand dune whose top stretched out towards the heavens.

"Alright everyone! Please gather around and I will tell you about the biggest mystery that has yet to be solved," the tour guide shouted as she stepped in front of the dune.

"Planet Vrean has a colourful and vibrant ecosystem but for hundreds of years the first settlers believed that the planet had no traces of type three intelligent lifeforms."

"That all changed one day when a lone settler stumbled upon this…"

The tour guide walked towards the sand dune and to the complete shock of the group, she somehow managed to pass through the sand and disappear.

She returned a few seconds later and smiled as she saw the looks of amazement on the faces of the group.

"Please follow me…" the tour guide spoke mysteriously as she once again walked into the massive sand dune.

Sophie tightly gripped Cleo's hand and the pair were among the first to follow the tour guide into the sand.

The hybrid girl felt the air vibrate around her body as she stepped towards the dune and for a brief moment, she could have sworn that something brushed against her leg.

The world went dark for a second and then Sophie opened her eyes to discover that she was now standing on the edge of what appeared to be a large valley.

The valley had a lush tropical forest hidden inside and the roaring sounds of water could be heard coming from the gigantic waterfall at the southern end of the valley.

"Amazing, isn't it?" the tour guide said proudly as she gestured towards the distance.

Sophie followed the direction of her hand and saw three enormous black obelisks that rose up from the ground.

These black obelisks seemed out of place like a speck of darkness on what should be the ultimate paradise.

Dark red symbols were etched onto the obelisks' outer surface and these writings glowed eerily under the dim light that was coming from some unknown source.

"What is this place?" Sophie asked curiously as she stared in wonder at the strange sight.

The rest of the passengers trickled in one by one, and the tour guide waited until most had arrived before answering Sophie question.

"This place is considered the only protected heritage sight on Planet Vrean as it contains ruins that predated the arrival of the first settlers by millions of years," the tour guide explained.

"This valley…. has lush fertile soil, an endless supply of water but somehow there are no living fauna."

"Of course, over the years many have brought in animals from the outside world for agricultural or scientific purposes but without exception… they have all died."

The tour guide's ominous words echoed through the valley and the perfect paradise suddenly became a lot scarier.

"Come this way…" the tour guide spoke softly as she walked towards the nearest black obelisk.

Sophie glanced at her girlfriend and saw that she was looking around the valley with excitement hidden in her gaze.

Almost like a little kid at a candy store.

"I love mysteries!" Cleo confessed as she met Sophie's eyes. The princess hummed a quiet song as she powered on her communicator device.

She quickly searched on the virtual Net about all the information available on Planet Vrean's long lost civilisation.

"Wow… babe… check this out…" Cleo suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

She titled her communicator in Sophie's direction, so the hybrid girl looked at the screen.

"Wait… what?" Sophie replied in shock as she looked at the picture. It was taken a few hundred years ago by a visiting professor who studied interplanetary archeology.

Every detail about the valley was exactly the same as the picture but there was one crucial difference.

The writings on the black obelisks were purple…