The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System)

(Private Starship- Hologram Suite)

Bang!

Sophie leaned to the side and narrowly avoided the beam of light that was shot in her direction.

She moved quickly and retaliated by punching the large robot that was slowly rolling towards her with arms outstretched.

The floor was covered in destroyed machinery, scattered parts and a black oil-like material that stained the ground.

The hybrid girl's figure vanished from the spot and when she reappeared all the androids in the room were torn apart.

"End the simulation," Sophie coldly spoke.

The scenery in the room disappeared and all that was left was a white space with thin blue lines running across the floor and walls in a criss-cross pattern.

Sophie walked towards the door and reached into her pocket for a small handkerchief. She wiped the sweat off her brows as she exited the hologram suite.

She had been training for over six hours.

There was no much to do on the flight back to Zrudread University since Cleo was still asleep and Sophie did not have the heart to wake her up.

As the hybrid girl wandered through the corridors, numerous thoughts flashed across her mind.

She was now the duchess.

It was a fact that was beginning to sink in and yet somehow it still felt unreal. How could this have happened so quickly?

One moment she was just a regular university student and now she was one of the most powerful nobles in the Federation.

This would be a dream come true for most of the population of the Federation but for Sophie the cost was simply too high.

She would trade all of this power, wealth and authority if it meant that her father would return safely from the battlefield.

And not to mention… she had one other worry on her mind.

Her Insectoid heritage.

She was half human and half Arachnais. The offspring of the Federation's youngest god stage cultivator and a princess of a high-level Insectoid species.

This was a secret that was akin to a ticking time bomb.

Especially considering that the crown prince seemed to be aware of her true nature and simply lacked proof to confirm it.

Sophie tilted her wrist upwards and quickly accessed her communicator. She opened up some of the reports and looked for any new information.

Immediately after the succession ceremony ended, Sophie had employed the use of her family's private investigation organisation to look into the crown prince and Dr. Valenna.

She had even hired information guilds as well. Both the legal and the ones that leaned slightly into the greyish realm of the law.

It was important to find out any weaknesses or information that would get them off her back.

This of course was just a temporary measure until she found out a more 'permanent' solution.

Sophie lowered her wrist and walked towards the end of the corridor.

There was a door leading to the upper floor cafeteria, but Sophie's attention was drawn to the window.

She could see the vastness of space outside. A black never ending void with numerous wonders and fantastical sights.

The universe was just so… majestic.

Sophie stood spellbound as she watched a soaring asteroid hurtle across in the distance towards a small moon.

In the distance there was a giant gaseous planet slowly rotating surrounded by enormous rings made from melted ice and rock that rapidly spun around its body.

The hybrid girl stared for a few minutes and then turned away. She opened the door to the cafeteria and ventured inside.

The cafeteria space was quite large and could fit over two hundred people quite comfortably.

There were food replicators, nutrient packages and other edible supplies suitable for long term space travel.

This cafeteria was located on the upper floor of the spacecraft and was reserved for nobles and their guests.

The few workers that operated the starship would use the cafeteria on the lower floor.

Since Sophie and Cleo were the only passengers, the cafeteria reserved for aristocrats was completely empty.

Sophie headed for one of the counters and grabbed a couple of nutrient packs. She popped off the top of the tubules and poured the contents into her mouth.

The tasteless liquid entered her mouth and flowed down into her stomach. Sophie repeated this process a few more times and then walked towards a random seat.

She sat down and leaned against the back of the chair. The silence of the cafeteria was oddly comforting.

She didn't mind being alone sometimes especially when there was just so much that she needed to deal with.

There was already quite a robust system in place to manage her father's estate and territories and Sophie did not plan to expand.

For the next couple of decades she just hoped to maintain House Peterlor's power and then when she had more experience she would try to increase their strength.

It was important not to rush.

Cultivators did live for hundreds if not thousands of years so she had plenty of time to learn and prepare.

All she had to do now was focus on graduating from Zrudread University and then get through her years of mandatory military service.

After that… well maybe that was thinking too far ahead.

Sophie pulled out a metalloid tablet from her storage bag and decided to distract herself by browsing through the virtual Net.

She deliberately avoided the political and current affairs news articles and searched for more lighthearted topics.

There was a long thread on one of the forums that Sophie browsed concerning a story accompanied by a blurry picture.

[A Man On Planet Hyperion Has Been Arrested For Streaking In Front Of The Local Nobility!]

['A Ghastly Sight!' – Lord Feren Claimed]

['I Didn't Mind… He Was Quite 'Blessed' – A Noblewoman Who Refused To Give Out Her Name]

['I'll Do It Again!' – The Streaker]

Sophie giggled softly as she read the comments below the image. Some of them were very funny especially the ones who tried to guess just how 'blessed' the streaker was.

The Virtual Net was constantly monitored by AI in order to prevent what the Federation Government called 'provocative content that disturbed the social order'.

But every now and then some things would slip through the cracks.

Sophie spotted a comment that talked about the useless of the nobility and how they were all just a bunch of rich parasites.

The comment was quickly deleted but she was surprised to see it published in the first place.

There was a subtle tide shifting in the Federation but at the time Sophie was unable to recognise the change that was about to come.