The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Lunar Colony Renoran)

(Northern Region- Processing Plant)

"As you can see, we operate around the clock in twelve-hour shifts. The raw materials are first sorted into different sizes and types…" Supervisor Foster explained calmly.

"Now it is very important that the materials are processed as soon as possible otherwise the crystals may lose some of their monetary value."

"The de-cyclicor machine will add certain chemicals and bacteria to the mixture that will increase the likelihood of crystal growth."

Qiana listened carefully as the cyber-enhanced woman walked through the processing plant and explained the different types of machines.

Supervisor Foster was clearly an expert since she could clearly explain what each machine did and what purpose that they served.

It was impossible to tell if she was intentionally slowing down the processing rate of the raw materials, but it did not appear as though she was…

At least from the outside.

Qiana nodded slowly and made a mental note to check the data logs after the tour to examine the figures.

"Renoran is a fascinating lunar colony because some of the materials here like Rexium and Lien are found in limited quantities," Supervisor Foster quietly whispered.

"Those materials are highly sought after since they are usually only found in the Alpha Star System."

"No one is quite sure how they managed to develop on a moon in the middle of the Hydra Star System, but that mystery does not affect the fact that they are both quite valuable."

Lunar colony Renoran was an important asset for House Abazin and its importance was slowly being revealed with every passing day that Qiana spent on the moon.

That is why it was so important for her to figure out what was going on with the miners and what the hell was the creature moving outside her tent.

The rest of the tour lasted for around one hour and Qiana left the plant feeling quite knowledgeable about the machines inside the processing plant.

Supervisor Foster had sent two years' worth of data to her wrist communicator and Qiana planned to review the findings later that night.

She took a step outside and winced as a bright ray of sunlight brushed directly against her face.

The young noble heiress to House Abazin adjusted her mask slightly and looked up at the heavy clouds of smog that left the exhaust pipes.

The processing plant was not exactly environmentally friendly but since there were no native organisms on the moon, there was no need to worry about hurting the local fauna or flora.

"Shall we head back to the base camp young miss?" Carter quietly asked as he stood at a fair distance away surrounded by the three security officers.

Supervisor Foster had decided to stay in the processing plant so only the five of them would be going back to the camp site.

"Yes… let's leave now," Qiana firmly replied as she walked towards the hovercar that was parked right on top of a sand dune.

She opened the door and entered the driver's seat, this hovercar was automatic and self-driving so all she needed to do was plug in the coordinates and sit back.

The hovercar's engine began to rumble and it slowly lifted up from the ground.

The forcefields covering the sensitive parts of the vehicle were still active to prevent sand particles from entering inside the car's inner machinery.

Qiana glanced in the mirror and saw Carter and the three security officers both enter their own separate vehicles.

There was a strange expression on each of their faces which Qiana struggled to identify. All she could tell was that all of the men glanced in her direction at least twice.

Well, that could be explained by the fact that they were supposed to protect her but… there was something off about the situation.

Qiana stretched out her arms and pretended to yawn. She curled up against the side of her chair and closed her eyes.

Soon her breathing began a regular pattern, and one could see the steady rise and fall of her chest as if she were in a deep sleep.

She could sense the eyes falling on her position, but Qiana did not stir and continued her act of deception.

She may appear to be sleeping and helpless but dark marks were already beginning to travel up her skin and a knife was hidden in her sleeve.

The hovercar shuddered to life and then began to move forward in the direction of the base camp.

Qiana focused on her breathing as she carefully reviewed all the information that she had found out already.

One… a majority of individuals working on the colony were intentionally lowering their rate of production.

Two… Carter was a suspicious man… was he the possible leader of the movement?

Three… that monster… was it real?

Four… there were rare raw materials on the moon which meant that many outside forces would be interested in getting a piece of the profits.

Qiana furrowed her brows as she found herself no closer to solving the mystery just yet, but the puzzle pieces were slowly coming together.

She could tell that something was missing… there was still some information that she had to discover...

BOOM!

The bomb beneath Qiana's car exploded and the hovercar was swallowed up in an enormous ball of flames that reached over twenty feet in the air.

The four hovercars following closely behind stopped immediately and their passengers opened the doors and walked outside.

Carter stepped towards the wreckage and stared at the mangled pieces of metal that were now scattered around the desert.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cheap looking cigarette. He lit the cigarette and took a deep inhale of the ashy smoke.

"Boss… are you sure?" one of the security officers spoke with a slight tremble in his voice as his hands were shaking uncontrollably.

The fear of nobles was deeply implanted in his psyche and there was a part of him that could not believe what they had just done.

"Yes… this was an unfortunate accident done by terrorists and don't worry… my contact has assured me that no blame will fall on us," Carter replied hoarsely.

The massive man exhaled slightly, and a foul grey puff of smoke exited his lips. He stared at the wreckage searching for a trace of the now dead noble girl.

Wait… where were her body parts?

Maybe they were all swallowed up by the resulting explosion?

Carter furrowed his brows and turned around to speak to his men when he saw a sight that made him freeze in place.

Each of his men were clutching their throats and making soft whimpers of pain. A thin red line had been neatly drawn across each of their necks.

One by one his men collapsed on the sand with horrified expressions of fear and terror on their faces.

The life drained from their eyes and blood leaked out from their open wounds which stained the desert sands.

Tap… tap… tap…

The sound of light footsteps came from behind Carter, and he barely had any time to react before a blade was thrust against his throat.

"Why don't you and I have a nice long conversation…" a soft feminine voice whispered.