The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Lunar Colony Renoran)

(Abazin Mining Corporation- Base Camp)

Qiana stepped off the spacecraft and winced slightly as an intense beam of sunlight brushed against the side of her face.

The ground beneath her feet was composed of a whitish sand and one could see large dunes in the distance.

Lunar colony Renoran was located in the outer regions of the Hydra Star System and had only been recently acquired by House Abazin.

This was to be her home for the rest of her vacation. Well… at least she didn't have to deal with her family so that was always a plus.

Qiana let out a heavy sigh as she adjusted her glasses and walked towards the large muscular man who bowed respectfully.

The man wore a simple outfit that consisted of blue overalls, a black shirt and heavy boots that covered most of his ankles.

"Are you the one in charge of the mining operation?" Qiana asked curiously as she stared at the imposing figure.

"Yes and no, my lady. I am one of the three leaders of the operation, and my mine is the one located in the northern district," the man explained politely.

Qiana hummed softly and continued to walk forward while taking in the sights around her. There was a large transparent barrier wrapped around the entire moon that was impossible to ignore.

This barrier created an artificial atmosphere which made it possible to breathe without the aid of a helmet or specialised gear.

Lunar colony Renoran appeared to be a desolate and hostile place at first glance. Before the mining group arrived, there were no traces of life not even microorganisms.

The young heiress to House Abazin followed the large man over a dune and saw one of the many camps scattered around the planet.

Each camp was composed of a series of large canvas tents that were big enough to rival the size of small houses.

There were a few public toilets and showers at the back of the camp as well as a recreational area with lines drawn in the sand.

The population of the camp was entirely human but there were quite a few androids moving around since the robots were the ones doing most of the labour.

Mechanical beings were superior to humans when it came to physical and intellectual activity with the exception of those who cultivated.

But why would a cultivator be willing to become a miner? Hence the use of androids despite the alternatives.

"What is your name?" Qiana asked the large man who looked at the camp with a strange expression in his eyes.

The man had been nothing but polite and courteous since she had arrived on the moon, but Qiana could not shake her suspicions that there was something off about him.

"My name is Carter Matthews. I have been working with your family for over twenty years now," Carter spoke proudly.

There was a clear sense of pride in his voice as if he considered being employed by House Abazin as an enviable goal.

Qiana furrowed her brows as she could not tell if the large man was being genuine or just saying what he thought that she wanted to hear.

"I look forward to working with you. May I speak to the people in charge of the accounting? I wish to see the productivity numbers for this month," Qiana said calmly.

There was a brief moment of silence.

Carter seemed shocked as if he did not believe that the young noblewoman wanted to start work straightaway while Qiana waited patiently for his decision.

"Sure… right this way…" Carter said hesitantly as he gestured towards a tent in the center of the base camp.

Carter powered on his wrist communicator and presumably sent a message to whoever was inside the tent to come outside.

Qiana knew that something was off about Carter's reaction so the wariness in her heart got even stronger as they approached the tent.

A small skinny woman holding a metalloid tablet walked out of the tent and greeted them with a cheerful grin.

"Hello young miss! I'm Nadia the head accountant at your service," the woman bowed respectfully, and Qiana could not help but notice the burn marks on her hands.

Horrific second-degree burns covered her knuckles, and the skin was dry and flaky as if it were about to fall off.

"Why have you not sought out medical attention?" Qiana asked curiously.

"Oh… these burns are… a reminder," Nadia's smile grew even wider, and Qiana could not tell what emotion was hidden in her grin.

She began to suspect that perhaps this posting was not going to be the straightforward assignment that she initially assumed that it would be.

Her father must have known that something was wrong with the mining group on this lunar colony otherwise why else would he send her here.

Just another blasted test…

"Now why don't you come inside, and I can show you the current production levels and our profit estimates for the next quarter…" Nadia continued talking normally.

She stretched out her long slender arms and opened the flap of the tent. Carter moved forward to enter first, but Nadia held up her hand and stopped him

"Not you though meathead... stay outside," Nadia said firmly as she stared at him with an unreadable look in her eyes.

Carter stood still without a fuss, so Qiana stepped past him and entered inside the tent. She was immediately blown away by what she saw inside.

There were numerous machines stacked along the walls with buttons, knobs and screens that blinked and flashed with activity.

In the middle of the tent was a large table with a holographic projector implanted in the middle of its wooden surface.

The far corner of the room had a sleeping bag messily thrown on the ground and it was surrounded by half eaten rations and nutrient bars.

Nadia walked up to the table and connected her wrist communicator to the projector.

Immediately several screens appeared in mid air above the table with information about the mining operations.

"Now as you can see… five androids have been destroyed in the last month alone which has significantly increased our overhead costs," Nadia spoke in a lighthearted tone.

"There was one serious injury among the team but that has been dealt with and the man is now on hospital leave."

"I am sure that you are interested in the profit estimations for the next quarter so let me just get that data on the screen…"

Qiana listened carefully and wrote down a few notes on her wrist communicator. Nadia began using quite a lot of technical terms which made it very difficult to follow along.

This was a bit boring and tedious to listen to but being the future head of a noble family meant that she would be constantly having to deal with administrative matters.

Nadia opened her mouth and began to gesture wildly at certain screens,

"So, if the hydro pressurized gas field is tapped into then we can see an enormous jump in our profit estimate especially when considering the current price of exrien crystals."

"It may destabilise the moon's core, but I believe that we should increase the fracking process regardless of the environmental damage."